Mental Enrichment
The Missing Piece of the Puzzle
“I walk my dog a mile everyday, but they never seem satisfied.”
“I play ball with my dog constantly, but they still want more.”
“My dog destroys anything they can get their paws on.”
“My dog just never seems relaxed.”
If you’ve ever found yourself using any of these phrases, one of the first things to ask yourself is, “Have I fulfilled my dog’s need to problem solve and utilize their natural instincts?” Admittedly, most dog owners would answer “no” to this question. However, dog owners aren’t to blame! Until recent years, even among professionals the concept of providing your dog with mental enrichment was foreign.
“Back in the day” our dogs worked! If they didn’t work, they were often permitted to roam freely to their heart’s content. These facts mean our dogs’ physical and mental demands could be fully satisfied in their daily lives without any extra input from us. However, as our lifestyles became more sedentary and suburbanized, so did our dogs’. The consequences of this shift are quite apparent, our dogs have seemingly limitless amounts of energy, they are destructive, and they find it hard to relax!
Initially, the remedy for these undesirable behaviors, even amongst professionals, was to physically exercise our dogs to the point of exhaustion on a daily basis. While this can get the job done, it is incredibly taxing on us and totally neglects the other piece of the puzzle, mental enrichment.
Mental enrichment promotes problem solving and engages natural instincts through novel activities. There are countless examples of mental enrichment activities, some encourage your dog to engage in breed-specific behaviors like digging (i.e. dig pit made from a child’s swimming pool full of wet sand) or tracking (i.e. laying a scent trail in your yard), while others help to engage more ubiquitous instincts like foraging (i.e. puzzle feeder).
For most owners, the simplest way to begin providing your dog with more mental enrichment is via their daily meals. This means no more kibble dumped in a bowl!
Instead, begin providing their kibble…
Scattered in grass
Rolled up in a towel
Hidden in their toy box
Hidden throughout the house
If you’re looking to kick things up another notch, you can also purchase enrichment feeders. Here are some great ones…
Again, this is not to say physical exercise is not important, it is! And you should continue to provide your dog with opportunities to fulfill that need. However, by incorporating mental enrichment into your dog’s daily routine you will find it much easier to achieve a relaxed and happy dog.
There’s much more to be said on the topic of mental enrichment! For further reading visit, Shay Kelly’s Dog Blog or purchase his book Canine Enrichment.
