Meeting Our Dogs Needs
What does it mean to meet our dogs’ needs? I like to explain it as dogs doing DOG things. And not just dog activities, but also activities and behaviors that are specific to the breed. Foraging, Marking, Herding, and Digging – to name a few. There are also dog sports that can be enriching and help meet a need. Hikes, playtime in the snow, swimming or even just chewing on a bone can be enriching to your dog.
Many breeds were bred to do a specific job. If your Border Collie that lives in a busy downtown apartment building is “misbehaving” it might be because they do not have an adequate outlet for mental and physical stimulation and you might want to look into herding lessons, agility, or a herding ball to start. If your terrier spends a lot of time at the leaf and brush pile in the back of the yard they are most likely just doing their job: looking for critters!
Dogs that are not allowed to be dogs and do things like dig, sniff all the things, pee on stuff, forage for food, or chase a rabbit (and we can substitute a flirt pole for a rabbit), will find their own activities. Maybe something we don’t approve of!
It can also lead to behavior problems and an under-stimulated and stressed or anxious dog.
It’s important that we don’t force the fun. Enrichment should be something our dogs enjoy. If they don’t enjoy it, they’ll have a negative association with it.
Common Dog Behaviors That Can be Enriching
Dog Sports
Play
Food Dispensing Toys
Your dog may prefer to forage their food instead of eating from a bowl, that is their natural behavior after all! Food dispensing toys also provide mental and physical stimulation. You can even take a handful of kibble and toss it into the yard and let them forage.
Exercise
I like to include exercise with enrichment to motivate you to make exercise fun for you and your dog. Walks are great, but dogs need more than a quick walk around the block. And when you are out for a walk, let your dogs sniff!
Other Ideas
Is your dog a digger? Build them a sandbox. Be sure to management plans in place to keep them out of the garden!
Small pools are fun in the summertime. Inflatable pools are not recommended for obvious reasons!
Buy different types of chews and give them one a day, for about 20 or so minutes. Put it away out of sight and the next day they’ll get a different one. Rotate through them to keep it interesting.
Sample Daily Enrichment Planner
These are just suggestions. Use your imagination and change it up!
Monday
Afternoon training session
45 minute decompression/sniff walk
Dinner in a frozen kong
Tuesday
Breakfast in a slow feeder bowl
Mid-morning training session
Scheduled play date (with dog or human friends)
Dinner in a Kong Wobbler
Wednesday
½ to ¾ breakfast in a slow feeder or snuffle mat
Hike or Jog
Rest of breakfast in a frozen kong
Chew time (with new chew)
Dinner scattered in yard (supervised)