I’m gonna be calling out some people here right in the beginning.
Raise your hand if you WANT TO DO THE THING, but something is standing in your way?
And what do I mean by that?
I want to give my dogs frozen food puzzles to lick once a day, but I can’t seem to do it.
I want to spend 3 minutes training my dog, but I have only done it once in the last two weeks.
I want to give my dog boxes with kibble in them to destroy, but it takes so much effort.
I want to __________, but ___________.
Yeah, friend. Me too.
Building habits around our pet’s enrichment plan can be difficult in the constant churn of the rest of life. I have grandiose goals for my two dogs, but those goals often fall by the wayside as other fires appear on the horizon.
If this sounds like you, then stick around, this training challenge is for you.
This month, your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to figure out what’s standing in the way of your best intentions.
What is stopping you from turning your intentions and goals into sustainable habits?
Oof, that seems like a big question, right?
Don’t worry.
We’ve helped thousands of families on their enrichment journey, and we’ve seen some of the common barriers among our clients. Check out these common barriers and the ways families have overcome them.
The “It Needs to be Perfect” Struggle
Do you find yourself saying things like…
“Well, I need to do all of these things before I can start.”
“I need to know all the things before I can start.”
“If I can’t do it all, I can’t do any of it.”
I think most of us have been there at some time in our lives. We want to do things “right”, so we put it off until we can feel like we are doing it “right.”
So, do you feel your inner perfectionist standing between you and your enrichment habit?
You don’t have to know everything about everything for a stellar enrichment plan for your dog. That’s what behavior consultants are for, they can help you build your plan, leaving you to focus on execution. This doesn’t mean you can’t still learn *all the things*, but it does mean that you don’t have to do it with the cloud of pressure over your head!
Separate the habit from the results. Integrating new routines into your life takes time, so sometimes, it’s helpful to say, “In order to benefit my pet, I need to do the thing. The first step, is getting the thing done”. Split the criteria for yourself. Start with doing the thing, and then add in those additional steps later.
And remember, something is likely better than nothing, and you can start small. Start with one small step, and when you have that integrated into your routine, add something else. This is something else a qualified behavior consultant can help you with. Small steps are our specialty!
The “Too Many Choices” Paralysis
Do you find yourself saying things like…
“I don’t know what to do today?”
“I can’t decide where to start!”
“Should I be doing this or that?”
And then doing none of the things? Analysis paralysis is a real thing, and with the millions of enrichment options available, we see it seep in often. Where do I focus my attention? What if I make the wrong choice? What if there is a BETTER option?
So, do you find the sheer number of options overwhelming and paralyzing?
First off, you won’t know if there is a better option for your pet unless you try some stuff. Working with a professional can help narrow down your options, and direct your focus, but at the end of the day, I can tell you most, if not all dogs, benefit from opportunities to partake in sniffing. What I can’t tell you is what format or structure of sniffing is going to most benefit your dog. Does scatter feeding in the yard, tracking scents, sniffing through boxes and obstacle courses for food, or sniffaris provide you the best results? We need to do some trial and evaluation. And until we have that information, there is no bad option as long as it is safe, healthy, and appropriate.
Looking at 10 options is likely too much, but looking at 3 can be manageable. So, narrow it down to three. If your dog’s enrichment program has some flexibility, and a sustainable, realistic and effective enrichment program should have some flexibility built-in, then toss all the options into a hat and pull three out to choose from. Or better yet, learn your pet’s “Yes, please!” and “No, thank you.” and ask them to pick for you!
The “Chasing the Shiny” Burn Out
Do you find yourself saying things like…
“I’ll just add one more toy to my shopping cart.”
“My dog is too fast!”
“I saw this incredible thing on Instagram…”
This one is often tied with The “Too Many Choices” Paralysis and The “It Needs to be Perfect” Struggle. In an effort to have the best-darned enrichment plan, we are constantly searching the internet, listening to podcasts like Enrichment for the Real World, and looking for new enrichment options, and I see a couple of things happen here.
You may feel like your enrichment plan isn’t enough because other people are doing different things. You may not be using the results in your pet’s behavior to gauge its effectiveness, and because of that, you may get to a point where it doesn’t feel sustainable, or realistic anymore. Doing more, doing different, and doing new constantly is not feasible.
So, do you feel the burnout creeping in and blocking your enrichment habit?
Remember, enrichment isn’t about the activity. It’s about the results in the animal’s behavior. So, if you’re chasing the shiny because you think novelty and newness are necessary for an effective enrichment plan for your dog, I give you permission to slow down. Close your 95 internet tabs that are open with new enrichment ideas, and return to the basics and foundations. More is not always more when it comes to enrichment. When you provide an opportunity for your pet, do they engage with it? Does the activity help meet your pet’s needs in order to empower them to perform species-typical behavior in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways? If the answer is no, then it’s not helping your goals.
Unless, you’re like me, and chasing the shiny is part of YOUR enrichment plan. Sometimes, that activity can be cup filling for the human, and if that sounds like you, then, by all means, keep your 95 browser tabs open, and continue to scroll Instagram. But, watch out for those times when Compare Leads to Despair, and if you feel that happening, circle back to my above point. Does the activity help meet your pet’s needs in order to empower them to perform species-typical behavior in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways? Take a moment to be present with your pet. When the activity we partake in helps to empower them to perform species-typical behavior in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways, slowing down to observe and appreciate our work is really important.
The “I Don’t Have the Bandwidth” Challenge
Do you find yourself saying things like…
“There’s no way I can do that every day?”
“I don’t have the time to be able to _____.”
“I’m so tired.”
Yup. I feel all of that. We only have so much that we can give, and your oxygen mask needs to be on before you can help anyone else.
So, do you feel like you can’t take on one more thing?
Be kind to yourself. We all have 24 hours in a day, but we all have a different 24 hours. My partner is out of the house for 12 hours a day, and I work from home. What each of us can feasibly, sustainably, and reliably do for the dogs is different. If you have a bandwidth struggle, make sure you are taking care of yourself as best you can. (I’m going to plug a great self-care/self-enrichment resource here.)
And this is one where I really encourage you to work with a professional to strip down to the bare bones of what is necessary to meet your pet’s needs and your goals. You’ve got a certain amount of resources to share, so let’s make sure you are focusing on the things that will help you make the biggest impact. We can help you tweak small things that will make a big difference.
Meal prepping your frozen food puzzles for 2 weeks can make it more sustainable and more likely to happen.
You can also prepare your dog’s food in boxes DIY destructibles if you store them in a pest-proof container and use them within a couple of weeks.
It might be moving where your dog’s food is kept to make things easier for everyone.
It might be putting up some window film so that your dog is able to rest throughout the day.
Small changes can result in big wins.
The “I Can’t Tell if it is Working” Fog
Do you find yourself saying things like…
“I think he likes ____.”
“I guess it’s worth it.”
“I don’t know if it made a difference.”
To stick with an enrichment plan, you really need to see the wins. You need to see your pet’s behavior change. You need to observe the differences it is making, or else what is reinforcing you to continue doing the thing?
So, are you not sure that your enrichment plan is working?
Refresh your body language observing and interpreting skills! Through body language and observation, you’ll be able to see the changes better, or lack thereof, and can assess your plan with confidence.
Keep a log of your pet’s behavior? What do you find undesirable? What behaviors do you find desirable? Are you seeing changes in either the undesirable behaviors or the desirable behaviors? Keeping a tally of your observations can help you be objective! You can see how Allie has done this with her nemesis, Winter Oso.
If you aren’t seeing the desirable changes, make adjustments! Your enrichment plan was likely created with a goal in mind, so adjust to continue working toward that goal.
Now what?
- There are a lot of reasons that can get in the way of building a sustainable enrichment habit. Identify some of the barriers that are getting in your way. Once you know what they are, or at least have an inkling, you can start knocking those barriers down!
- We’ve helped thousands of families not only create sustainable, effective enrichment plans for their pets but also troubleshoot barriers to creating long-lasting and effective habits. We’d love to help you, too! We see clients all over the world and can help with any behavior problem remotely. Click here to get started.
Happy training,
Ellen