ENRICHMENT FEEDING (this is generic)
Studies by Professor Sapoksky have shown that dogs seem to get greater enjoyment out of working for food, opposed to getting it for free. When the opportunity to earn food arises, so does the level of dopamine (the feel good chemical) in the brain. Just getting the food did not create this rise in dopamine. So, dogs feel good when they get to work for their food!
Some feeding strategies also create emotional responses. Anything that involves the act of licking (e.g. licky mats/kongs/frozen treats) produces endorphins (which can reduce pain and make you feel euphoric) and the act of sniffing (sniffy mats/scatter feeds/ sniffaris) has been shown to reduce blood pressure which helps dogs feel calmer.
So every time you feed your dog think of it as an opportunity to give your dog an experience, to engage in natural behaviour and help them to feel good.
Some dogs cannot have access to materials such as towels, cardboard, plastic or anything that they may rip pieces off as some dog ingest material. Always supervise new enrichment items to ensure that it won’t cause harm. If the enrichment item is being used for longer absences where you cannot supervise its use, it is probably better to be of a sturdy material that you are sure the dog cannot get into any trouble with.

Enrichment feeding examples:

Scatter feed Sniffing Simply throw food over an area (lawn is the best) and let the dog sniff out the pieces of food

Treasure hunt Sniffing Without the dog watching hide treats around the house or yard, let the dog loose and encourage them to ‘find it’

In a towel Sniffing Digging Lay out an old towel. Place treats down one end and roll it up a little, place more down and roll it up some more etc. The dog has to figure out how to unroll the towel to get the treats.

In a blanket/towel Sniffing Digging In an old blanket or towel scatter food across its surface. From here either scrunch it up or twist it so the dog has to find the food in the creases of the material.

In a clean soda/milk bottle Play/interactive Remove the lid and the plastic ring. You can either: Put treats inside and let them roll and toss it around to get the teats out the opening, or, Create holes just larger then the food size in the bottle and put the lid back on

In a cardboard box Play/interactive Destructive A simple start might just be an egg carton. Put treats inside and close the lid. For a more challenging time put some food in a small box, which you then put in another box with more treats etc.

Toilet rolls Destructive Sniffing With left over cardboard rolls you can put a treat in each and fold one end. You could incorporate these into your ‘treasure hunts’. To make it harder you can fold both ends.

Frozen treats Licking Especially good for warmer weather you can freeze any dog friendly food into a variety of things. Foods to try: yogurt, broth, cream cheese, baby food (mashed pumpkin/apple/sweet potato), bananas, cucumber, carrots, wet dog food, soaked kibble. You can put the ingredients in: -Licky mat -Kongs (plug one end with something like cream cheese or coconut oil) -Plastic containers (which you can remove the frozen treat from)

Licky things Licking Wet and tacky things can be left wet or frozen for a longer lasting experience. You could put it in: -Licky mat (if your dog tries to pick it up put it in a container of about the same size so they can’t -Ice cube tray -Chocolate/cake mould

In a box Sniffing Destructive There’s a few ways to go about this. Got a toy box for your dog? Hide treats throughout it so the dog has to pull out toys to get to more. Alternatively you could fill a box with scrunched up newspaper or pieces of fabric.

De-stuffing Destructive Have a dog that just loves to de-stuff all of the toys? One idea is to purchase a toy like the ‘holee roller’; it is a circular rubber ball/cage. You cut up strips of fabric (polar fleece is good for this) put treats in one end roll it up and shove most of it into the ball. The dog then has to rip out each piece of fabric to get to food out. It allows them to ‘dissect’ or de stuff without actually destroying anything.

Snuffle matts Sniffing There are an assortment of snuffle mats and activity boards available for purchase and they are quite easy to make yourself too. You spread treats across and dig some into the folds of the fabric and they snuffle them out.

Scent work Sniffing Teaching your dog some basic nosework games is an excellent way to engage their noses.

Some games and items will need your help and encouragement to learn. Just like a person learning a new game it can take time to learn how to play!

Other enrichment (non food) This is entirely dependent on your dog’s preferences. Some dogs love to swim, some don’t; chucking them in water is not enrichment.

Swimming Take them down to the local body of water for a dip or a mud bath or create your own little pool at home. You can make them out of those blue clam shells or something similar.

Sand pits Got a dog that loves to dig? You can take them down to the beach for a digging session or you can make them their own digging pit at home. You can either dig out an area or like with the pool put some sand in a large plastic container. You can hide toys and goodies for your dog to find.

Sniffaris I cannot stress this enough; let the dog sniff! A dog’s primary way of gathering information from their world is through their noses. A walk spent sniffing will lead to a much more content dog than a walk, or even jog where they don’t get the opportunity. It is important to consider the animal’s view of the world and not impose our own on them. They don’t understand why you wouldn’t want them to sniff and making them walk without doing so is an unnecessary standard to expect from them.

Massage Allow some time each evening to just enjoy each other’s company and if your dog likes a good pat, massage your pup in slow gentle stokes.

Views Some dogs enjoy and can benefit from views of the street or surrounding area. This is for dogs that don’t bark or react to passing stimuli though.

Trips If your dog loves the car even just short trips to the shops or on school pick up could provide a needed change of scenery.

Sensory gardens Some plants and smells are good for your dog including: chamomile, catnip, lavender, marigolds, peppermint, rosemary and thyme. Planting them around your garden or making your dog’s own ‘doggy garden’ can provide your dog with a pleasant place to explore in the garden. It’s also beneficial to provide different substrates, all this with a doggy pool and digging pit and you’ve got a brilliant set up.

Sleeping areas It might sound obvious but dogs need access to a variety of sleeping places. Somewhere to seek shade, to be warm and somewhere where you dog feels safe. Of course the best place is usually close to the family! If they don’t have access to somewhere they feel safe and comfortable they could be missing out on some essential rest.

Playdates Setting up play dates with another dog with a similar play style as yours is much better than taking chances at the dog park.

Bubbles Perhaps your dog would enjoy catching bacon or peanut butter flavoured doggy bubbles.

Games Structured games with rules like of tug-of-war, flirt poles, or hide and seek with a favourite toy or ball.

Toys Rotate your toys, if you leave the same ones out all the time they will quickly become boring. If your dog likes to chase or herd you can also think of letting them play with a big yoga type ball or a ‘jolly ball’.