What is Enrichment?

What is Enrichment?

Intro

Whether you're a seasoned dog owner or you've only just picked up your puppy, learning about enrichment could be the best thing you do. One of the most common questions I get asked is what is enrichment and why does MY dog need it?

In this blog post I will break down the different types of enrichment as well as why they are important to our dogs mental and physical wellbeing. I've been utilising enrichment since our Cocker Spaniel Marty first came home. My love of enrichment has grown and my knowledge on the benefits of it have also flourished. As a spaniel owner with a chronic illness I often get asked how I cope with the crazy energy that this breed commonly has, my answer is always the same....ENRICHMENT.

What Is Enrichment

So what is enrichment? Put simply enrichment is anything that engages your dogs senses. The human equivalent may be reading a book or gardening as an example. Similar to human hobbies, enrichment for dogs comes in many shapes and sizes. Whilst most people believe enrichment is purely interactive toys filled with high calorie treats, that statement could not be further from the truth.

I like to break enrichment down into 5 categories -
*Visual/Hearing
*Taste
*Touch
*Smell
*Brain

 

Benefits
Using those categories you can implement regular and varied enrichment that provides many benefits to your dog. Below I have listed my top 5 that I have noticed since including enrichment in our daily lives -
* Reduces stress
*Provides a distraction from disruptive ways
*Supports crate training
*Tires out your dog and promotes calmness
*Provides mental and physical stimulation
 

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