14 Ways to Delight Your Dog Child Without Spending a Buck

Laurent Shinar • Writer and Editor

Aug 14, 2026 9:00 AM EDT

There are far too many suggestions and solutions out there when it comes to caring for our puppers. And almost all of them are desperate to have you buy a new toy or food. But we say nuts to that, fun does not have to cost a dime, and so we brought together these 14 fun things you can do with your pupper without spending a penny.

Life is getting pretty tough for a lot of us right now, the dimes don't be diming like they used to. And while we try to work harder, longer and better than before to keep ourselves above water it can feel like there is little we can do to avoid our fate. One which pawticularly hurts because we want to give our pups the best pawssible life that they can enjoy. And we are here to tell you that life does not have to be ruled by the expenditure of money, because fun can always be had fur free!

To begin with we would like to cover a suggestion which honestly is truly important train your dog. A trained dog can handle hooman life much better and with more enjoyment than an untrained one. And if you have no money to invest there are youtube videos out there for free and the time you will spend with your dog will bond you both deeply. But provided you have a pawfect pup who does not need any training you might try out a toy rotation system so that old toys feel like new ones thanks to being hidden, you might consider turning any trash you have into games and puzzles for your pup, and you might even consider hiding while your spouse tells the dog to go find you in the house. The options are endless and expansive so get out there and have fun with your pup.

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Black and white dog lying in dry field on yellow frisbee chew toy
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While this might be only one post, we can assure you there were tens more like it. Any variation of finding something, recalling something, sniffing something out is the kind of stuff that can keep a canine occupied for hours on end and has been reported to be super beneficial for the doggo by the tens of pawrents who posted about this kind of technique. Obviously it is a very flexible method and can go from something as small as treats in a folded sheet to full on hidden retrieval games, allowing you to adjust it as necessary for your dog and home.
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We really love this. It is so deeply in the spirit of these no cost suggestions and it is one that can be such an involving and bonding activity. First off dogs love anything that moves freely like an ice cube would. Just getting to look at it skating across the floor is more than enough to get their minds engaged and going. But then the actual play of the cube is pretty genius too. This will work especially well with shorter breeds who were bred to hunt small mammals. The movement of the ice cube will be very similar to that of a field mouse and activate your dog’s instincts.
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