How do I entertain my puppy for hours?

To entertain your puppy for hours, provide at least 1–2 hours of focused interaction daily, including a mix of physical activity, mental challenges, and meaningful bonding time. Think of it as building a personalized enrichment plan to keep their tails wagging—and your shoes unchewed. Daily engagement supports physical fitness, mental sharpness, and emotional health. For physical exercise, try daily walks or jogs, Frisbee, ball toss, or tug-of-war in the backyard or park, and agility drills using household items or obstacle kits. Mental stimulation can be just as tiring as physical play, and you can try incorporating interactive feeders or treat-dispensing toys, training sessions, and sniffing games. Interactive playtime, such as gentle wrestling or tug games, playing fetch with added commands, and "hide and seek" with you or their favorite toy, can also strengthen your bond. Quiet quality time, like evening snuggles on the couch, calm brushing or grooming routines, and chilling side-by-side while you work or read, is also important. A sample daily entertainment routine could include a morning walk and breakfast puzzle feeder, a midday game of tug or sniff game, an outdoor fetch session, and evening leisurely walk and grooming or cuddle time.

Fill a KONG toy with frozen treats. KONGs are a great way to keep your dog busy — sometimes for hours — by channeling their “need to chew” productively through a toy instead of your sofa. You can stuff your dog’s KONG with a variety of safe foods, such as turkey and mashed sweet potato, or peanut butter and banana with a bit of greek yogurt. Freezing it will make the challenge last even longer. Hide snacks around the house. Before you leave, scatter some kibble or a few of their favorite treats throughout the house. Leave their breakfast in a snuffle mat. A dog’s sense of smell is one of the ways dogs interpret the world around them. Hire a dog walker. A tired dog is a good dog! Keep a steady rotation of toys in the home. Instead of leaving your pet with all of their toys every day, try rotating through a few at a time to keep things interesting.