ENRICHMENT IDEAS FOR DOGS
Safety Note: Before you roll out exciting new enrichment for your pet, take a moment to make sure it’s safe! Beware of toys with strings or small parts (or anything that could be torn into small parts) and always consider the size of your pet and make sure the enrichment is appropriate. Never leave your pet alone with anything they could potentially ingest, especially non-food items. When using food-based enrichment make sure there’s nothing harmful in it, this page from ASPCA lists common foods your pet should avoid.
TRICK TRAINING
Teaching your dog to shake your hand or roll over is not only adorable, it’s great mental exercise. One of the best ways to train tricks is with marker training, which is when you teach your dog that a certain sound or gesture (the marker) means a treat is coming, and then “mark” the behavior that you’re looking for. One of the most common forms of marker training is clicker training. Check out this oldie but goodie video about clicker training from Karen Pryor, who’s credited with popularizing clicker training among pet owners.
WALKS
Of course, the classic walk. Walks are good physical exercise, but perhaps more importantly, they let a dog use their most impressive feature: their nose. Since a dog’s nose is about 50 times more powerful than a human’s, their sense of smell is how they primarily interact with and perceive the world. Taking your dog on a long walk where they can sniff to their nose’s content is great enrichment.
FOOD PUZZLES
There are countless types and variations of fun food puzzles for dogs! We’ll break this category into a few common types.
Kongs
Kongs are mentally engaging, but they can also be calming for a dog. You can stuff them with a tasty treat, or their regular meals.
Safety Note: Kongs (and many similar products) come in various sizes and durability levels. Choose a size and durability that’s appropriate for the size and chomping strength of your dog.
Slow Feeders
These types of feeders require some mental energy, and they also slow down a dog that’s prone to gobbling up their meals too quickly.
Snuffle Mats and Scatter Feeding
Take advantage of your dog’s excellent nose during mealtimes! Snuffle mats or scatter feeding (i.e., tossing kibble around the room) lets dogs express their natural instinct to sniff and forage for food.
Manipulable Puzzle Feeders
Store-bought or DIY, these types of food puzzles require a dog to move around parts or objects to get to their food.
Safety Note: Many puzzle feeders have components that can easily be torn off and swallowed, stay to monitor your pet especially for the first couple of times.
DESTRUCTION
Dogs have strong natural instincts to chew, rip, tear, and shred. Avoid losing another pair of slippers to your dog’s chomping by giving them something designed to be destroyed! Hard chew toys and soft stuffed toys are great, but you can take your enrichment up a level with a destruction box.
Safety Note: Beware of your dog eating more than trace amounts of stuffing, cardboard, paper, or whatever non-food items you provide for destruction and contact your vet if you suspect they have ingested too much.
DOG PARKS AND DOGGY DAY CARE
Dogs are social creatures, and many enjoy the company of members of their own species. Dog parks and doggy day cares can be good outlets for your dog to get exercise and make friends. However, it’s important to note that not all dogs enjoy the chaos and forced socialization of these environments. Also, not all dog parks and day cares are created equal–if it’s too crowded, too small, and the staff or other dog owners aren’t able to control their charges, then it’s best to keep your dog away. If you’re looking for a safe, quiet place to let your dog run free, check out Sniffspot!
