You don't need fancy toys or expensive gadgets to entertain your dog — just a little creativity and a few items from the recycling bin. On Instagram, one eco-conscious pet owner recently showed other pet lovers how to transform everyday discards into a mentally stimulating dog toy.
The scoop
Canine enrichment specialist Taylor Finton — known as @bindisbucketlist on Instagram — recently shared a clever way to turn everyday household waste into a fun, mentally stimulating activity for dogs. Finton upcycles toilet paper tubes and a cardboard box to create a simple DIY puzzle game for her pup.
To make the game, Finton cuts the toilet paper tubes in half and stands them upright inside a shallow box. The creative dog lover then drops dog treats into the tube openings, transforming the setup into a foraging puzzle that encourages sniffing and searching.
"Toilet paper tubes are perfect for creating nooks and crannies for treats to hide in," Finton wrote in the video captions.
Finton explained that "snuffle games" aren't just entertainment for dogs — they can also reduce stress, provide mental stimulation, slow down eating, and trigger the release of serotonin, as sniffing taps into a dog's instinctive behavior.
Finton added that a dog's sense of smell is "between 10,000 and 100,000 times more prominent than that of a human," explaining that smell is one of the ways dogs interpret the world around them.
How it's helping
While toilet paper rolls are recyclable, reusing them first extends their life and delays the need for disposal. It also reduces demand for new pet products, particularly those made from plastic, which have a much higher environmental toll.
Many commercial puzzle games for dogs are made of plastic, which, though easy to sanitize, pose long-term planetary threats. In contrast, repurposing cardboard for a dog enrichment toy is a simple, cost-free way to avoid contributing to plastic pollution while reusing waste. When the cardboard toy gets too worn or soggy from slobber, it can easily be recycled — unlike many plastic alternatives.
This kind of creative reuse keeps waste out of landfills and encourages sustainable habits — all while enhancing your pet's life. It's a win for both animals and the environment.
What everyone's saying
Many pet owners on Instagram were impressed with Finton's DIY enrichment game, praising the imaginative use of household waste for a pup's benefit.
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Price 💰 "Love this idea," one user wrote.
"More please," another commented, asking for additional DIY ideas. "This is great for my senior dog!"
A third commenter wrote, "So fun!!"
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