The practice of “enrichment” is actively creating environmental affordances for our domesticated canid captives. Or, more simply, enrichment is just giving our dogs things to do, specifically activities that meet their needs as a unique and separate species. It is acknowledging that if we want dogs to live in captivity—for our benefit—then we owe it to them to honor their genetic imperatives. It is the understanding that comprehensive wellness for our dogs includes both their physical health and their behavioral health.

Proper enrichment looks different for every dog. For a steadfast, discerning, and nature-loving Bernese Mountain Dog, for example, enrichment may be giving them frequent access to the outdoors, as well as a vantage point from which they can casually and nonchalantly survey their dominion. For a hunting dog, enrichment may be off-leash hikes in natural areas with their human at their side. For an Australian Shepherd living in an urban environment, enrichment may be providing them a job as your personal assistant, allowing them to perform a variety of tasks on a daily basis. For a Toy breed, enrichment may be giving them many daily opportunities to stare lovingly into your eyes.

When you have a sense of your dog’s needs, it can be fun to brainstorm suitable enrichment opportunities. Maybe you bring your Terrier mix to organized barn hunts. Maybe you take your shepherd to a herding class. Maybe you get involved in a competitive dog sport like agility, flyball, or Disc Dog with your Border Collie. Maybe you do skijoring with your Husky, or dock diving with your Labrador Retriever.

In addition to breed-specific enrichment ideas like those above, you can also provide more general species-specific enrichment. All dogs—even the tiny, cute, fluffy ones—are descended from wild canids, who are descended from wolves. Providing species-specific enrichment for a dog may include long, sniffy walks, off-leash adventures, bones packed with marrow, or social time with other dogs. 

Let’s explore some fun options... 

Ditch the Bowl

Many dogs don’t need to eat out of a boring ol’ food bowl. Instead, gradually get them hooked on Kongs, Toppls, or Slow Feeders and then—when your dog gets (and loves!) the idea of these toys—make the task of freeing food from their confines harder and harder. Saturate their kibble with some bone broth, mix in some liver paste, stuff it into one of the options above, and freeze that sucker. Dinner time will take an hour, and your dog will be thrilled to do an activity rooted in their very genes. If you’ve got a dog that gets really jazzed by these challenges, look into puzzle feeders, which enable dogs to use their smarts, not just their jaws, to free the food. (Note that some dogs find puzzle feeders frustrating and may give up; be sure to start with easy puzzles so that your pup can have success.)

Go on a Sniffari

If you walk your dog on-leash throughout the neighborhood, let them choose the walking route and sniff sniff sniff to their heart’s content. Allow the walk to actually be for your dog. Give them the autonomy to make some decisions. Allow them the environmental affordance of reading their pee-mail.

Train a Trick

For dogs that love (and need) to use their brains, engage in fun training games. Teach your dog—through capturing, marking, naming, and proofing—how to wave on cue or how to put away their toys or how to use your knee as a springboard to catch a frisbee.

Be One with Nature

Many dog brains (and human brains, actually) need access to the natural world to be emotionally regulated. Bring a camp chair and a book to the river and allow your pup to gaze at the currents and watch the birds. Hike on a leash or a longline, or off-leash if your dog has reliable recall. 

Attend a Soiree

Not every dog wants to hang out with other dogs, but for those that do, fill their bucket by giving them the opportunity to socialize. Schedule playdates for your dog. Meet up with a friend for a walk. Take your new puppy to puppy socials. Head to the dog park if (and only if!) your dog is a fit for that scene.

Pick a Sport

Do you have a high-octane dog, one that goes up to 11? Consider taking classes (and maybe even competing!) in agility, flyball, treibball, dock diving, frisbee fielding, skijoring, carting, etc. Funnel all that energy into something fun and productive. 

Give ‘em the Good Stuff

In addition to toys stuffed with food and puzzle feeders, give your dog opportunities to work on high-value, long-lasting chews. Dogs need to chew every single day as part of their behavioral health. Pick an animal part, any animal part: from bully sticks to antlers to chicken feet to pigs ears, there are many options for various levels of chewers. Combine meeting your dog’s chew quota with desensitization and classical conditioning by giving them their high-value, long-lasting chew at the same time you are (softly!) playing the sound of fireworks or sirens or babies crying on YouTube.

Offering enrichment opportunities for your dog simply must be a central tenet of dog guardianship. A dog that is not having their needs met will either figure out a way to meet their needs on their own (think: destroying all of the window blinds), become bored and shut down, or develop anxiety, OCD, or obsessions as a way to diffuse their energy. If you cannot offer your dog much enrichment? That’s fine… as long as you find someone else who can do it for you. Subscribe to BarkBox. Hire a dog walker, runner, or hiker. Put your pup in Play & Learn. Get your kids psyched about playing hide-and-seek with your super sniffer. 

It is your responsibility to provide enrichment for your dog, full stop. Would you like some help making it all happen? This is our jam. Drop us a line!

Lesson Activity

Recommended Media for Enrichment

• Read: 5 Types of Enrichment & Their Benefits, Outward Hound
• Read: Dog Enrichment: Toys, Games, and DIY Ideas, The Preventative Vet
• Read: Enrichment Ideas for Dogs, Guide Dogs
• Listen: Enrichment with Allie Bender & Emily Strong, Drinking from the Toilet, Hannah Branigan
• Listen: Enrichment for the Real World, Pet Harmony, Allie Bender and Emily Strong (full podcast series on enrichment!)
• Watch: Ditch the Bowl, Better Their Life, Sarah Stremming of the Cognitive Canine with Fenzi Dog Sports Academy ($18 online class, link goes to trailer)
• Watch: Agility for Enrichment and Fun, Kikopup, Emily Larlham