We keep hearing about dog enrichment and there is a lot of advice out there. But what is enrichment and how can we introduce enriching activities in our dog’s daily life?
Enrichment is what our dogs need to be behaviourally, emotionally, physically and mentally healthy. Failing to meet our dog’s enrichment needs has consequences that normally manifest as problem and unwanted behaviours.
But what are these enrichment needs, you ask? Well, here are a few;
· Social interaction
· Physical exercise
· Sleep/rest/recovery
· Mental exercise
· Instinctual behaviours
· Safety and many many more
Each and every enrichment need is valuable to a dog and as dog owners we have a responsibility to meet them. People say that a tired dog is a happy dog… WRONG… I promise you that a tired dog is not a happy dog. Tired dogs are like tired humans; unable to make the right decisions, are irritable and have reduced tolerance and are in a state of stress (physically, mentally and emotionally). Have you ever noticed how long our dogs spend sleeping during a day? Let me tell you! The average adult dog needs around 12-14 hours of sleep within a 24 hour period (more for puppies and older dogs)! Then they will spend another 4 hours or so being awake but relaxing! This leaves around 4-5 hours within a 24 hour period during which ours dogs are actually physically active.
There are two types of enriching activities; the Pacifying activities and the Amplifying activities. The pacifying activities will help your dog self-sooth, relax and decompress. These activities include things like chews, toys (not the squeaky ones), scatter feeding, sniffing and licking. All these activities result in the brain releasing ‘feel good’ hormones!
The amplifying activities have the opposite effect; they increase the dog’s arousal levels, their excitement and their energy. These activities include things like fast moving and interactive games and toys.
Think what you need to achieve at each moment in time and pick which enriching activity is appropriate. Look at the dog in front of you as they will be the ones to tell you if a certain activity will help calm them down and relax or will boost their energy and excitement levels. Think of your dog’s breed and what their natural instinctual behaviours are and make sure you give them an appropriate outlet to help them meet their needs.
Enrichment is as important (if not more important) as training a dog, and meeting those needs not only will make training a dog easier but it will also make the dog happier, better behaved and more balanced.
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