An alternative to walks, calming and confidence building
Enrichment activities are not just a fun thing to do with your dog, it could be argued that they are essential to their wellbeing. The key behaviours that you want to promote are licking, chewing and sniffing. Licking and chewing will reduce anxiety, calm a dog and encourage restful sleep; sniffing can be used for redirection when performing undesirable behaviours either at home or on a walk and as part of an activity that can replace a walk. Allowing a dog to perform these activities can also help with transitions into a new home or other times that may be stressful for a dog.
Walks are an important part of a dog’s day but we all have days when we’re not feeling our best or for whatever reason we are not able to walk the dog. Sometimes we will have taken the dog for a walk and for whatever reason they will not settle, usually due to overstimulation or anxiety and often people will think the dog needs taking out again but you can get into a situation where the dog is constantly asking for attention or indicating that they want another walk. These dogs need help to settle and if you make enrichment activities part of your dog’s daily routine, you will find your dog is generally more settled, less anxious and you can get on with your day! Please don’t feel guilty about this and know that you can enrich your dog’s life with a few simple activities at home.
**Although treats are great, try and use the dog’s normal food as much as possible, even better if all the dog’s meals are given in some form of enrichment. To avoid obesity, upset tummies and an unbalanced diet, treats should be no more than 10% of the dog’s daily food intake.**
Licking Activities
Use wet dog food, soaked kibbled or treats such as liver paste (avoid cream cheese, dairy, etc as is sometimes recommended-that’s a guaranteed upset tummy) spread onto a plate, lickimat, muffin tin-whatever works! Make sure the receptacle you are using cannot be chewed and keep an eye on them initially.
Chewing Activities
Chewing is the most effective way to reduce anxiety and settle a dog but it can be tricky to find something suitable for them to chew.
High calorie chews such as pigs’ ears should only be used occasionally and some dogs can develop gastrointestinal issues after ingesting chews such as rawhide, etc. I would not go so far as to say proprietary chews from pet shops and supermarkets are the worst thing ever but please use them with caution. Antlers and Yak Milk bars are a good alternative but avoid these if your dog is a very powerful chewer as they can break teeth. Remove chews if you dog walks away from them to increase desire for the chew next time you offer it, if you leave it on the floor for them
they never want them as much! Also make sure any chew is too big for your dog to swallow whole and remove when it gets small enough to swallow.
The safest way to encourage chewing is using toys you can stuff with food such as Kongs and Zogoflex Toppl toys.
Avoid any kind of bones-cooked or raw- at all costs, they are never safe, can splinter and have a high risk of carrying pathogenic bacteria that can harm your dog and you.
Sniffing Activities
Chuck the kibble!! Literally all you need to do to encourage sniffing behaviour is fling your dog’s food across the floor! This can be done in the living room, garden or on a walk and is a fantastic way to keep your dog busy and allow them to use their brain. It’s great for slowing down fast eaters and they love to hunt out their food whenever they have the opportunity. If they get really fast at sniffing out their food, make it more challenging by hiding food around the house (even better if they are shut in another room while you do it so they really have to sniff it out), sprinkling the food on a towel/blanket and rolling it up, piling up cardboard boxes and distributing the food throughout or using a slow feeder toy such as a Kong Wobbler or Activity Ball.
You can also use this technique to redirect and calm your dog at home or on walks. If your dog is performing an undesirable behaviour such as barking at the front door or reacting to another dog or person on a walk, fling some food away from the thing they are reacting to. This will calm them and encourage a more appropriate reaction to something they would usually be worried by. If you are really consistent with this and also do it sporadically when they aren’t expecting it, you will find your dog chooses to sniff the floor rather that react to worrying situations-this takes time and consistency though!
Good luck and have fun with your dog
