Evolved Dogs Blog
For pet guardians learning about their canine
companions and how to put their best foot
forward in living with and teaching their dogs
EDB0017 - Meeting Needs: Enrichment
For the last entry in the “Meeting Needs” blog series we are going to talk about enrichment. Let’s dig in!
Enrichment is part of the foundation of meeting our dog’s biological needs. It is part of helping them be their best selves. If you don’t meet their mental enrichment needs, you increase your odds of headaches.
Those headaches crop up as destruction, digging, barking and more fun stuff! It can also feed into more serious behaviors like reactivity or aggression. It is pivotal that we do everything we can to meet these needs.
Throughout your dog’s life they are going to show you that they like certain activities. Some more than others, some less. Keep track of these things and do what you can to provide them with healthy & appropriate outlets for them.
The easiest thing to take advantage of is their desire to eat. Using their food to train new skills/tricks is one of the best ways to use food and provide enrichment. Work their brain!
Food dispensing toys like the KONG Wobbler, the BusterCube, and others are great. They get your dog moving around/using their nose while they eat. Rather than being a stationary mindless vacuum at their food bowl.
If your dog loves to use their nose (and the majority of dogs do) let them sniff to their heart’s content on walks. Throw their kibble around in your yard for the to find and eat. Teach them how to play "find it." Get them into nosework classes.
If your dog loves to chase stuff, teach them how to fetch or catch a frisbee, get a flirt pole, or get them into FastCAT.
If they love other dogs and you have access to appropriate play partners, setup play dates for them.
Do they love water? Teach them to swim. There are tons of possibilities, you just have to listen to your dog when they show you what they like to do.
When we meet this need, we give our dogs a better quality of life. We help them be their best selves.
If you want to get more enrichment ideas for your dogs you can check out the materials below!
Canine Enrichment for the Real World by Allie Bender & Emily Strong
Canine Enrichment by Shay Kelly
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