Because a happy dog needs more than just physical exercise
Australian Labradoodles are known for their cheerful personalities, intelligence, and wonderful connection with people. They usually enjoy a good walk or romp outdoors; however, physical exercise is only part of keeping these clever dogs happy.
They also need opportunities to use their brains. Mental exercise for dogs can be as important as physical.
In the experience of many Australian Labradoodle breeders and owners, these dogs seem to especially enjoy figuring things out. Short, engaging training sessions that challenge them to think can therefore be more rewarding than simply repeating the same exercise over and over.
Mental enrichment gives dogs a chance to sniff, investigate, solve problems, make choices, and learn new things. For an intelligent and people-focused breed like the Australian Labradoodle, these activities can be especially rewarding.
And here’s the good news: enrichment doesn’t need to be complicated or expensive. Some of the best activities involve things you already have around the house.
Here are five of our favorites.
Let That Nose Go to Work
We humans tend to experience the world primarily through our eyes. Dogs experience a huge part of the world through their noses.
Instead of simply handing your Australian Labradoodle breakfast in a bowl, occasionally turn it into a game.
Scatter kibble in a snuffle mat. Hide treats around a room and teach your dog to “find it.” On a nice day, hide a few treats around the yard and send your dog on a treasure hunt.
Start by letting your dog watch you hide the food. As your dog catches on, make the hiding places more challenging.
Why we love it: Searching for food allows dogs to use natural scenting and foraging behaviors while exercising their brains. It can also turn an ordinary meal into an activity.
Teach Something New
One of the joys of living with an Australian Labradoodle is discovering just how quickly many of them figure things out.
Positive-reinforcement training doesn’t have to be limited to the basics like sit, stay, and come. Once your dog understands the idea of learning with you, have some fun.
Teach your dog to touch your hand with their nose. Shake a paw. Spin. Bow. Put toys into a basket. Ring a bell. Close the cabinet door.
Some Australian Labradoodles seem to enjoy the puzzle of figuring out, “What does my person want me to do?” almost as much as earning the reward.
Clicker or marker training can be particularly useful because it gives the dog clear feedback the instant they get something right.
Why we love it: Training combines problem-solving with something Australian Labradoodles particularly enjoy: Interacting with their people. You’re exercising the brain while strengthening your relationship.
Bring Out the Puzzles
Food puzzles and interactive toys can turn snack time into thinking time.
There are wonderful commercial puzzle toys available in different levels of difficulty, but you can also create a simple one yourself.
Try the muffin-tin game:
Place a few pieces of kibble or treats in some of the cups of a muffin tin and cover the cups with appropriately sized balls or other safe objects. Your dog has to figure out how to move them to find the hidden treats.
The first time, make it easy. Once your dog understands the game, you can increase the challenge.
And don’t be surprised if your Australian Labradoodle figures out your brilliant puzzle considerably faster than you expected.
Why we love it: Puzzle games encourage persistence, curiosity, and independent problem-solving.
Turn Everyday Objects Into Enrichment
You don’t need a cupboard full of dog toys to create interesting activities.
Try rolling treats inside an old towel and letting your dog unroll it. Hide kibble inside a cardboard box with crumpled paper. Put treats inside cardboard tubes and let your dog work out how to reach them.
Remember: Always supervise DIY enrichment. Some dogs investigate gently; others believe the quickest solution to any puzzle is complete demolition!
Avoid materials your dog is likely to swallow, and remove anything small, sharp, or potentially hazardous.
Why we love it: Your dog gets to manipulate objects, investigate, sniff, and solve a problem—and yesterday’s cardboard box suddenly becomes today’s entertainment.
Take a Walk With No Destination
We sometimes think a successful dog walk means covering a certain distance.
Your dog may disagree.
Try taking your Australian Labradoodle on a sniffing walk. Slow down. Let your dog investigate that fascinating bush. Stop at the tree that apparently contains extremely important canine information. Take a different route occasionally.
When it’s safe, letting your dog choose where to explore can make an ordinary walk much more interesting.
A longer leash in the right spot can also give your dog more freedom to investigate while staying safely connected to you.
You may travel half the distance of your usual walk and still return home with a very content dog.
Why we love it: A sniffing walk provides sensory enrichment, novelty, and opportunities for dogs to engage naturally with their environment.
More Isn’t Always Better
Mental enrichment shouldn’t become another endurance sport.
A particularly difficult puzzle or long training session can become frustrating rather than enjoyable. This is especially important with puppies. Begin with short, easy activities and increase the difficulty as your dog succeeds.
Watch your dog’s body language. The goal isn’t to make the puzzle impossibly hard. It’s to offer just enough challenge to make figuring it out rewarding.
Sometimes five or ten enjoyable minutes of thinking and interacting with you is plenty.
Mental Exercise for Dogs is Unique to Every Pup
One of the most interesting parts of enrichment is discovering what your dog enjoys.
One Australian Labradoodle may become completely absorbed in scent games. Another may love learning tricks. A third may solve a food puzzle in thirty seconds and then look at you as if to say, “Is that all you’ve got?”
That’s part of the fun.
Mental enrichment isn’t simply about keeping a clever dog occupied. It gives us another way to understand our dogs. What are the things that motivate them? Which problems do they enjoy solving best? What activities make them light up?
And for a breed developed to live closely with people, perhaps the best enrichment of all is something very simple: Doing something interesting together.
At GALA, our mission is to preserve and improve the Australian Labradoodle through responsible breeding, education, collaboration, and transparency. We believe informed families make the best lifelong homes, and we hope our educational library helps you make confident decisions for both you and your canine companions.
Originally written by Evy Rijnkens of Snoop Doodles and adapted for the GALA Education Library.
Evy is a co-founder of the Global Australian Labradoodle Association (GALA) and has bred Australian Labradoodles for nearly a decade. She is passionate about preserving the breed through responsible breeding, education, and genetic diversity.
Resources & Further Reading
- Duranton, C., & Horowitz, A. (2019). Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 211, 61–66.
Researchers found that dogs participating in nosework showed changes consistent with improved positive emotional states.
ScienceDirect – Let Me Sniff! - American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). Humane Dog Training Position Statement.
Supports reward-based training methods and explains why training should promote learning without fear, pain, or intimidation.
AVSAB Humane Dog Training Position Statement - American Veterinary Society of Animal Behavior (AVSAB). Puppy Socialization Position Statement.
Discusses importance of positive experiences, learning, and appropriate early exposure for puppies.
AVSAB Position Statements - RSPCA. Enrichment for Dogs.
Practical information about providing dogs with opportunities to sniff, forage, explore, play, and engage in natural behaviors.
RSPCA Knowledgebase - Rooney, N. J., & Cowan, S. (2011). Training methods and owner-dog interactions: Links with dog behavior and learning ability. Applied Animal Behavior Science, 132, 169–177.
Research examining relationships between training approaches, owner-dog interaction, behavior, and learning. - Ziv, G. (2017). The effects of using aversive training methods in dogs—A review. Journal of Veterinary Behavior, 19, 50–60.
A scientific review supporting the use of non-aversive approaches rather than punishment-based training. - Overall, K. L. (2013). Manual of Clinical Behavioral Medicine for Dogs and Cats. Elsevier.
A respected veterinary behavioral reference covering learning, behavior, environmental enrichment, and humane training. - Also see The GALA Standard of Responsible Breeding.
