I love to share fun and easy canine enrichment ideas with you. Enrichment should be easy! But every once in a while, I get creative inspiration and I decided to create some elaborate food enrichment art.

I’m excited to share this beautiful, tasty, and healthy West Paw Toppl art creation. This one is perfect for summer! I actually call it the “Desert Sunrise Toppl” because it features a green cactus and sunrise-inspired colors.

But remember, I never want you to feel intimidated by the enrichment art you see on social media. Enrichment for our dogs can be easy and affordable! While I love making Toppl art from time to time, most weeks I make a “dump Toppl” where I just dump in a bunch of leftover dog food and healthy add-ons.

Ultimately, what matters is that you give your dog enrichment activities that are enriching for them. They don’t have to be pretty! That being said… please enjoy this very pretty Toppl that I’m proud of!

This post may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products that my dogs and I love. When you shop with my links I may earn a small commission that helps to support what I do. 

Making Art with the West Paw Toppl Toy

Sometimes I love to fall down the rabbit hole of creative canine enrichment toy art on Instagram. I started to follow a lot of creators who have the same passion. One account I love recently posted a stuffed West Paw Toppl with a desert theme.

I recently purchased a silicone cactus mold, so I knew I had to make our own version of a desert toppl. This one is called the “Desert Sunrise Toppl” because of the red, pink and yellow colors! And it comes together perfectly on to of a Toppl! This in my favorite toy to make edible enrichment art with.

Why I love using a West Paw Toppl Toy:

• Contoured cavity holds in food and let’s me snap together two toys to make a puzzle
• Appropriate shape that’s optimized for my dog’s safety (less of a suction risk than other toys)
• Inner ridges and “teeth” where I can stuff tasty treats securely
• Recyclable zogoflex material is durable and cleans off easily (even after being left in the yard)
• Can easily be used for raw food, wet food or your dog’s favorite kibble

Toppl Filling Ingredients for the Desert Sunrise Recipe

Toy: West Paw Toppl
I use the large sizes in orange and blue. The Large is perfect for my dogs’ afternoon snack. The small would be better for a smaller dog. There’s also an XLarge that’s super big! I have all three sizes, but large is definitely the most used one.

Main stuffing: Stella & Chewy’s Raw Coated Kibble
I soak my dog’s favorite kibble in water overnight and mash it up before filling the base of the toy.

Sand: Crushed up Stella & Chewy’s Meal Mixers
To get the desert sand look, I just crushed up freeze dried raw Meal Mixers. These come in a variety of proteins so you can get what’s best for your dog and their diet.

Cactus: Superfood Frozen Topper Recipe
I like to make a big bath of these to use as a meal topper or Toppl decoration. My frozen superfood recipe includes kale, spinach and canned sardines in water. Blend in a food processor and freeze! Here’s a similar cactus mold if you like that look.

Pink Cactus Flower: Yogurt and Beet Juice
I always use plain greek yogurt for my frozen dog treats. Never buy vanilla, always plain. I swirled in a little beet juice to give the rosy color to this flower. Beets are great for your dog’s heart health!

Name Letters: Egg yolk
I will admit, using the silicone letter molds to spell out my dog’s names is a little over the top! It does look so cute though! I’ve experimented with using different ingredients for the letters and found that coconut oil and yogurt melt too quickly. For this bright yellow I use egg yolk and this letter mold.

Toppl Stopper: Coconut Oil and Strawberry
You can use fresh or frozen strawberries and a little coconut oil as the “grout” to fill the hole in the front of your Toppl. I actually do this first so that when I put my liquidy filling it it doesn’t drip out.

Making Edible Dog Enrichment Art

Making healthy and beautiful enrichment treats for my dogs is a fun creative outlet for me. The West Paw Toppl is one of my favorite toys because it’s easy to stuff, easy to clean and it’s perfect for moderate chewers like my labradors. But I also use stuffable enrichment toys from brands like Kong and Soda Pup.

One of my favorite things to stuff for a food enrichment activity isn’t a toy at all… it’s beef trachea! I get them from Farm Hounds and stuff them with my dog’s kibble mash, then freeze for a long lasting and healthy chew.

These stuffed toys and chews give my dogs the chewing, licking and problem-solving enrichment activities that help to tire them out mentally. It’s a great way to work in dog enrichment on a daily basis.

These artistic enrichment toys also exercise my brain! It’s a challenge to figure out what dog-friendly foods I can use to create different colors for my dog treat creations. It helps that my dogs love everything I make for them! They’re labs… they like to eat everything!

More West Paw Toppl Ideas

I have tons of ideas on how you can use West Paw’s best-selling customizable puzzle toy. When you see all the different options and configurations of the XL,  large, and small size toys you’ll want to give it a try!

I recommend that dog owners start with a large and small so they can fit them together to make a puzzle toy. You can also stuff them separately and freeze for double the enrichment meal prep!

Order the Toppl from the West Paw website, Chewy, Amazon or your locally owner pet supplies store.

Love this post? You should check these out, too:
Kong Stuffing Recipe Ideas
Doggy Canolli: Long Lasting Chew
Doggy Açai Bowl Enrichment Chew

This post may contain affiliate links. I only recommend products that my dogs and I love. When you shop with my links I may earn a small commission that helps to support what I do.