Enrichment is a hot topic these days in the world of animals. Zoos use enrichment to provide the animals in their care with activities to keep their minds and bodies busy during the day in ways that mimic behaviors they might do in the wild. Shelters use enrichment to keep the animals in their care calmer and healthier while they are waiting for new homes.
Those of us living with animals in our homes and on our farms also use enrichment to prevent boredom, reduce stress, and provide our animals with opportunities to use their minds and bodies throughout the day.
It's important to tailor enrichment to your individual animal. I see some very elaborate and exciting new enrichment ideas online, and this is great and shows much creativity.
I also see many people who comment that their dogs aren't interested in enrichment activities. Animals, like people, find different things interesting and engaging. Not all dogs will enjoy solving complex puzzles for food. Dogs have different preferences for how they approach and interact with their environment.
Using enrichment to have a positive impact on our dog's health and well-being involves finding what our individual dog enjoys and is interested in. Finding activities that we also enjoy is helpful, because the more we enjoy doing the activities with our dogs, or watching them participate, the more likely we are to give these opportunities to them!
It's popular to give our dogs enrichment toys and games that involve food because many dogs are interested in food, and because it's easy for us to put some of our dog's food into a puzzle toy. My own dogs enjoy food puzzle games and toys. There are many ways you can incorporate food into enrichment for your dog.
While many dogs do enjoy food-related activities and games, many dogs will also find these very frustrating. After a while of being frustrated, they may even give up, finding the puzzles we create to be too difficult. It's important to take the time to teach your dog how to use various food puzzles and toys, and to keep them easy so your dog can be successful before increasing the challenge.
Enrichment doesn't need to involve food. It can be as easy as allowing your dog to choose to follow a scent in a new direction on your walk. You can also provide various scents for your dog to explore in safe ways in the yard or house. Some dogs enjoy watching things, listening to things, or feeling various textures and surfaces like water in a wading pool.
The key is to offer your dog a variety of things to try and see which ones he really shows interest in.
Enrichment should allow your dog to explore and choose to participate in activities that he enjoys in a relaxed way. If your dog is getting frantic about a food puzzle toy, ask yourself if the toy is enriching your dog's experience or if your dog is getting frustrated.
Enrichment is not meant to be difficult, although adding challenges in small increments can be very good for your dog's mental well-being. Allow your dog to succeed in the activities and toys that you provide. This builds confidence so your dog is more likely to participate next time, and helps your time together to be enjoyable.
If you'd like more great enrichment ideas, you can check out my online class here and read more posts on this blog for great ideas! These are suitable for dogs that are blind and/or deaf, or that are seeing and hearing. Dogs of all abilities enjoy enrichment!
**For more information about blind and/or deaf dogs, visit my website at www.yourinnerdog.com You will find articles, books, online classes and resources there to assist you! To subscribe to this blog and receive emails as each new post is published, please scroll to the blog header at the top of the page and add your email address!**
