6 Quick Tips for Enriching Your Dog's Environment
Boredom is the worst. When I’m bored, I find myself procrastinating, napping, or visiting the refrigerator to graze for snacks. It’s not just humans who fall into bad habits though. Dogs do too.
One of the easiest ways to keep your dog blissfully busy is exercise–physical and mental. My two Doodles, Scout and Torre, love to watch for squirrels and bunnies in the yard, and go for twice-daily walks to explore and work out their energy.
While the correct amount of physical exercise is important for dogs, they also need to keep their brains busy too! Here are my quick tips to enrich your dog’s environment to help them stay mentally and physically active - and out of trouble.
Tip #1: The Wobbler will lead your dog on a merry chase
Making your dog work for their food can be fun, and also meets their instinctive need to forage. The action-packed Wobbler by Kong spins and rolls around the room, engaging your dog’s curiosity and excitement as pieces of food escape, keeping your dog active instead of just hanging over their food bowl. Feeding this way may also prevent counter-surfing.
Pro tip: Try a variety of enrichment toys for meals too, not just treats.
And always provide your dog plenty of fresh water to wash those treats down! If you’re interested in all the possibilities, I’ve got more food toy suggestions on my blog.
Tip #2: Keep your pup’s sniffer keen with a Snuffle Mat
I love toys that exercise more than just muscles. A snuffle mat helps your dog exercise their sense of smell, and turns kibble or snack time into a sniffing, foraging game. These soft mats are made of strips of cloth fleece of varying lengths knotted onto a flat plastic base. Just tuck your dog’s food or favorite treats inside. You can even make your own! There are all sorts of video and article tutorials to guide you. Just be sure to put the mat safely out of reach when the treat game is done.
Interested in more details on mental enrichment utilizing food games? Hop over here to Mental Enrichment 101: Play with Your Food!
Tip #3: Add some sensory enrichment with an unfamiliar but interesting scent
A new smell can spark curiosity in your dog. I especially love scents like ginger root, vanilla, and coconut because I can find them right in my cupboard at home. Some studies have shown these scents actually reduce stress in shelter dogs. Just a drop or two on a bandana changes up your dog’s sometimes-too-familiar environment with an interesting but relaxing scent.
Some scents and oils for diffusers or warmers can be toxic, so make sure to do your research or contact me for more essential oil recommendations.
Tip #4: Change up your flooring
Changing the floor textures or temperature adds a new experience for your dog. You don’t need to do a full-blown remodel, of course. I like to add different kinds of throw or area rugs to vinyl or wood floors. A nice short carpet pile is satisfying for your dog to roll and scrub their back on, while a soft shag is a wonderful spot for a relaxing snooze.
Different small to medium area rugs give your dog a choice of textures to rest or play on, and also gives you permission to do a little shopping for fun colors to exercise your own inner decorator. After all – it’s for the dog!
Pro Tip: If your dog jumps when greeting the family or guests, providing a non-slip surface can tone down the crazy and prevent injuries too.
Tip #5: Show them the (natural) world!
Before I leave the house, I make sure that my sun-loving Doodles have a full water bowl, have done their business, and have a place to snooze where light streams through the windows and gives them a view of the birds and squirrels in the backyard. Of course, if your own dog is overly barky or stressed by people or dogs passing by or squirrels they can’t reach, you might want to use window film or close your curtains, make sure their favorite toys and chews are nearby, and offer sensory enrichment by leaving on some dog-calming music. If your dog needs more help, give me a call and let’s talk on how to work through that anxiety!
Tip #6: Go high-tech!
Of course, in the modern world, leaving to go to work doesn’t have to mean a boring day for your dogs, or feeling guilty for leaving them. The pet industry is exploding with high-tech tools and toys that do everything from monitoring your dog’s food intake, to watching and speaking to them to, yes, enrich their lives! A home camera and treat dispenser like PetCube may be just the ticket to interact with your dog while you’re away.
Do you have a trick up your sleeve for keeping your dog entertained? Let me know!
Pssst… I’ve been helping dogs overcome problem behaviors for 10+ years, and learning how to enrich their lives on a daily basis is one of the most beautiful things I teach–and helps overcome many behavior issues. I believe that every dog can learn to make good choices when we do two specific things. If you want to know what they are or you have a dog with his or her own problem behavior, you can learn more or get in touch at https://www.dogsbehavingbetter.com/.