We all want to have happy and healthy dogs, and enrichment plays a vital role in achieving this goal. “Enrichment” is a big word for improving or enhancing an animal’s quality of life. Zoos across the country, and the world, are using enrichment for the animals in their care, and we can use enrichment for our dogs too! There are five main types of enrichment. They include nutritional, occupational, sensory, physical, and social.
Nutritional enrichment is arguably the easiest to employ into your day-to-day routine. Nutritional enrichment is when we make feeding time fun with treat balls and puzzles. There are tons of products available, and some of our favorite brands are Kong, West Paw, Starmark, Planet Dog, and Outward Hound. Another way to incorporate nutritional enrichment into your dog’s life is by making sure that they have plenty of options to lick and chew. Lick mats are silicone mats that have grooves to hold goodies like peanut butter, plain yogurt, or canned pumpkin. These are great for bath time, nail trims, or during storms or fireworks. Chews are widely available wherever dog supplies are sold, but be sure to check with your vet to make sure you are feeding the correct size and are not feeding anything that may be harmful.
Occupational enrichment can be so much fun for both dog and owner, and it really helps to grow the canine human bond. Like the title suggests, occupational enrichment includes giving your dog a job to do. Some examples of occupational enrichment would be playing fetch, using the flirt pole, using the treadmill, or practicing obedience cues. Dog sports are also a great option for occupational enrichment. This can include agility, trick training, weight pulling, fast cat, rally, competitive obedience, barn hunts, and more!
Sensory enrichment is all about stimulating your dog’s senses. For their sense of sight, there are interactive toys available that flash lights and/or move around on their own, therefore enticing your dog to get up and play. For their sense of sound, it may be a good idea to play a sound machine or leave a TV on when your dog is home alone. For their sense of smell and touch, the use of calming pheromones such as those provided by the company Adaptil can be used as well as the Thunderworks Thundershirt, which provides compression for a calming effect.
Physical enrichment includes changing up your dog’s physical environment. The easiest way that pet parents can do this is by rotating toys. If an old toy sits in the closet long enough it becomes new again! Also, a backyard can easily be transformed with a doggie safe pool or sand box. Walks with a long leash in a wooded area away from other dogs and people are also great for dogs to smell and decompress. Giving your dog new environments to explore without the pressure of social interactions is a great way to implement physical enrichment.
Social enrichment includes taking your dog on social walks, or to dog friendly events. It can involve your dog meeting guests in your home or checking out the livestock on your afternoon walk. For a happily social dog it is also important to encourage them to ignore people and other animals as well to balance the scale and not create an overly excited or reactive dog. We always want to keep social enrichment positive and make sure that your dog is fully enjoying the interaction. Otherwise, this can cause stress.
Canine enrichment encompasses such a large number of fun activities that it can be easy to be overwhelmed, but the best thing to do is to follow your dogs lead. If you feel you are constantly trying to change a part of your dog’s behavior, it is best to see if there is an enrichment alternative. Instead of fighting our dog’s natural behaviors, it is best to give them safe and fun outlets. Happy enrichment!