Ditch the Dish
Why feeding enrichment is so important
By: Kelly Brunson
What is feeding enrichment?
Feeding enrichment is a way of presenting food to an animal in different ways, to encourage natural hunting and foraging behaviors. It encourages your companion to investigate, manipulate, and otherwise work for their food. Common ways to enrich feeding time are spreading food out instead of having it in one place, hiding food, or asking your companion to manipulate something to get food.
So, what's the point?
One of the largest problems plaguing modern pets is boredom. Think, how many hours on an average work day do you spend actively interacting with your pet, not counting time spent petting them while you multi-task? One? Two? This leaves over 20 hours a day for your pet to amuse themselves.
Boredom has been extensively studied in caged animals. It has been shown to cause abnormal behaviors. Some examples that show up often are repetitive behaviors, or behaviors without purpose. Tail chasing, repetitive licking, pacing, inappropriate chewing, or excessive sleeping are common. Do any of those sound familiar?
Feeding enrichment has many proven benefits. Dogs given feeding enrichment activities are more active when alone, but less likely to bark. In studies, it has been proven to slow down the loss of learning ability associated with aging. Feeding enrichment activities slow down how fast your dog eats as well, which has a whole host of benefits in itself!
Feeding enrichment and feeding meals instead of free feeding in general have been shown to increase food drive as well. Think of it this way - if, no matter what you do, your bank account is always full, you would be a lot less motivated by money, wouldn't you? Dogs are the same. It takes a lot higher value of food to motivate a dog if there is always free food available.
How do I get started?
Some of my favorite examples are both store bought, and D.I.Y. In stores, anything you can fill with treats can be filled with meals. My top choices are:
As for homemade, the possibilities are endless! I do have my favorites, though:
-Add obstacles like tennis balls for an added challenge
A snuffle mat is a great one for foragers! It's a rubber mat with holes, with fleece strip tied into the holes. You just spread food or treats onto it, and let them go for it!
What if my dog isn't interested in it/won't interact with it?
Sometimes dogs aren't sure what to do with this novel idea! Make sure you Show and Tell: Show your dog how it works, and Tell them they're on the right track with your praise when they try. You can also add some high value treats in the mix for encouragement. Remember our bank account analogy: a dog who is used to free food may not be motivated to try something new. If possible, make it easier for them until they get the hang of it. If all else fails, you can always put out a dish, and try again next mealtime. Be patient, as long as you're home, you can leave it out for them for hours!
Is this something my dog can do while I'm not home?
No object or toy is 100% safe. Personally, I would say no. But, at the very least, if you plan to leave your dog with it, try to supervise them with it many times to make sure they are interacting with it safely.
Remember, all toys are meant to be supervised. Be safe, but most importantly:
HAVE FUN!
Sources:
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0168159108000038
http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0197458004001149
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Behavioral_enrichment
https://www.facebook.com/groups/canineenrichment/