There are multiple types of enrichment required to build a healthy home life for dogs and cats: physical, mental, and social, just to name a few. Most pet owners know how important physical activity is, but not all are aware of mental enrichment. Most pets with behavior problems are incredibly smart. Just like intelligent children who are unstimulated, pets will develop undesirable habits as a way to pursue that type of enrichment. In order to properly stimulate their minds and emotions, we need to build enrichment games into their daily routines. (Pilot Study: “Effects of Environmental Enrichment…”) There are multiple ways of doing this:
1.) Training
Especially when using training techniques like capturing and shaping, training can be very mentally tiring. The pets are thinking, processing, and trying new things while figuring out how to obtain their reinforcement. Most of our targeted training will be focused on training practical skills. Learning silly, pointless tricks can offer a great reprieve. There is less tension for the teacher, plus the person and pet can just have fun learning together.
2.) Feeder Toys
There are multiple puzzle and feeder toys available on the market. In our experience, puzzle boards are very fun, but our patients tend to figure them out very quickly. It is probably more practical to make your own puzzles so that you can change them up and make them to the appropriate challenge level. Check out this article on DIY Puzzles.
The other common form is designed to be a hollow toy that the pet needs to manipulate in order to encourage the contents to spill out. Some of our favorite toys include the Kong Wobbler, Kibble Nibble, & Magic Mushroom. For the advanced pup that also loves tug toys, check out the Tug a Jug.
3.) Exploration Games
This last category takes a bit more forethought and planning. Exploration, or Seeking, games are best tailored to the specific pet. For example, terriers would enjoy the digging games and retrievers might like the ability to move things.
Digging Pits - Purchase a wading pool and fill it with either sand or dirt. Hide toys and high value chews in the substrate and work with the dog to learn how to dig them out. Be sure to cover the sandbox between uses to prevent wildlife from using it as a toilet.
Find It Game - This is a great game for any pet. The ultimate goal is to tuck a dog out of a room, “hide” treats throughout a space, then open the door and instruct the pet to “find it!.” When first starting this skill, stand in the room, say “find it” and toss a couple treats on the floor. As they get better, scatter the treats farther away. You can tell they understand “find it” when they really start to use their nose to seek those food items not immediately apparent. Once they understand “find it,” start making it more challenging by hiding treats under pillows, tucked behind table legs, or on a low shelf. Once they understand this game, you can start using it on a regular basis, but especially on bad weather days!
Want something more official? Check out this book on Scent Training.
Snuffle Mats - The fun mats contain a “lawn” of fleece strips. You then hide the treats deep between the strips of fabric so your dog has to 1.) use their nose to find the treats and 2.) really shove their face in there to reach the treats. As with most toys, use with supervision to avoid inappropriate play and/or damaging the toy. Depending on your time and creativity levels, you can either purchase or make your own.
As you practice implementing mental enrichment for your pup, you’ll get a better idea of what they really like and how you can better tailor your games to their interests.
Here's an example of an Enrichment Program we could implement for a dog with leash reactivity.
6:00am - 1/2 breakfast in a Kong Wobbler - 20 minutes to consume.
6:30am - 30 min "Sniffari" around a secluded part of the neighborhood.
Treats for any passing triggers and other training.
10:00am - Other 1/2 of breakfast for "Find It" Game
1:00pm - 20 minute training session
1:30pm - Small lunch in snuffle mat
3:00pm - Kids play "hide and seek" around the house
5:00pm - 1/2 dinner in Kong Wobbler - 20 minutes
6:30pm - tug of war and fetch in the house
9:00pm - 30 min "Sniffari"
9:30pm - Other 1/2 of dinner
With this example, the dog still gets an hour of "walk" time plus an additional 1-2 hours of solo enrichment that only takes a little prep work on your part.
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