Easy Enrichment and Optimization for Your Dog
Do you feel like your dog is constantly looking for things to do? Do they seem bored or need more energy outlets? Use enrichment to improve their time and provide mental stimulation!
Enrichment activities allow the dog to display natural behaviors.
These activities are essential for the dog’s wellbeing and comfort.
Optimization makes the best and/or most effective use of the resources you already have.
Think of what your dog’s breed(s) were originally used for and what they enjoy doing in their free time. Let’s start there!
Our dogs didn’t choose to come into our lives and there is a lot in their life they cannot control
Optimizing their time and your resources to meet their needs can help prevent the dog from finding the outlet themselves.
Enriching their lives provides control, mental exercises, and outlets for natural behaviors.
It increases mental stimulation and provides the dog activities in a safe manner.
Sniffing
Dogs love to sniff. They need to sniff. It helps them cope, gain information about their environment, and decompress.
Fo’ Free: Sniff walks, scattering their meals in safe areas like your yard or rolled in a towel, and hiding treats around the house for your dog to find.
Investments: snuffle mats, scent kits and nosework training.
Shredding
Is your dog known to destroy every plush toy in a matter of minutes? This is for you.
Celery, lettuce, cabbage, kale, and carrots are all edible ways your dog can shred if they ingest items.
Fo’ Free: cardboard boxes with food hidden in them, packing paper, paper bags…if it can be shredded it can be used. Get creative with your layers.
Investments: 2 in 1 toys, burrow toys, holee roller with items woven in.
Foraging
This is for the dog that has to stick their nose into every bush they pass and snuffle to no end.
Fo’ Free: food in a muffin pan and covered with toys, cardboard boxes with food layered in them, collect some leaves and branches and layer them with food and toys, scattering food in the yard.
Investments: baby pool or ball pit with balls, snuffle mats, scent kits, and nosework training.
Licking and Chewing
These activities are great boredom busters and meet our dog’s needs to gnaw.
Fo’ Free: freeze some broth and food at the bottom of your dog’s bowl, freeze dog safe food in ice cube trays or hollow toys.
Investments: natural wood chews, bully sticks, natural rawhide, classic kong, westpaw toppl, and other hollow toys.
Digging
Some dogs love to dig and it’s a great mental and physical exercise
Fo’ Free: layering towels and blankets for digging activities. Finding dig safe spots in your yard, on trails and parks-just fill it back up when your dog is done.
Investments: sand play area, dig pads, and digging areas are all great investments for our digging dogs.
