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Do you think that all dog enrichment involves food?
While food enrichment is one of the most well known kinds of dog enrichment, there are many ways to enhance the life of your dog without food.
First, let’s talk about what enrichment is at its core. It’s a way to increase your dog’s quality of life, by providing stimulating experiences that in essence replicate the experiences they crave instinctually-
But what does that MEAN?!?
We all know that dogs evolved from wolves and instinctual behaviors like digging, guarding, sniffing, denning, burying things, and rolling in gross things- (ask me about my dog who rolled in a dead squirrel) are things that make dogs’ brains happy. So we use enrichment to replicate those activities in a slightly less smelly way.
Enrichment as a concept came to life in the 1950s and 1960s when Heini Hediger observed the importance of how animals engage physically and socially, and simultaneously zoo designers began to build habitats that took their natural habitat into account.
And then somehow along the way, people began to realize that those same concepts applied to their domesticated pets.
There are actually four other kinds of enrichment for dogs aside from nutritional- social, occupational, sensory, and physical.
Let’s give a quick overview and a few ideas for each- and keep in mind, they can be combined for even more enjoyment!
Social enrichment is when your dog interacts with any other living being- human or animal. So playing with dogs in a safe situation, meeting people, even seeing other animals and people while they are on a walk. They can gain confidence from engaging with new people and dogs and also smell and hear new sensations- adding other dimensions.
Sensory enrichment is anytime your dog has to engage one of their five senses- smell, taste, touch, sight, or sound- and obviously all enrichment is, at its core, but think about having a shirt or blanket outside (maybe with other animals) and giving it to your dog to smell! Or walking your dog over new terrain like wood bark or gravel- or during Christmas Time, taking them to see Christmas lights!
Occupational enrichment is when your dog has a task to complete- an obstacle course is a good example. So is playing fetch, or finding a beloved toy in a big bin of dog toys. I once taught one of my dogs to find my other dog, who was blind. Not only a great enrichment activity for my sighted dog, but also tremendously useful!
Physical enrichment is anything that gets your dogs body moving at the same time as their brain- so think hiking, because navigating over streams and logs develops problem solving skills, or tug of war, or swimming. All of these kind of activities will cause your dog to have to use their brain to connect the problem solving to their body.
Food based enrichment is tremendously popular, and for good reason. Food provides such an easy enticing way to get your dog interested in engaging, but looking past food based enrichment opens up a whole world of possibilities. So let me know what your dog’s favorite non food based enrichment!
