REGION – “Enrichment” is supplying species-specific needs to enhance quality of life and the welfare of the individual. A good example of enrichment in the zoological setting would be the construction of habitats that are natural and stimulating to that particular species of animal.
Domestic dogs also have species-specific needs. Some of a dog’s needs are as follows.
Social needs – the opportunity to engage with others including humans, other dogs, and other species of animals.
Occupational needs – a job or task that includes problem solving. Dog sports can do a great job of filling these needs. Mental stimulation through positive reinforcement training is highly enriching to dogs. Teaching your dog a hand-delivered retrieve can give you a wonderful way to play with your dog and engage the dog mentally at the same time. Maintaining a repertoire of at least ten unique cues over the dog’s lifetime keeps the dog engaged and thinking.
Physical needs – exercise off-leash is really important for all dogs, but sometimes it is just not possible to do it safely. You can still supply physical enrichment on-leash. Teach your dog to hop up on a bench. Go around a tree. Jump over a log or stream. Engage in exploring the world with your dog by getting on it, going over it or going through it. Wade in puddles, run in the ocean waves, play with an empty cardboard box, or chase a plastic bottle around the yard. There are so many things to do with your dog to supply these needs. And it is cooperative; you do them together.
Nutritional needs – foraging for food. Supply your dog with stuffed or filled food toys and puzzles that encourage them to work for the food. This could be their dinner. Scatter food in the grass, hide food in the home and let the dog hunt for it. You can feed your dog their kibble by loading it into a food toy that the dog nudges around the room, letting each kibble dribble out.
Sensory needs – What is that? Tasting or sniffing something new or novel, gentle massage, body awareness, positive associations with touch and handling, or stepping on something new.
Dogs living in the U.S. today live very restrictive lives in general. Because there are so many dogs and so many people living in close proximity to one another, we must have leash laws and community ordinances to control unwanted interactions between dogs and other dogs, dogs and wildlife, dogs and farm animals, and dogs and humans. It is just a reality of our modern world.
When I was growing up, dogs had much more autonomy than they do today. They had more freedom to learn about the world on their own. A dog who was free to explore the world independently was able to seek out their own species-specific needs, all by themselves. This is not the case anymore for our dogs. There are too many dogs and people, all crowded together, for dogs to run loose. It’s not safe.
But we can supply enrichment to our dogs in just about any environment by becoming creative. Supplying the dog’s natural needs goes a long way to helping that dog to live a balanced and fulfilled life. When a dog is enriched, they are relaxed and less likely to develop behavioral problems.
Written by Noel Hoffmann of Noel Hoffmann Dog Training and Behavior Consulting, www.noelhoffmann.com.