Enrichment

Enrichment is quite the buzz word these days; but I am most definitely happy that there is so much attention on it right now.

So what is enrichment?

Enrichment - to make rich or richer especially by the addition or increase of some desirable quality, attribute, or ingredient.

Enrichment is offering our dogs different activities throughout their day that will actually improve the quality of their life. Sounds like a wonderful thing to do for your dog, right? It is an excellent thing that we can offer our dogs. Dogs need activities that give them an outlet to be a dog. They’ve gone from the wild and moved into our homes that has left a gap in our dogs being allowed or encouraged to be dogs. By learning how to enrich your dog’s day to day; you can create a better life for your dog.

There are a lot of very cool products available that you can purchase for your dog’s enrichment; but not all enrichment has a price tag. And if you are interested there are a lot of free resources and information on the internet for you to discover.

All dogs are different, so their enrichment needs and enjoyment will vary depending on the individual that they are.

Some common dog needs:

  • Ripping and tearing

  • Digging

  • Tugging

  • Sniffing

  • Exploring

  • Hunting

When we don’t give our dogs outlets for their natural dog activities; they can exhibit undesirable behaviors because the instinctive needs that they have are not being met. We have pulled dogs into our world and for a long time we didn’t really consider that they might have needs that we were not meeting. Not only did we not consider a lot of these behaviors as needs; we found them to be very undesirable. So what are we to do? So how do you fulfil these needs so that your home and yard are not destroyed?

Enrichment has a lot to do with meeting our dog’s needs that will hopefully lead to lessening unwanted behaviors. By offering our dogs activities to fill these instinctual canine requirements we can offer natural dog outlets for them.

Ripping and tearing is one of my own dog’s favorites. I regularly save boxes from deliveries so that they can destroy them. My 13 year old Elsa, absolutely loves this activity; it is in fact her favorite enrichment activity. For my younger dog, it took a bit of convincing to start the ripping process. It helped when he watched Elsa tear into her box with gusto and what looked like permission from Mom. I let them do this where there is room; like the garage, which is carpeted, the living room or outside.

Cleaning up is easy, pick up the big pieces and sweep the little ones. The only thing you have to be cautious of is your dog eating the box. If your dog is very young or enjoys eating paper or cardboard; then you may need to wait until they outgrow this stage before box destruction.

Digging

Build a sand box for your digger. Don’t have room, hit the beach. If you encourage digging at the beach or park; it is less likely to happen at home. You can actually teach your dog to dig on cue and reward them. This gets rid of a lot of pent up energy and is fun to watch as well. Just don’t stand behind your dog when they are digging.

Tugging

Most dogs love to tug, but not all of them. I have tried to tug with dogs who have no desire to tug and well, they just never got it. If you have a tugger, let them tug. But I will warn you that even small dogs seem abnormally strong for their size when tugging. Get a good tug toy and let them pull. The best interaction for us with a tugging dog is just to pull back a little every once in a while. Pretty much just hold on for the ride. There are bungee type tugging apparatuses that you can get for outdoors and ones that you can use indoors. There are also tugs that you can tie to a tree and let them have at it. My favorite interactive tug toy is the Zogoflex Bumi by West Paw.

It is good practice throughout a tug session to make sure that your dog will drop the toy when asked. As soon as they do, let the tugging begin again.

Sniffing

Sniffing is one of the most important things that you can offer your dog. It is also one of the easiest to check off the list. Take your dog for a walk, let them sniff. Give your dog some length of leash where it is safe to do so and let them do what dogs do. More about this on the Ears Eyes and Nose page.

Going for a walk and having your dog by your side for the entire walk is very boring for your dog. Let them get their sniffs out.

Exploring

We humans often get set in our routine; we walk out the front door, turn right and down two streets. Same walk, different day, same smells. New sights and smells are extremely enriching for our dogs. Take your dog on an adventure by turning left and exploring some different streets. Hit a couple of new parks, an outdoor mall, the beach or a friend’s house. Exploring is very enriching for our dogs, and for us.

Hunting

Our dogs love to search for things; just like a wolf would search and hunt for prey, our dogs love it. We don’t want our dog’s hunting in the neigborhood but what about hiding some great treats around the yard or park and encouraging your dog to search for them? As your dog learns to seek out treats; the game can get harder and harder, allowing them to seek for a longer amount of time. My guys love this game.

When we do the “find it” game; I leave them in the house and hide treats in the yard. I hide them in clear sight and very hard to find places. They know when I open the door and tell them to “find it” that it is game time. This is an excellent way to stimulate their brain.

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Enrichment is all about giving our dogs an outlet for their natural dog tendencies. They often exhibit these things in places we don’t appreciate; they may dig up the couch, rip our shoes or jump the fence and go on their own exploration. Offer them enrichment in a structured, fun and safe environment. Giving our dogs the gift of indulging in natural dog behaviors is a great thing for everyone involved.