Keeping your dog physically healthy and in shape is an important part of dog wellness, but it's also crucial to provide a variety of activities to keep your dog physically and mentally enriched.
Thanks primarily to our collective commitment to better understanding dogs through the study of behavioral and cognitive science, modern dogs are very fortunate to live in this golden age of enrichment where so many toys, games and activities are focused on giving them something worthwhile to do. As guardians, our responsibility is to seek out and provide those opportunities.
While physical activity is important for overall dog wellness, activities such as dog sports and playing games with your dog are also fantastic for physical and mental enrichment. Play builds a deeper bond between you, so make sure you pick games you both enjoy and spend a few minutes each day engaging in that activity.
What would your dog say?
If your dog could give you a list of her enrichment needs, what do you think they would be? Would she be happy with everything you've done so far, or would she ask for more? Asking yourself these questions can help you think about what you're already doing and what you might be able to improve.
For example, your dog might tell you that she loves her walks, but can you let her sniff a bit more? She might tell you that she loves a game of chase but is not into fetching things even though you keep trying to teach her (because she's a retriever and retrievers are supposed to bring things back to you, aren't they?) She would probably ask if you could spend a little less time on your computer and more time curling up with her on the sofa.
Enrichment means giving your dog opportunities to express her natural behavior, giving her more control over her physical and social environment. This means walking, playing, and socializing. Problem solving, chewing and eating. Taking part in team activities, games, or just having quiet together time. Finding the right balance of active and passive enrichment activities can help modify, or in some cases, completely eliminate anxieties that lead to problem behaviors, dramatically changing lives for the better. And the beauty of enrichment is that it can be so simple and easy to do, it just requires a little thought and good management of your time.
Incorporating enriching activities into your dog's day
Think about a typical day. How can you work enrichment into that day even when you're busy? Do you walk your dogs twice a day or give them one long walk? How much quiet time do they get to recharge and what opportunities can you give them for vigorous play or just a problem solving exercise like hide and go find? Can you give your dogs a daily chew toy or bully stick that fulfills their chewing/licking needs? Can you feed your dogs their meals through activity toys rather than a bowl a few times a week? Is there a group sport you can do together? And after all that, can you find time to relax together, which is in itself an enriching activity at the end of the day.
If you are busy or at work during the day, enrichment opportunities might include hiring a dog walker, taking your dog to day care a few days a week, or doing something like canine fitness or running together after you have finished work.
Ultimately, enrichment creates a healthy mind and body as long as your dog enjoys the activities. It's important not to exhaust your dog with day care every day or doing too many sports so that she's on activity overload, so getting the right balance is key. Enrichment needs can also be species specific - herding activities for herding breeds, ground activities for terriers, outlets for scenting for hounds and other breeds that live their lives through their noses. The opportunities are endless.
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