What Is Enrichment And How Much Does Your Hound Get?

Advancements  in the understanding of canine psychology, behaviour and welfare that  have come around over the years, have led to a wider understanding in  the importance of positive reinforcement training and management.

More  and more people are becoming aware of the meaning behind the different  behaviours that dogs exhibit, what triggers ‘bad’ behaviours, and how to  manage them.  We have entered the era of pet parents, not just ‘dog  owners’, which has resulted in a much wider and more natural choice in  food, treats, dental aids, supplements and enrichment options across the  market to improve dogs’ lives everywhere.

While there is still a way to go before everyone catches up with (or accepts) modern standards, we’re well on our way!

One  of the most important reasons for this, is so that everyone can  understand that there is no such thing as a ‘bad’ dog.  Yes, dogs may  display undesirable, or what many might described as negative, attention  seeking or naughty behaviours…but there is always a reason for them,  and these unwanted behaviours (regardless of the reason) often receive a  negative response from the humans.  Dogs are often unfairly  disciplined, yelled at, or otherwise ‘corrected’, while being complained  about that they are so badly behaved.

Every  behaviour a dog does, has a purpose, it has a motivation, a root  emotional cause.  While it may not be immediately obvious, there will be  a motivation.  They don’t do anything without a reason.  They aren’t  ‘acting out’.  They are communicating…and quite possibly aren’t being  listened to.

Be it excessive  barking, chewing, digging, excessive licking. pacing around restless,  jumping up, bin raiding, stealing things...all these, and more, happen  for a reason.  Such reasons include anxiety, stress, overstimulation, or  under stimulation (boredom), frustration, pain and a host of other  mental states.

These ‘bad’  behaviours are a way of self-soothing for a dog.  Destructive  behaviours, such as chewing and licking, are a calming behaviour that  releases happy hormones in the brain and helps them settle.

This is where enrichment comes in!

Enrichment  is a word we’ve thrown around a couple of times now and is also a bit  of a buzz word on the internet, but a lot of people don’t know what it  is or why it’s needed.

Enrichment  is, ultimately, a way of enhancing your dog’s quality of life by  encouraging them to fulfil their base instincts by providing a purpose  or ‘job’ to complete which mentally challenges them, leading to a calmer  more relaxed hound that is less likely to display unwanted behaviours.

Providing  items that encourage chewing and licking, in an appropriate and safe  format, will (in most cases) remove the need to expend that energy  chewing the tv remote.  Realistically, depending on the root cause,  providing more variety, enrichment and mental stimulation to their lives  can reduce and, in some instances, eliminate unwanted behaviours.

In  years gone by, the answer to every problem with a dog is to walk them  more.  They’re bored because they haven’t had enough of a walk, or  they’re not ‘tired out enough’.  However, excessive walking can largely  contribute to the problem and is also unsuitable in a lot of cases due  to health, age, anxiety, mental capacity and personal preference.  Not  every dog wants to go for miles of walking!

Being  able to provide enrichment is important for providing alternative  outlets for your dog’s energy, without taking them out on a walk.  While  walking is physically tiring, and to an extent mentally tiring, it can  also be very stressful and result in a dog being more hyperactive on  return to the house…but that’s a subject for another day!

Many  people may seem enrichment as redundant, because their hound is  perfectly content and well behaved with their current routine and  exercise, that they don’t need enrichment.  But enrichment doesn’t need  to be a means to correct unwanted behaviour…it can simply be provided to  improve their lives!

Enrichment  can come in many formats, which we will no doubt discuss over several  posts, but one of the ones we want to discuss today is food-based  enrichment!  

Tools like kongs,  lick mats, toppls, snuffle mats, wobbles, treat balls and gyros (which  are some of our favourites!) make for great long-lasting enrichment  either as a treat or in providing a dogs meals to slow down eating,  mentally challenge them and leave them feeling satisfied.

Dogs,  by nature, are opportunistic scavengers, by providing their food in  alternatives to a bowl, you are encouraging natural behaviours, their  desire to scavenge, fine, investigate and get rewarded.  It makes them  use their single brain cell, and because of all the work they must put  in to get their meal, they will be left feeling physically and mentally  satisfied.
There are also a host of other puzzle  feeders, and challenging toys, available on the market, should they be  blessed with two brain cells.  Make sure to change it up from time to  time, so they don’t get too used to any one puzzle.  This will maintain  the fulfilment for the dog in using them.

We  love stuffing kongs with things like meat mince, prawns, mussels,  sprats, yoghurt, peanut butter, honey and fruit.  Or making smoothies  using kefir/coconut milk, fruit, vegetables, seeds, honey and beneficial  botanicals and freezing them on lick mats or in toppls.  Bone broth  with a hairy rabbit ear or sprats frozen into it in toppls are also very  appreciated!

On a budget?   That’s okay too!  You don’t need to go out and by half the pet shop to  provide for enrichment for your hound.  There are countless DIY  enrichment ideas online.  Some as simple as getting a cardboard box,  filling it with shredded or scrunched up paper, other boxes, egg boxes  or toilet rolls, with treats scattered around in there.  It’ll keep them  busy for ages!

You can also put  treats or kibble around the garden (without them seeing where you put  them!) and then let them out to seek them out.  Using their nose, and  encouraging those natural foraging behaviours, are greatly rewarding for  a hound!

Alternatively, should  your hound be a bit more intelligent, you can spend 5-10 minutes doing  some training with them either daily, or dotted through the week, as  another means of challenging their brains!  

If  you have a greyhound, this may not result in miracles, but you can  always try to teach them simple things like ‘paw’ and ‘wait’.  While it  may take them a little minute to learn a cue, the process of teaching  them and encouraging them to us their brains will still help!

Regardless  of the form of enrichment, it should result in a much more satisfied  and tired hound that is ready for a nap!  Leaving time to factor  enrichment into your hounds routine has so many benefits for them, and  as mentioned, can address a lot of unwanted behaviours.  It’s also great  for helping with things like separation anxiety which we’ll discuss in a  future post!