Paws Up Blog

So often when I tell people that I have a subscription box for small dogs, they tell me that they would love to buy it but "my dog doesn't like toys!" It's usually followed up by explaining that they bought baskets of toys for their dogs but their dog ignores them, or engaged with them a few times and never touched them again. It doesn't surprise me. While some dogs naturally understand toys, toys in themselves do not have a value for your dog.  It doesn't have to be this way! I am going to discuss a few ways to engage...

Giving your dog a life filled with mental enrichment means giving them variety in all aspects of play.  Dogs are neophiliacs- meaning they love new experiences and toys over ones they already know. So keeping things fresh and new for them helps them to experience the world in a different way- it's enrichment made easy! Research shows that dogs lose interest in a toy in as little as 30 seconds, which means those toys that have been in their toy baskets collecting dust for months (or even years) need to be rotated out. Have no fear, simply putting the toys...

 

Did you know that one of the best ways you can enrich your dog's life is to provide them with playtime and friends? It's only when they can communicate in their "doggie language" that they can truly engage in instinctual play- as humans, we are great substitutes, but we can't ever replace the interactions between two dogs. When your dog gets to play with other dogs it helps them to build confidence in themselves and their environment, they generally become less fearful (more about that later) and they can approach new situations with less anxiety. Sound familiar? (the goal of...

Dogs who cuddle with their people lead more enriched lives.

Have you ever thought about how to help your small dog navigate the world better?  It can be helpful for many reasons: Small dogs can be greatly helped by using stools and steps, and learning to navigate these will help them to preserve their bodies As they get older, having the experience with navigating these things will help them maintain independence and mobility  It increases your dog's ability to problem solve and work out new solutions to navigation An indoor obstacle course is a great way to start, plus it is an opportunity for to create an experience to enrich...