Dog Enrichment: A Deeper Dive

 We talk about enrichment quite a lot when we’re discussing our canine companions so it makes sense to have a practical guide on the subject that you, as the considerate and capable owner, can refer back to when at home.

To recap: enrichment for dogs is literally giving dogs what they want! As previously discussed, every dog has needs and wants based on their individual personalities and breed make-up. These desires are natural instincts that provide outlets for natural behaviour. Engaging in these natural instincts is the heart of enrichment, which experts categorise into five separate pillars:

1. Physical Enrichment gives dogs an outlet for physical wants like running and digging which keep them physically fit through exercising muscles and expressing natural instincts.
2. Social Enrichment provides them with an outlet for bonding with other humans and dogs; they are highly social beings and thrive with good relationships. 
3. Sensory Enrichment stimulates your dogs natural curiosity to explore the world using their senses; nose, sight, sound, and texture exploration are extremely fulfilling for your pup and can help to calm anxieties about the world around them.
4. Nutritional Enrichment is about meeting their dietary needs as, just like humans, a dog loves a good meal or snack. Moreover, by making a game of mealtime you provide stimulation for their natural hunting and foraging instincts!
5. Cognitive Enrichment is like physical exercise but for their brains! Dogs are highly intelligent animals and need/ want mental stimulation to feel fulfilled. Problem solving, puzzles and training exercises calm your pup and can even be more tiring than a long walk! 

By understanding and providing dogs with these 5 Pillars you not only give dogs what they want but, also, what you the owner want as well! Fulfilled dogs are happy dogs, and happy dogs are healthier and calmer dogs. Calmer dogs are less reactive dogs and far less likely to act out with destructive behaviours like excessive barking, tearing up the carpet or ripping up the couch. They struggle less trying to make sense of the modern world, so, by providing outlets and stimulating your companion properly, both owner and pup feel their needs are met!

Here are some simple enrichment activities you can do at home!

1. A snuffle mat is a fantastic and easy way to turn dinner into a foraging game! By scattering your dog’s dry food into and along the fabric strips of the mat you’ll encourage them to sniff and track down each piece of food! This is not only recreating their natural instinct of foraging but makes a simple dinner time exciting! It’s also great if your dog eats too fast (our pup Obie is exactly like this…) as the mat slows them down and promotes calmer, focused behaviour during mealtime. 
2. Hide and Seek: This one is very simple and every kid grows up knowing it. Hide yourself or ask a family member to hide somewhere within your home and call your dog’s name! Your pup will be intrigued and alerted, and will search the caller out. This promotes sensory and social enrichment as you provide them with enthusiastic praise once they find the caller! It can also be nutritional if you provide them with a healthy snack as a reward - perhaps a social snack that they only get with this game?  
3. Indoor Scavenger Hunt: This one is easy to get carried away with so don’t overthink it! Simply keep your dog in one room whilst you hide strongly scented treats and toys around the house in various, somewhat obvious locations like behind a cushion or under a blanket or on a pillow! Give a release cue, I personally find that our dog Obie responds to ‘go get it!’, and watch as they will track and hunt these little rewards down. Sensory and nutritional enrichment are the big ones here!
4. Cup Game: Another treat based game that Obie loves! Take 4 plastic cups and fill each cup with progressively more treats. Stack the cups together and sit them down for your dog with encouragement to solve the puzzle! Once they get the game, they will go crazy for it and diligently (or, doggedly haha) strive to separate the cups. This is great cognitive, nutritional and physical enrichment as it can take a good bit of time for them to separate every cup! Keep encouraging them if they start to give up and watch them leap at it again! 
5. Tug of War & Fetch: These are popular almost stereotypical dog games for a reason: they’re fun and don’t require snacking! These encourage your dog to engage in friendly competition with you and is an appropriate way for dogs to pull and tug in a healthy, fun way that deepens the playful bond between owner and pup. The perfect combination of physical and social enrichment! 
6. Teach them a new trick! Dogs love to learn and they love to learn from their favourite person: you! Teaching a dog to paw, spin or play dead is mentally taxing for them but they thrive at showing off for scratches and the occasional treat! Experts reckon that 10-15 minutes spent learning a new trick is as equally exhausting for dogs as a long walk! This blend of cognitive and social enrichment is extremely rewarding, therefore, for both owner and dog as they feel stimulated and get happy watching them perform a new trick!

There are many more enrichment games, and I can encourage you to seek out and invent your own! For more expansive enrichment or just looking for a place where your dog can be enriched whilst you’re at work, check in with your friends at What Dogs Want where we can help provide your pups the enrichment and time to thrive that they deserve!

Written by C.W. Swan

Sources:

https://www.centreofexcellence.com/11-enrichment-activities-for-dogs

https://www.akc.org/expert-advice

https://bondvet.com/blog/dog-sense-of-smell

https://www.poochandmutt.co.uk/blogs/lifestyle/enrichment-games-dogs

Meet Your Dog by Kim Brophey