How much enrichment does my dog need?

When people hear about enrichment for dogs their response is often ‘wait, I have to do MORE with my dog, but I don’t have enough time’. We all have busy lives and our dogs are supposed to reduce our stress, not add to it and make us feel guilty that we’re not doing enough. And if you look up how you’re supposed to give your dog enrichment you’ll probably find an honestly ridiculous number of, often expensive, products to buy.

Luckily, enriching your dog’s life doesn’t have to mean spending more time on activities with your dog or buying a whole load of extra stuff. There are a lot of small changes you can make to your dog’s life which can improve their wellbeing. And some of them just mean doing the stuff you already do slightly differently…

What is dog enrichment?

Enrichment can seem confusing and overwhelming, especially because everyone seems to have a different opinion of what enrichment is. Enrichment is really just about the ways we can give dogs opportunities to perform natural dog behaviours so we can improve their quality of life. And yes, I get that probably still feels confusing and overwhelming.

Dogs are not people. They have different needs in terms of food, exercise and sleep. They behave differently - dogs do a lot of digging, shredding and chewing. Even their senses are different to ours. Humans are mainly visual animals, while dogs rely mostly on their sense of smell. Enrichment is about how we can improve our dog’s welfare by meeting those different needs and ultimately allowing them to behave like dogs.

How to enrich your dog on walks

If you’re like most dog carers, you’re probably taking your dog on a walk once or twice a day. And you’ve probably got a limit on the amount of time you can walk your dog before you’ve got to get to work, take the kids to school or cook dinner, so there’s no way you can spend longer walking them. The good news is there are some very easy changes you can make to your walks to make them much more enriching for your dog - without spending more time outside the house.

All you need to do is slow down and walk less far. I know, that sounds VERY counter-intuitive. But when you walk slower your dog has more time to sniff and explore. Your dog’s sense of smell is much more important to them than their sight or hearing. Sniffing allows your dog to learn about the world and the people, dogs and other animals that have been in that area recently. The park might look the same every day, but it smells completely different to your dog depending on the time of day and the weather. Letting your dog track those scents (safely, we don’t want them getting lost or hit by a car) will satisfy and tire them out way more than a game of fetch.

How to enrich your dog at home

Coming home from a walk doesn’t have to mean the end of fun for your dog. There are plenty of ways you can enrich your dog at home without a lot of extra work. You can get your dog sniffing at home by hiding their food, treats or toys around the house for them to find. Chewing, shredding and digging are all natural behaviours dogs need the opportunity to perform. Carrots and frozen bananas are really good cheap chews for dogs. You can hide food in your (clean) paper and cardboard recycling to encourage your dog to shred. And if you have a garden, you can make a digging pit out of a child’s sandpit and some soil.

Dogs are social animals so spending time with you having fun together is enrichment. Play and training sessions don’t have to take a lot of time - surprisingly shorter sessions are usually more beneficial that longer ones. You could play a quick game of fetch or tug or you could teach your dog a new trick. Snuggles on the sofa (if your dog likes them) are also brilliant enrichment. And that’s probably one of the reasons you wanted a dog so win-win.

Resting is as important as being active

Enrichment isn’t just about doing more activities with your dog and stopping them getting bored. Making sure your dog gets enough sleep is an essential part of enrichment. Dogs need more sleep than people do. Puppies need between 16 and 18 hours of sleep and adult dogs should be sleeping around 12 hours every day. Dogs also sleep at different times of day to humans, if given the choice dogs will sleep during the day and at night and will be most active in the morning and the evening. Which is good news if you work a standard 9-5 - as long as your dog gets the chance to toilet during the day, a happy adult dog with no separation issues should just snooze most of the time you’re out.

As well as sleep, your dog needs plenty of rest. This is time your dog is awake but not really doing anything. They might be chilling out on the sofa while you watch TV, lying on the cool floor watching you cook dinner or snuggled on their bed in a room on their own. All that matters is that they are genuinely relaxed (if your dog has been cued to stay in a down or on their bed and they’re alert and ready for action then they are not resting).

For some dogs, getting enough sleep and rest is hard. Puppies have no idea they need to sleep and as soon as they get tired will find it impossible to sleep. Teenage dogs are super distractible and have awful FOMO so will be disturbed from rest or sleep as soon as anything even slightly interesting happens. Dogs who live in noisy or busy homes (especially homes with children) can also be disturbed a lot and may struggle to get enough sleep and rest. Dogs like a choice of sleeping and resting places so, if you can, give your dog a variety of beds in different rooms. Try to keep your home as quiet as possible and leave your dog alone when they’re sleeping so they don’t get woken up.

Written by Juniper Indigo, dog trainer in Tiverton and Exeter