Easy Egg Carton Enrichment

Egg cartons are a simple, low-cost way to give your dog an outlet for sniffing, foraging, shredding, unpacking, and problem-solving. This setup is easy to adjust for beginners, confident shredders, and dogs who need a little more challenge.

What You’ll Need

• Cardboard egg carton

• Small treats or your dog’s kibble

• Optional add-ins:

  Crumpled paper

  Paper bag

  Cardboard box

  Towel

  Foraging bin

How to Set Up

Start with the carton open and place a few treats inside.

Once your dog understands there’s food inside, you can:

• Partially close the lid

• Fully close the carton

• Add crumpled paper over the treats

• Place the carton inside a paper bag

• Put the carton inside a box

• Cover it with a towel so your dog has to sniff or dig it out

• Add it to a larger foraging bin

💡 Pro Tip: Cartons with gaps or holes in the lid are usually easier because treats can fall out when your dog nudges or flips them. Solid lids add more challenge, so save those for dogs who already understand the game.

For Beginners

• Keep the food easy to find. You can sprinkle treats directly into the cups or even around the outside of the carton to help your dog get started.

Use an open carton with visible treats and place it on a non-slip surface, like a rug or mat. Some dogs are sensitive to the carton moving around, especially on slippery floors.

• Let your dog watch you add the food.

• Keep the lid open at first.

• If they’re unsure, scatter a few treats around the carton before asking them to interact with it.

For Dogs Who Love to Shred

Some dogs don’t just want to find the food. They want to rip, tear, unpack, and destroy the whole setup. And that can be a great outlet — as long as they’re supervised and not swallowing the cardboard.

For shredders, try:

• Adding crumpled paper inside

• Putting the carton in a paper bag

• Tucking it into a cardboard box

• Adding extra paper around it

• Dropping the whole thing into a foraging bin

This gives your dog a safe way to shred something that was probably going into the recycling anyway.

What to Watch For

You’ll start to see:

• Sniffing and searching

• Nudging, pawing, and trying different strategies

• Staying engaged longer over time

Some dogs dive right in. Others take a minute to figure it out.

If It’s Not Working

If your dog walks away or gives up, it’s usually not a motivation issue — it’s a setup issue.

• Giving Up → simplify it

• Not interested → increase food value or make rewards easier to access

Egg cartons are cheap, easy, and surprisingly versatile.

They can be a simple beginner food search, a shredding project, a foraging activity, or part of a bigger DIY enrichment setup.

Start simple, supervise, and let your dog show you what works.

Enrichment should be fun — not frustrating.