Post by Andrea o UCLA Dogs on Sept 15, 2009 21:20:18 GMT -8
By Linda McVay CCS
See it on TeachStreet at: tinyurl.com/p8ljfn
Imagine being a dog in a home where all things are provided free of charge: food routinely appears in a handy decorative bowl; there are plenty of soft places to sleep; once a day you are walked around your neighborhood. Sound ideal? It might be okay...but I doubt it.
Now think about your day: going to work, to the gym, to the movies, visiting new and exciting places. How about reading a book, doing a crossword, or going out to dinner with friends? All of these activities enrich your life and keep you mentally healthy and physically active. Your dog also needs to have an environment that is stimulating and diverse to help keep him mentally and physically fit. Think of what dogs would be doing without human intervention. They would certainly be searching or hunting for food, constructing or finding a safe place to sleep, looking for a mate, avoiding dangerous situations and environments, or dodging predators. Dogs can have a tremendous amount of energy, so we need to enrich their environments and offer acceptable outlets to help channel that energy and keep them mentally and physically healthy.
You might wonder what can happen if you don't take into consideration a dog's natural behavioral traits? Without a stimulating or enriched environment you could begin to see any of a number of behavioral problems including destructive chewing, hyperactivity (aka “the zoomies”), and barrier frustration (barrier frustration can occur when a dog is repeatedly allowed to see or hear something interesting but is not allowed to interact with it). This consistent exposure and repeated frustration eventually can cause aggression. You could begin to see attention barking or other types of attention seeking behaviors. Dogs may also exhibit certain self-soothing behaviors that if unheeded can become veterinary concerns. Two not uncommon examples are Acral lick dermatitis and pulling out of the hair on the tail or between the toes. Acral lick is a syndrome in which dogs excessively groom the skin at the junction of the leg and the foot. Dermatitis or chronic irritation of the skin can result. A fleshy pink mass known as a granuloma may develop at the site if the process continues.
Our dogs have been selectively bred to better perform certain tasks including herding, guarding (alert barking), retrieving, hunting, and pest control (that is, hunting rats, foxes, etc.) depending upon the breed. Part of the responsibility of owning a dog is the need to enrich his environment to help channel his natural behaviors and to reduce boredom. If you work a little up front, the effect will cascade and will pay off further down the line with far less and easier work; the full joys of a pleasant companion who is satisfied and relaxed will be realized!
Work to Eat puzzles are a must! The Kong was the original and it is still a great choice for the hardy chewer. The Kong is also a perennial favorite for the Pupsicle. Make up a Kong with your pup's favorite kibble and tasty tidbits. Place it in a Tupperware container to help keep it upright and then pour in some low sodium beef or chicken stock and freeze. This is a great treat on a hot day, or better yet, tossed in the crate when leaving on a road trip. If your dog is reluctant to interact with the puzzle, smear a little peanut butter or a soft cheese around the fill hole. Tasty leftovers cut into small pieces and mixed with kibble can add a little excitement to get the ball rolling.
Old margarine or Tupperware containers stuffed with tasty tidbits and then hidden around the yard are great fun. Your dog has to use his senses to locate them and then work to come up with a way to open the container to consume the food. On rainy days you can hide them in the house...”find it!”
Throw your dog's kibble out the back door and let him scavenge for it. He'll locate every last piece and enjoy every moment of the sniffing and rooting.
Work-to-eat (WTE) puzzles are sometimes marketed as “treat” toys, but don't be fooled! These are serious boredom and stress relievers and should be used each and every time your dog is fed. They come in every conceivable size and shape and the level of difficulty can be changed with just a little ingenuity. Mix up your work-to-eat puzzles. The whole point is to provide variety and novelty.
What a great time to work a little on your latest trick by using Rover's dinner as reward for a rollover, a sit-stay, or back-up buddy.
Boxes are another inexpensive puzzle. Place kibble in a small box that is surrounded by a larger box and then watch the amazing behaviors that your dog will come up with to obtain his dinner. You can think of a hundred different ways to have your friend “sing for his supper.”
It is always important to remember to know your dog. If he consumes plastic or paper you cannot use a plastic or paper work-to-eat puzzle unless you are supervising. Whatever WTE puzzle you choose to use, give your dog some time to figure out the game. Don't help him along the way. If you help, your pup will figure out that waiting for you is the best way to get the kibble out of the puzzle. Mix it up! Rotate the methods you use to feed your dog to keep boredom at bay!
Diggers love a child's wading pool filled with play sand. Drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage then cover them with landscape cloth to help retain the sand. To entice your pup to dig in the legal digging pit you might stuff a bully stick into an old sock and bury it just under the surface. Then sit back to enjoy the show.
A lunge whip with a toy attached to the end and dotted with a bit of artificial scent can make for rousing game of chase. Scents come in pheasant, deer, rabbit, elk, etc. That same scent, readily available on the Internet or at most hunting supply stores, can be dotted around the yard to liven up an everyday outing. You can also lay a trail and play the find it game!
Classes are always a great way to keep you both learning and growing as a team. Rally, Fly Ball, Frisbee or even dog yoga will improve both your lives. How about tracking, dog dancing, lure coursing, or therapy work? Still not a good fit? Why not try Go to Ground, racing, or agility? A Manners Class, Tricks course or maybe a specific behavior workshop will help you both stay at the top of your game. The list goes on!
Give your dog a variety of textures and varying degrees of hard to soft toys. Dogs need change and your dog may want to gnaw on a bone or chew on a stuffed critter on any given day. Just as we do, dogs enjoy variety. Having the same type of toy or chewie day after day can get boring.
Hey you water dog folks, that child’s swimming pool is great for you too! Try bobbing for hot dogs on a hot day - it's cheap entrainment for both of you! Those Pupsicles can be great fun too, especially if you have a diver. If your dog really loves to get wet, many feed stores offer deep troughs that your dog can immerse himself in. However, owners of very small dogs should only allow access to these under supervision – you don’t want your pup to get in and be unable to get out when you are not there to help.
We can enrich our own lives as we enrich our dog's lives. It's a win-win situation for you and your canine friend.
See it on TeachStreet at: tinyurl.com/p8ljfn
Imagine being a dog in a home where all things are provided free of charge: food routinely appears in a handy decorative bowl; there are plenty of soft places to sleep; once a day you are walked around your neighborhood. Sound ideal? It might be okay...but I doubt it.
Now think about your day: going to work, to the gym, to the movies, visiting new and exciting places. How about reading a book, doing a crossword, or going out to dinner with friends? All of these activities enrich your life and keep you mentally healthy and physically active. Your dog also needs to have an environment that is stimulating and diverse to help keep him mentally and physically fit. Think of what dogs would be doing without human intervention. They would certainly be searching or hunting for food, constructing or finding a safe place to sleep, looking for a mate, avoiding dangerous situations and environments, or dodging predators. Dogs can have a tremendous amount of energy, so we need to enrich their environments and offer acceptable outlets to help channel that energy and keep them mentally and physically healthy.
You might wonder what can happen if you don't take into consideration a dog's natural behavioral traits? Without a stimulating or enriched environment you could begin to see any of a number of behavioral problems including destructive chewing, hyperactivity (aka “the zoomies”), and barrier frustration (barrier frustration can occur when a dog is repeatedly allowed to see or hear something interesting but is not allowed to interact with it). This consistent exposure and repeated frustration eventually can cause aggression. You could begin to see attention barking or other types of attention seeking behaviors. Dogs may also exhibit certain self-soothing behaviors that if unheeded can become veterinary concerns. Two not uncommon examples are Acral lick dermatitis and pulling out of the hair on the tail or between the toes. Acral lick is a syndrome in which dogs excessively groom the skin at the junction of the leg and the foot. Dermatitis or chronic irritation of the skin can result. A fleshy pink mass known as a granuloma may develop at the site if the process continues.
Our dogs have been selectively bred to better perform certain tasks including herding, guarding (alert barking), retrieving, hunting, and pest control (that is, hunting rats, foxes, etc.) depending upon the breed. Part of the responsibility of owning a dog is the need to enrich his environment to help channel his natural behaviors and to reduce boredom. If you work a little up front, the effect will cascade and will pay off further down the line with far less and easier work; the full joys of a pleasant companion who is satisfied and relaxed will be realized!
Work to Eat puzzles are a must! The Kong was the original and it is still a great choice for the hardy chewer. The Kong is also a perennial favorite for the Pupsicle. Make up a Kong with your pup's favorite kibble and tasty tidbits. Place it in a Tupperware container to help keep it upright and then pour in some low sodium beef or chicken stock and freeze. This is a great treat on a hot day, or better yet, tossed in the crate when leaving on a road trip. If your dog is reluctant to interact with the puzzle, smear a little peanut butter or a soft cheese around the fill hole. Tasty leftovers cut into small pieces and mixed with kibble can add a little excitement to get the ball rolling.
Old margarine or Tupperware containers stuffed with tasty tidbits and then hidden around the yard are great fun. Your dog has to use his senses to locate them and then work to come up with a way to open the container to consume the food. On rainy days you can hide them in the house...”find it!”
Throw your dog's kibble out the back door and let him scavenge for it. He'll locate every last piece and enjoy every moment of the sniffing and rooting.
Work-to-eat (WTE) puzzles are sometimes marketed as “treat” toys, but don't be fooled! These are serious boredom and stress relievers and should be used each and every time your dog is fed. They come in every conceivable size and shape and the level of difficulty can be changed with just a little ingenuity. Mix up your work-to-eat puzzles. The whole point is to provide variety and novelty.
What a great time to work a little on your latest trick by using Rover's dinner as reward for a rollover, a sit-stay, or back-up buddy.
Boxes are another inexpensive puzzle. Place kibble in a small box that is surrounded by a larger box and then watch the amazing behaviors that your dog will come up with to obtain his dinner. You can think of a hundred different ways to have your friend “sing for his supper.”
It is always important to remember to know your dog. If he consumes plastic or paper you cannot use a plastic or paper work-to-eat puzzle unless you are supervising. Whatever WTE puzzle you choose to use, give your dog some time to figure out the game. Don't help him along the way. If you help, your pup will figure out that waiting for you is the best way to get the kibble out of the puzzle. Mix it up! Rotate the methods you use to feed your dog to keep boredom at bay!
Diggers love a child's wading pool filled with play sand. Drill a few holes in the bottom for drainage then cover them with landscape cloth to help retain the sand. To entice your pup to dig in the legal digging pit you might stuff a bully stick into an old sock and bury it just under the surface. Then sit back to enjoy the show.
A lunge whip with a toy attached to the end and dotted with a bit of artificial scent can make for rousing game of chase. Scents come in pheasant, deer, rabbit, elk, etc. That same scent, readily available on the Internet or at most hunting supply stores, can be dotted around the yard to liven up an everyday outing. You can also lay a trail and play the find it game!
Classes are always a great way to keep you both learning and growing as a team. Rally, Fly Ball, Frisbee or even dog yoga will improve both your lives. How about tracking, dog dancing, lure coursing, or therapy work? Still not a good fit? Why not try Go to Ground, racing, or agility? A Manners Class, Tricks course or maybe a specific behavior workshop will help you both stay at the top of your game. The list goes on!
Give your dog a variety of textures and varying degrees of hard to soft toys. Dogs need change and your dog may want to gnaw on a bone or chew on a stuffed critter on any given day. Just as we do, dogs enjoy variety. Having the same type of toy or chewie day after day can get boring.
Hey you water dog folks, that child’s swimming pool is great for you too! Try bobbing for hot dogs on a hot day - it's cheap entrainment for both of you! Those Pupsicles can be great fun too, especially if you have a diver. If your dog really loves to get wet, many feed stores offer deep troughs that your dog can immerse himself in. However, owners of very small dogs should only allow access to these under supervision – you don’t want your pup to get in and be unable to get out when you are not there to help.
We can enrich our own lives as we enrich our dog's lives. It's a win-win situation for you and your canine friend.