What is Canine Enrichment?
What does “Canine Enrichment” actually mean?
It’s finding stuff for your dog to do which enriches their life, so it might be
sniffy walks, where you’re just along for company & safety and they dictate pace & direction
eating meals from things other than a bowl, like likki mats, Kong or Toppl, rolled up towel or sofa throw and scatter feeding in the garden
scentwork, man-trailing, agility and trick training
So, anything that’s fun,
interesting, rewarding
and doggish.
Simply sitting and being in the moment
Who benefits?
dogs lacking confidence…they can easily succeed here
gobbly eater dogs, who risk getting bloat…they’re slowed down
dogs recovering from illness or surgery or confined to crate rest
dogs who aren’t keen to interact with traditional toys
dogs who need calming activities
rescue dogs, or others, who need to decompress
dogs who need an injection of fun into their lives
on days of rubbish weather, because mental exercise is as valuable as physical
owners, who want to get to know their dogs better by watching how they learn and how they use their amazing skills
And lastly,
dogs who love to sniff and forage…………….so most dogs!
How do I get started?
Easy ideas in the home
food in a muffin tin, balls on top
old towel, rolled up with food inside
towel or sofa throw sprinkled with food, centre grabbed and twisted into an amazingly big spiral, food hidden inside
food hidden around the room, let them watch for the first few times to get the idea
food tossed into her toy box. Does she take each toy out or just go in with her whole face?
recycling help - toilet roll middles with food inside and ends tucked in
- food inside any cardboard box with an old towel shoved in there too
- small box inside a bigger one and another, with food interspersed willynilly
- strips cut from an old T-shirt, rolled up with food inside and put in a box or holee roller ball
Once you start thinking in this way, you’ll discover lots more ideas.
Remember to supervise and make sure she spits out rather than eats the cardboard . . . ripping up is part of the fun, vet bills aren’t!
Ideas for the great outdoors
put her on a long line and go on a sniffy walk. Allow plenty of time because this won’t be fast.
Let her take you, let her sniff a single twig for two minutes if she wants to.
You go along simply for company and her safety, let her dictate.
Watch her and wonder . . . it’s amazing!
toss food onto the lawn and let her forage for her dinner
sit on a bench and watch the world go by, at each “distraction” (an approaching dog, jogger, child, person wearing hat or umbrella) feed tiny pieces of her dinner to keep her focus on you and calm those triggers
on your walks, hide food around on tree stumps and rocks. Hide some more as she’s off sniffing and see if she can discover it. Help and encourage
on walks, use her meal allowance to reward the behaviours you want . . .quick recalls, sit and stays, emergency stops, loose lead walking, ignoring distractions
Using bought-in enrichment stuff
There’s lots to choose from out there . . . some good and some not so good, from online retailers and from pet shops. You’ll find recommendations and ideas on canine enrichment Facebook groups and Google searches. Ask other owners what they’re doing too.
I’ve been making enrichment puzzles for a few years now and you can find them here.
I’d love for you to take a look, but mainly, I’m simply wanting to spread the enrichment word because there are so many benefits for our furry friends.
So, whatever you choose to use,
whether home sourced or professionally made,
the principles are the same . . . here they are
Puppies at 6 weeks with their first snuffle mat
Start off easy
We want our puppies and our dogs to show interest in new things, to be fascinated and to want to try stuff out. We need to set them up for success, rather than testing or frustrating them.
Slow steps mean that enrichment will be hugely fun and rewarding – for both of you.
Be peaceful
We all need headspace to work things out. Encourage with smiles, quiet words and helping hands.
Snuffling is a relaxing encounter, useful after an exciting walk or playtime.
Think of it as a wind-down, and keep your voice and your actions calm.
Snuffling can often be a prelude to a sleep on her bed, in her crate or simply wherever she flops.
She’ll be tired.
She decides when she’s finished, not you
She may come back to the puzzle to make sure she’s found all the food, so don’t whip it away when you think it’s all gone. She needs to check to be sure.
Then she might walk away, or she might stand and stare at you. Both signs that she’s all done.
The telepathy stare . . . “ I’m done”
Remove the snuffle toy after your session
Keeping them just for snuffle sessions rather than general play will help them to last longer and to be more special.
So, once it’s been decided by your dog that the session is over, drop a couple of treats onto the floor to distract her while you remove it from sight until next time.
Always supervise
Initially, be right there, on the floor with her and her new toy. Have it in your hands, or by your side with her beside you
This will help her to feel comfortable and secure with this odd new thing.
Later, you can be less involved if you want to be, but even as they become more expert at snuffling, it’s so interesting to watch their little brains working things out.
Always supervise though . . . if you have a chewer or a destroyer, you need to know that she isn’t eating lumps of fleece; not good for her intestines or your vet bills!
Remember – remove the toy when the snuffle session is finished.
Food to use
Treats or food from her daily allowance will guard against undue weight gain.
You can also use apple, sausage, chicken, pieces of favourite veggies cut up to the size of a pea. Parts of her raw diet are ok too, but you’ll need to wash her puzzle toy more often.
Regularly check the condition of the snuffle puzzle and remove or mend any damaged parts for the safety of your dog.
Your snuffle puzzles will get snuffle wetness on them. If fabric based,
Wash at 30°C with other soft toys, no conditioner (unfriendly chemicals), no tumble drying.
It’s tiring work, snuffling!
Once you’ve started on your enrichment journey,
you’ll discover lots of different things to use,
and you’ll discover ways to enrich both your dog’s life and your bond with them.
Spending time together is so special and so valuable to your dog.
We’re all they have. What we provide is all they have.
Let’s try to give them choices where we can, give sparks of fun and intrigue into their little lives.
They’ll love us anyway . . . let’s pay that back to them.
Enjoy!