Enrichment - what your dog wants you to know
Changing / modifying the behaviour of your canine housemate is about more than just training. Often overlooked in canine care is the mental health of our loyal companions. How your dog is feeling can have a big impact on their behaviour and how they live alongside us. We can provide opportunities for our dogs to be their best doggy selfs by considering the environment in which they live.
Ask your dog ‘Are you ok?’
Then take the time to observe their behaviour. When they are digging up your back garden do they look happy, do they sleep well afterwards, does it only happen when you are not home? Do they chew a lot? Sticks, toys, shoes!! Do they choose the sofa over their own bed when it’s nap time? Do they bark when left outside?
Many behaviours we consider inappropriate in our dogs are normal dog behaviours which may pop up at times and in situations that are inconvenient to us or incompatible to living with us. Most dog guardians are aware of and committed to the need to look after their dogs physical health with regular exercise and the correct diet. But what about their mental health. Dogs need outlets for normal doggy behaviours in order to be happy and relaxed.
So what are normal dog behaviours:
Chewing - puppies especially but also adult dogs
Digging - dogs dig for fun, to hide a favourite bone or toy, create a cool, comfortable sleeping spot.
Barking - dogs will bark, it is one way they have to communicate with us and can occur for a number of reasons.
Zoomies - sudden bursts of activity
Chasing - people, objects, vehicles
Rolling/rubbing - on your favourite floor rug!!
We can help make these behaviours less problematic by providing appropriate outlets for them. Or prevent excessive or destructive displays of the behaviours by providing an enriching home for our dogs.
Enrichment can go a long way to influencing behaviour and ensuring your dog isn’t just okay but feeling great.
Ok Tell me more - What is enrichment and how do we do it?
The dictionary definition of Enrichment - the action of improving or enhancing the quality or value of something.
You can provide a higher quality life experience for your dog by setting up their living situation in a way that meets all their species specific behaviours and needs and generally allows them lots of opportunities to be a dog doing doggy things. You can create opportunities for mental stimulation by giving them tasks, a job to do or a food puzzle which makes them work and think.
When exploring ways to enrich your dogs life its important to consider the following elements:
The species - as a species dogs will have certain behaviours in common - think sniffing, licking, rolling, playing, foraging, chewing, digging, running, sleeping, social interaction, choice, control, resting.
The breed - Domestication and human intervention in breeding has created a very diverse species, your dogs original breed purpose is a useful starting point in identifying what your dog may enjoy.
The Individual - Understand what’s normal for dogs and what’s normal for your dog. What do dogs like, what does your dog like. Something is only enriching if the dog chooses to engage with it and there is an observable positive impact on your dogs behaviour.
This will help give you a starting point in understanding what you might be able to add to your dogs day to boost their mental health.
Getting Started
At this point you might be thinking - but I already do so much for my dog. I’m time poor: working; looking after children; community commitments take up so much of my time.
What if I told you it’s not about doing more but doing things differently. Taking opportunities in the everyday with your dog to enrich their life.
For example the humble dog bed. How much thought was given to where your dog should sleep and where their bed should be. Was it a practical decision of where it would fit in the house? Are they choosing to sleep in it? Or do you often find them napping on the couch?
Viewing bed placement through an enrichment lens opens up opportunities to enhance your dogs home environment while influencing behaviour.
Things to consider:
Choice - choice is an important component in enrichment and providing another option might encourage your dog to sleep where you want them to sleep.
Quiet spaces - is your dog seeking an escape from the hustle and bustle of the home, maybe their only bed option is in a high activity area.
Social spaces - is your dog seeking more social connection and choosing to sleep near where the family are.
Cool / warm - temperature preferences might vary depending on the time of year, breed and the environment a dog was bred for; or if your dog has recently had a haircut!
Height - some dogs like to be off the ground, or perhaps your older dog is finding it hard to get on their raised bed.
Comfort & safety - comfortable spaces are safe spaces, is your dog seeking more security, is their bed option comfortable enough.
I bet you have never considered your dogs sleeping and resting options in so much detail. Consider whether you might be able to offer your dog more than one bed to meet their different needs.
Quick Win!
The quickest win if you want to introduce a more enriching environment to your dog is to throw out your dogs food bowl and get creative with how you deliver meals. A bowl of food is exciting for your dog but studies have shown dogs will choose food they have to work for, over freely available food. Working for food can involve your dog figuring out how to extract the food, encourage them to move, lick, chew or sniff. You already feed your dog everyday. It will only take a few extra minutes to provide their food in a more enriching way.
So remember dogs will be dogs, but we can help them be happier, more content dogs that are easier to live with through enrichment of their world.
Enrichment doesn’t have to cost money. Sign up here to receive the Puppy Portal enrichment challenge. Seven weeks of enrichment ideas you can implement now. Interested in tossing the food bowl check out our shop for food enrichment toys.
