All species need hobbies to live a well-rounded, enjoyable life and to give the species an opportunity to be themselves. We call this enrichment. For humans, enrichment can look like puzzles, reading, biking, sudoku, and more. While it looks different for dogs, the effect is the same; Enrichment allows our dogs to be dogs and practice species typical behaviors.  

This practice is especially important for adolescents who can struggle with self-control and big feelings, as well as seniors who can use enrichment to help them stay cognitively sharp into their twilight years. The common areas of enrichment are:  

• Foraging 

• Sniffing 

• Digging 

• Chewing 

• Shredding  

Dogs will seek out enrichment, even if it’s not readily supplied. They can get frustrated, bored, or even frantic when looking for these outlets, and it's often their physical environment that suffers. Our dogs are not in the wild and free to choose their own activities, nor can they perform the original behaviors because they live with us in homes. 

How to provide enrichment that meets your dog’s needs  

First, we want to address what breeds are in our dogs, if we can. While genetics are not the final note in the song that is behavior, it can give us a clue as to what our dogs may seek in an outlet.  

A terrier mix, for example, would probably love tug or shredding cardboard, whereas a herder may enjoy collecting toys or chasing a herding ball around the yard.  

Next, we want to observe our dogs. When left to their own devices, what do they choose to do? Do they like to world watch? Dig in the yard? Chew on a bone? Chase squirrels in the backyard? Sniff up grass, bugs, dirt, and more? This gives us an insight on what direction to start our enrichment plan in.   

The fun part is picking activities to do with your dog. Choose enrichment activities in the areas you know your dog loves and have fun with them! 

Chewing 

Does your dog love to chew on sticks in the backyard? Or are they naturally drawn to chewing on your furniture? To simulate chewing, you can give them bones, stick-replacement chews, actual sticks, or squishy balls they can really get a grip on.   

Foraging 

Foraging is often overlooked but one of the easier enrichment types to implement. One idea is to take a cardboard box with a towel inside and scatter food around the towel and in the box, so your pup needs to move the towel to get the food (this is a great way to feed meals!).  

There are also toys that can simulate foraging, such as snuffle mats, roller KONG toys, etc. Simply tossing their food across the carpet or across the backyard grass (if it's untreated with chemicals) can also give them a foraging experience.   

Digging  

Digging can be simulated with a dig box in the backyard, or even going to a place where your dog can successfully dig, such as:  

• Sand playgrounds (that are empty of people and kids) 

• Trail walks 

• Dirt piles 

• Beach walks 

Plastic kid pools filled with a mix of dirt and sand can also be a great spot to bury sticks, bones, leaves, etc. to give your dog a digging and foraging outlet! Just make sure to drill holes in the bottom for drainage when it rains.   

Shredding 

Shredding can be a great stress release for dogs, and if we see dogs begin to shred household items, it’s a sign of either stress or lack of enrichment/mental exercise.  Lucky for us, shredding is also pretty easy to simulate.  

You can take used paper and send it to your personal shredder, AKA your dog, before recycling. Giving them sticks to shred (make sure they aren't ingesting), toys to de-stuff, or cardboard box pieces to tear apart can also be great enrichment ideas. Be sure to always supervisor your dog and give them food in exchange for the little pieces to keep your dog from eating them.   

Start your dog’s enrichment journey 

Because our dogs live in our homes, they don’t have agency in choosing their hobbies. By giving them enrichment activities, you give them that opportunity back. Enrichment can also teach you a lot about your animal companions and help build a relationship with them based on fun, hobbies and enjoyment of life together.