Your Dog's Kibble Is Doing Less Than It Could
Cover image courtesty of Paula Ferrel
Estimated reading time: 3 mins
There are many reasons kibble is the most common way we feed our dogs. Many of our pets get a variety of food and treats throughout the day. A shared bite here, a nice high value chew there, some smelly nibbles for training… But for plenty of dogs with dietary restrictions, allergies, or specific medical needs, prescription kibble is the only food available to them.
Whatever the reason, there are ways to increase value and novelty that turn your dog’s regular kibble into a real treat!
If you’ve been filling everything with the same plain kibble straight from the bag, you’re leaving a lot of enrichment value on the table. But you don’t need special ingredients or a trip to the pet store to fix this! You can make your dog’s existing food work a lot harder for you, with a few small changes.
Match the Kibble Size to the Job
You may not know it, but your dog’s food might come in more than one size. Check your dog’s food manufacturer’s website or your usual retailer; many brands make the same (or a nearly identical) formula in a small-breed size and a large-breed size, with the only real difference being the size of the kibble itself.
That gives you two useful tools instead of one:
- Small kibble is perfect for snuffle mats, grass or towel scatters, and anything where you want a higher quantity of pieces without changing the recipe your dog already eats.
- Large kibble works better in things like Kong Wobblers, where a bigger piece is just slightly harder for your dog to knock loose — which means more time engaged with the toy, not less.
It’s essentially the same food, just sized to fit the activity. No new products required.
Make a Smearable Kibble Base
If you want to use kibble in lick mats, Kongs, or anything that calls for something smearable, you can turn plain kibble into a soft, spreadable base with nothing but boiling water.
- Put your dog’s kibble in a container.
- Cover it with boiling water, put a lid on, and let it sit until it’s no longer warm to the touch.
- Drain the water, then repeat: cover with boiling water again, lid on, and wait until it’s cool.
- Drain any excess water and fluff the kibble with a fork, the way you would rice.
What you’re left with is a soft kibble paste you can pack into a Kong, spread on a lick mat, or use anywhere else you’d normally reach for peanut butter or canned food — using food your dog already eats every day.
Boost the Value for Training
If you’ve tried using kibble for at-home training and your dog acts like it’s barely worth the effort, you’re not imagining it — for a lot of dogs, plain kibble just isn’t exciting enough to reliably reinforce a behavior you’re trying to build.
Instead of switching to store-bought treats, try increasing the value of the kibble you already have:
- Set aside about 48 hours’ worth of kibble in a container with a lid — a Tupperware or a zip-top bag both work.
- Add something strong-smelling: a Parmesan rind, a cut-up hot dog, a piece of dog food roll, or something similar.
- Mix or shake it together so the kibble picks up the scent.
- Let it sit for 48 hours, then pull the kibble back out.
The kibble itself hasn’t changed — but it now smells a lot more interesting, which can make a real difference in how motivated your dog is to work for it.
The Food You Already Have Can Do More
None of these tricks require a shopping trip or a diet change. They just ask you to look at the kibble you’re already scooping every day and treat it like the flexible tool it actually is — sized differently, textured differently, or scented differently depending on what you’re trying to accomplish. Small shifts like these are often what turns a toy your dog ignores into one they actually want to work for.
Here’s to harmony,
The Pet Harmony Team
Now What?
This blog was based on a series Ellen did for our social media. If these tips paid off for you, don’t forget to leave us a comment over on Instagram @petharmonytraining!
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