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I get this question at least ten times a day, and it's one of my favorite questions to answer. The answer lies largely in knowing your dog and their personality and snout size. Yes, that's right- snout size.
A snuffle mat is a wonderful starting point regardless of your dog's experience level. It works for all dogs, no matter their snout size, and can be easily adapted to be more difficult. If you feed kibble and need a slow feeder, you can use a snuffle mat to slow down their food consumption. It's also fairly safe to leave with your dog (unattended) and dogs can go back to it again and again to find remnants of treats. However, as dogs gain experience, it can only be so difficult, but regardless, it remains a great baseline.
Kongs are wonderful enrichment toys and are readily available. It's critical to make sure that you get the proper size, especially with the traditional red Kong. Too small of an opening will leave your dog frustrated (and if it's really small, it might be something your dog can choke on) and too large makes the toy too easy- and most importantly, can leave your dog vulnerable to getting their nose stuck in the Kong.
Hide-A-Toys are usually very easily available (think the "hide a squirrel" or "donut disturb" type toys) and have a thematic soft larger toy, and inside you'll find three matching toys that go with the theme. The idea is that your dog can play with the larger toy and also pull out the smaller toys as an enrichment activity. Safety wise, the most important thing is to make sure that the openings on the larger toy aren't so big that your dog could get his head stuck, and that the smaller toys aren't so small that they could choke on them. I have found this to be fun for dogs BUT the real fun comes for my dogs when I make it harder. I will overstuff the larger toy with all of the small toys in our toy box, and put either treats or their absolute favorite toy at the bottom... and let the games begin! To make it slightly easier, I don't stuff it to the max.
When we start talking about enrichment toys, like the Boo, the Persimmon, or the Poppy, we need to start talking about difficulty level and snout size. The great thing about these toys is that they are portable and also double as regular toys (mine love dragging these around and many customers report that their dogs are obsessed with hiding them and holding onto them). They also offer different levels of complexity for your dog. For dogs who need confidence, a toy like the Poppy is great to get started. It works for dogs of all snout sizes because the petals are relatively shallow and open. The Boo is fantastic as your dog progresses in their enrichment confidence, the little pockets are fairly deep but because the openings are larger, it allows even short-nosed dogs like ShihTzus and Pugs to enjoy it, and the larger openings mean that our longer nosed friends like Dachshunds love it too!
Where you start largely depends on the size of your dogs nose and how good they already are at seeking and finding treats. If they lack confidence in that department, opt for a snuffle mat or a toy like the Poppy. More advanced pups can always use a snuffle mat, but they'll also enjoy more complex options like the Boo.
