Part of me can’t believe it’s already October and part of me reminds the first part that this has been the longest year ever. Regardless, it’s time for our October training challenge!
List enrichment strategies you employ while you’re gone and objectively go through the list to determine if those strategies are effective.
Not only is this training challenge dedicated to the “Independence” chapter of our book, it’s also a great exercise in taking a descriptive vs. prescriptive approach to your enrichment plan. (Note: we decided what the training challenges were going to be well before Covid hit. While you may not be gone at work all day at the moment, this exercise still applies for shorter outings!)
Descriptive vs. Prescriptive
For those of you who’ve heard us speak this year, you’ve heard us talk about taking a descriptive approach to your enrichment plan.
Descriptive: “I see a change in my animal’s behavior because of the activities we’ve done or provided.”
Prescriptive: “I provided an activity for my pet therefore he’s enriched.”
With the descriptive approach, we observe behavior to determine if the activity was effective instead of assuming that it was. Did it actually meet the animal’s needs as we intended? If it did, great! We can keep doing it. If it didn’t, well, then it’s back to the drawing board. Emily wrote a great blog post about this here. It’s not enough for us to just assume that our pet’s needs are being met while we’re gone, we need to actually observe that that’s true.
How can I tell if those activities are effective?
There are a few ways we can tell if these activities are effective:
- They’re being used. If you leave a stuffed Kong for your pet and it’s untouched when you return, that’s not an effective strategy.
- Watch your pet on video. Want to know if the window film you put up for your pet’s reactivity is actually decreasing reactivity throughout the day? It’s time to break out a recording option and see what your pet is up to during the day.
- Observe your pet’s behavior when you come home. Providing activities while you’re gone can be the determining factor between having an adolescent dog who’s bouncing off the walls when you come home vs. one who’s excited but not uncontrollable.
Now what?
- Make a list of the enrichment activities you utilize while your pet is home alone.
- Make a list of desirable and undesirable behaviors that you’re hoping these enrichment activities address.
- Observe your pet’s behavior. Are those activities effective in increasing desirable behaviors and decreasing undesirable behaviors?
- Adjust your enrichment plan accordingly.
- Share your findings with us on social media! @petharmonytraining on Facebook and Instagram.
Happy training!
Allie