A question that we get frequently asked is:

My dog doesn’t have any behavior issues! How can I implement your enrichment framework?

That’s a great question, and my answer is usually in the form of talking about what I do for Oso, my senior dog. Now, Oso was a behavior case when I adopted him but he’s at the point where those behaviors are either resolved or managed. Any lingering behavior issues are those that are increasing with age, like sensitivity to weather (common in aging dogs). 

So, let’s take a look at some tips to implement our enrichment framework for senior pets, and I’ll use Oso as my example of how I do this in my own life. 

 

List desirable and undesirable behaviors: Consider future problems

Step 1 of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework is to list desirable and undesirable behaviors. This is often the first hurdle for folks when it comes to creating a plan for their aging pet because they’re only thinking about behavior issues like counter surfing, digging, chewing, aggression, anxiety, or fear. 

But the truth is, aging begets problems in other ways; it’s one of the cruel facts of life. When folks ask me what they should focus on in their enrichment plan for their senior pet, I ask them to consider what they imagine will become a problem in the future. If you know your pet has horrible teeth, talking to your vet about a soft-food diet now might be an easier transition. 

For a dog expected to have vision loss as they age, you may want to consider setting up the environment and situations so they can get through everything without their sight. Loss of hearing is another common aging concern and I can’t tell you how many people I’ve seen regret that they didn’t teach their dog hand signals in addition to verbal cues. For others, it may be getting them comfortable with the vet knowing they’ll need to go more frequently, or starting to look into therapies like cold laser or canine rehabilitation.  

For Oso, my 90-lb dog with funky hips in a house that requires him to go down at least 2 stairs to get outside, mobility is the problem I know we’re going to be up against as he gets older. We’ve been preliminarily working on that for years in the form of supplements and have ramped up efforts as we notice more signs of aging. He now has monthly massages and routine exercises to help with his mobility. And we can’t forget his stairs that let him get down from the bed safely!

 

Making sure needs are met: Look at the pet in front of you right now

Steps 2 & 3 of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework are to make sure your pet’s needs are being met and that they have agency. I go over the 14 enrichment categories in this blog post and the importance of agency- being able to make choices that result in desirable outcomes- in this blog post. 

Our needs change as we age, and that’s true for our pets, too! I discussed above some of the changes in the veterinary/medical category, but there will also be behavior changes. Typically your pet will need less physical exercise, and most prefer a quieter environment and often less spirited social interaction. When we think about the broad strokes of how human children and adults differ, there can be a lot of similarities with our pets throughout their life stages. 

This is another area that I often find people struggling with when it comes to developing an enrichment plan for their senior pet. They often are thinking about- and sometimes lamenting- what their pet used to need or do. I get it; there are things that I miss about Oso’s youth. But holding on to that doesn’t help him right now and no amount of lamentation is going to bring that back. So, onward we forge! 

For these steps of the Enrichment Framework, the best advice I can give you is to focus on the pet in front of you right now. Not the pet you had 10 years ago, last year, or even last month. Who are they right now and what do they need right now? I’ve adopted the mindset that I get to constantly learn new things about Oso and am delighted to see who he’s going to be. That helps to take some of the sting out of watching him lose his youth. 

 

Narrow down options & prioritize: Seek advice from your pet’s team

Steps 4 & 5 of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework are to narrow down your options and prioritize activities. I’ve talked quite a bit about how you might need a whole team of people to help a pet who is displaying behavior problems. I find that this is also true for senior pets. 

We’ve added more and more people to Oso’s team as he’s gotten older and I ask their advice to help me narrow down options for meeting his needs and what to prioritize. I recognize that there are nuances about the aging process that I’m not an expert in, but I can find someone who is! 

Here’s an example. In recent months I’ve noticed Oso displaying increased fear during windy days. It’s not uncommon for senior pets to develop increased anxiety to weather-related patterns (joint swelling is a thing for them, too!) Even though it’s typical, that doesn’t mean I’m okay with him being uncomfortable. Plus, him having to be under my desk on windy days isn’t great for me, either. 

I talked to Oso’s team about his new behavior. Knowing that I have a hard time being my own behavior consultant, I spoke with the Pet Harmony team about what I was seeing and got their feedback on my plan to move forward. I spoke with his vet and massage therapist. Each person had a slightly different perspective: a different element that mattered most to them. And that helped me to narrow down our options and prioritize what we would try first, second, and third in a way that was healthiest for Oso. 

 

Develop plan of action: Make sure it’s sustainable for you

Step 6 of the Enrichment Framework is to develop your plan of action. This is the who, what, when, and where of your decisions. I work with a lot of people who choose to put their pet’s needs and comforts first. Heck, I am one of those people! So I say this as much for myself as I do for you. 

When you look at your plan of action- how frequently you’re doing these activities, how much money you’re spending, how much time it takes- I want you to give yourself some grace to implement your plan in a sustainable way that allows you to also live your best life. For me, sustainability looks like asking myself the hard question, “Could I do this for the rest of Oso’s life?” 

Here’s an example. We recently rearranged our bedroom and loved the new layout. Well, the humans loved the new design. Oso: not so much. He decided there wasn’t enough space to be able to use his stairs (fair; he’s a long dog and we have small rooms). Although I was bummed, I figured out how I was going to decorate our room in stages so that I could change it to the new layout after Oso is no longer with us. His being able to sleep with us is something I absolutely do not want to give up for him or us and it was an annoying but ultimately easy decision. 

Compare that to the amount of money we’re eventually going to have to spend on physical therapy for him. There will come a point where our budget is simply not going to allow us to follow through with a recommendation that a specialist gives us (I’m assuming.) And while that will be a hard pill to swallow and I’ll likely write about all of those feelings in a future blog post (hopefully several years down the road), I know it will be the right decision for us in terms of sustainability. 

There will be elements you’re okay with doing for a couple of years but not longer. There will be activities that are just not tenable to do at all and others that are no-brainers. No one can make those decisions but you. Your quality of life is as important as theirs. I give you permission to create a plan that takes your sustainability into consideration. 

 

Implement & document: Ask your pet’s team what to look for

We’re finally here at the fun part: Step 7 Implement & Document. This is really no different than implementing an enrichment plan for a younger pet. My tip here, though, is to once again lean on your pet’s team and ask them what you should be documenting.

Again, there will be a lot of elements and nuances of your aging pet and you simply can’t be an expert in everything. That’s where that team comes in. I’ve asked Oso’s massage therapist what subtle signs I should look for to determine how well he’s moving. That’s something that I’m able to track in my head at the moment because she can also tell how he’s doing when massaging him. There’s someone else monitoring his mobility aside from me, there are several ways for us to notice this, and it’s evaluated monthly like clockwork.

In contrast, while discussing trialing pain medication his vet recently mentioned that it would be okay to give him a certain medication every now and then. I asked her how frequently that could be and what would happen if it was given more frequently. The result will simply be more frequent monitoring of his bloodwork. Makes sense! But because I’m the only one tracking it and the result does change our plan quite a bit due to safety concerns, you better believe I’m tracking this one on a calendar. I’m not willing to leave this element up to memory. 

 

Reassess, readdress, and do it again: evaluate frequently

The final step of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework is to Reassess, Readdress, and Do It Again. AKA: go through steps 1-7 again based on the information you just documented. When I work with folks who have puppies or adolescents, they often remark that just when they figure something out, their pet changes! This can be true for seniors, too. I evaluate Oso’s enrichment plan much more frequently now than I did a few years ago. 

The question that I get here is, “How do I know when to reevaluate Oso’s enrichment plan?” Well, the short answer is that I monitor his behavior and when I see a new pattern emerge that’s when I evaluate his plan. I know that’s a hard answer because it’s not black and white. If you’re someone who needs a more concrete answer, then I recommend evaluating quarterly. It’s common to see changes with changing weather (for all ages, not just seniors) and so you’ll catch those changes if you’re evaluating quarterly. If you’re seeing noticeable changes more frequently then examine more frequently. 

 

Now what?

• Start at the beginning! Even if you don’t have a senior pet these tips can be applied. 
• Plan first, do later. I know planning isn’t necessarily the fun part, but Steps 1-6 of the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework are how you work smarter, not harder. Strategic equals sustainable! Take some time to really develop your plan, but don’t get so attached to it that you’ll have a hard time changing it later. 
• Do the thing! How long you implement will be determined by what you’re trialing. Diet changes can take a few months to see the full effect whereas a change in mental exercise can sometimes be seen in just a few days. 
• Share your findings (or just cute pics of your senior pets) with us on social media @petharmonytraining on Facebook and Instagram. 
• Professionals- if you’re interested in how to do all of this with your clients, join us for our FREE webinar: How to Use an Enrichment Framework to Solve Behavior Challenges: 3 Strategies to Uplevel Your Consulting Skills for Happier Pets, Happier Clients, & a Better Career. You don’t want to miss this!

 

Happy training,

Allie

If you’ve been following us for a while, then you know that we put a hefty emphasis on sustainability for pet parents. 

When you have carefully crafted a plan that is designed to meet your animal’s physical, emotional, and behavioral needs, to enable them to engage in species-typical behaviors in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways, it is because you love and care about animals in your life. 

Unfortunately, the best plan won’t meet your animal’s needs if you can’t sustain it.

 

Sometimes, it goes a little something like this… 

You catch the enrichment bug!

You read all the things. Listen to all the podcasts. Start collecting ideas, making plans, buying tools and toys, and filling so much time with these activities and ideas of what you want your enrichment plan to be. 

And then something happens. 

Maybe you get an extra project at work and start putting in some overtime. 

Maybe you get injured or sick and need to focus on healing. 

Maybe you get tired from doing all the things. 

But, you still try to fit all those activities, ideas and plans into time, energy, or bandwidth that you no longer have.

And it’s just not sustainable. You can keep it up for a bit, but eventually, the execution falls apart, and if you’re already feeling that enrichment guilt, you may even feel crummy because you aren’t superhuman. 

But, you don’t need to be super human if you focus on creating a sustainable enrichment plan! Sustainability is key to the long-term success of an enrichment plan. It is important for your pet’s welfare and your welfare, and it is doable! 

 

Sustainability requires multiple plans

A single, rigid plan will fracture and crack under the weight and variability of everything else that people need to handle in their day-to-day life. 

A single plan means that you are creating something that can’t shift and integrate into the very natural changes that occur day to day, week to week, year to year. 

So, this month’s training challenge is to start exploring flexibility in your enrichment plan. Let’s start with 1 goal or activity, and build from there! 

Sidebar: The following suggestions are working under the assumption that you already have a first go at your enrichment plan in place. If you are just getting started, then I suggest you start here, with our step-by-step guide for crafting the first draft of your animal’s enrichment plan! 

 

So, what might this look like? 

In my house, and for my clients, I work to create a tier system based on effort for the pet parent. 

Now, an important note: effort is relative. What I might label “low effort” for me, might be “high effort” for you, and that’s okay! There are so many things that impact how we grade effort. Avoid comparing yourself to others! 

 

First, list your goal

For example, in my house, for Griffey and Laika: relaxation and rest while I’m at work.

 

Second, list the options you have available to you that meet that goal. This is where your previous “trial and eval” comes into play!

Griffey and Laika: 

1. Scatter feeds 
2. Non-frozen lick mats
3. Frozen food toy 
4. Shreddables/Destructables
5. Play sessions with me 
6. Play sessions with each other 
7. Social time 
8. Teaching relaxation 
9. 40-minute walks in the morning 
10. Teaching a new skill or working on one of our training goals 

 

Third, consider the effectiveness of the activity in helping you to achieve your goal and the amount of effort that activity takes for you. 

I tend to use 4 categories:

High effectiveness, high effort – very effective, see large improvement toward your goal but also takes more involvement from me 

High effectiveness, low effort – very effective, see large improvement toward your goal but takes little involvement from me 

Low effectiveness, high effort – somewhat effective, see some improvement toward your goal may need additional activities, but also takes more involvement from me 

Low effectiveness, low effort – somewhat effective, see some improvement toward your goal may need additional activities, but takes little involvement from me 

 

High Effectiveness, High Effort  40-minute walks in the morning  Frozen food toys Teaching relaxation Shreddables/Destructables	High Effectiveness, Low Effort  Scatter feeding  Non-frozen lick mats Play sessions with each other  Play sessions with me
Low Effectiveness, High Effort Teaching a new skill or working on one of our training goals	Low Effectiveness, Low Effort Cuddle time

 

Fourth, amend your current enrichment plan to include options for varying levels of effort. 

You can even adjust some of your activities to be more clear. For example, I may have 3 tiers for different activities: 

Scatter feeding:

• High effort: snuffle mats 
• Medium effort: scattering food on the patio 
• Low effort: throwing food around the room from the couch or bed 

 

Teaching a new skill or working on one of our training goals (recall): 

• High effort: Practicing at the local park
• Medium effort: Practicing nose-to-hand target
• Low effort: Giving my dog a treat when they look at me

 

Fifth, start adjusting your daily routine for sustainability. 

Some days you’re going to have all the time, energy, and bandwidth. Some days, you won’t, and that’s okay! Here’s what two different days may look like in our house: 

“I can do anything!” day

1. Stuff and prepare frozen food toys 
2. Take each dog for an individual walk, scatter feeding breakfast, practice skills on a walk
3. Mid-day cuddle session 
4. Frozen food toys stuffed in boxes for dinner 
5. A rousing evening play session 

“I’m so tired” day 

1. Morning cuddle session 
2. Lick option for breakfast  
3. Spend time in the sun – practicing the flight cue 
4. Mid-day cuddle session 
5. Short tug game if needed  
6. Dinner scatter fed 

 

Start from a point of success 

I gave a lot of examples from my house, but remember, just like with your pet, you want to start from a place of success. If you aren’t ready to look at an overarching goal like “increased relaxation”, then start with making 1 of your staple activities more sustainable. Let’s build you an enrichment plan that works on your best days and your harder days. 

 

Now What?

1. If you haven’t started creating your pet’s enrichment plan already, then start here, with this step-by-step guide to help you go through the process!
2. If you’re ready to start tackling sustainability, then narrow your focus to one thing, either one activity or one goal, and go through the exercise listed above! 
3. If you’re a pet parent and find yourself overwhelmed by choice, then email us at [email protected]! Our consultants have helped hundreds of families create an enrichment plan that addresses each family’s goals, meets the human’s needs, and meets the pet’s needs.
4. If you are a fellow behavior professional that is looking to increase engagement and sustainability for your clients, then make sure to join the waitlist for our Enrichment Framework for Behavior Modification Master Class! We spend a lot of time discussing sustainability for your clients!

We work with families that are experiencing issues ranging from mild annoyances to struggles that are greatly impacting the quality of life for everyone in the home. And as a team, we utilize the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework to help us, our clients, and their pets to have a successful, sustainable behavior modification journey. 

When people hear that we utilize enrichment to address behavior challenges, they sometimes are a bit skeptical. Whether they are a pet parent looking for assistance, a pet professional looking to better help the families under their guidance, or someone who is both, it’s not uncommon for them to wonder… 

How do I incorporate enrichment into my behavior modification plan? 

If you’re working with, living with, or addressing behavior challenges, you may think you have your “behavior modification plan” and then your “enrichment plan”. 

But enrichment is all about meeting an animal’s needs, and that can look like a lot of different things. It isn’t an activity, it isn’t a toy or an object, it is the outcome of opportunities that our animal engages in. 

Sometimes you need to teach skills to help better meet an animal’s needs and sometimes you need to better meet an animal’s needs before they can effectively learn new skills. We can’t neatly separate the two, and as you make progress in one area, you will see changes and developments in others. With each sliver of progress, you’ll unlock new ways to adjust your plan.

Once you start measuring enrichment by the outcomes, not the activity, it opens up so many new opportunities for you and your learner. It adds depth, richness, and flexibility to your plan.

When the root, the very foundation of your plan is to change behavior through meeting your animal’s needs, then enrichment is your behavior modification plan, not supplemental.  

 

So, let’s look at some examples of why utilizing an enrichment framework is so important and celebrate some successes along the way!

 

Unmet needs can make teaching hard

If you are to look at what people often think of when they hear “behavior modification plans,” they are often focused on teaching a new skill or replacement behavior. The emphasis is on changing the behavior within the context that it occurs. 

And yes, when we work with clients, this may also be a goal that we have! However, when we don’t look at the full picture of what the animal needs, we may fail to address something that’s impeding learning, such as an underlying medical condition, chronic stress, the need for behavior medication support, or other unmet needs that make learning difficult. 

When we first start by making sure our animal is able to learn, that they receive any medical attention that is indicated, that they have the medication support to foster learning, that we’ve managed the environment and their stress, and/or identified any other roadblocks for them, then our teaching can really take hold. They can acquire new skills and learn to use them in new situations. We can teach them ways to better meet their own needs, and how to navigate the world more effectively. 

From the human side of things, it is not uncommon for families to come to us who have already been trying to teach their animal something for weeks, months, or years. To get no results, or very few results can be frustrating and demoralizing. Taking a step back and meeting needs to foster learning can catapult your progress in incredible ways.   

When we first started working together, Zena was barking at every little thing outside the house, through the windows, and in the backyard. Each little thing would send her into a tailspin that was difficult for her to recover from. The first step was to create an environment where Zena could learn, and as we discussed ways to decrease stress for the whole household, Zena’s person came up with the idea to use bubble wrap to cover the windows (without losing natural light!) and started utilizing sound masking to decrease auditory triggers. 

A week later we touched base, and those small adjustments led to improvements for everyone. Zena’s barking and reactivity decreased significantly, the rest of the house also had less stress, and Zena’s person saw that Zena was able to learn in ways she had never seen before. 

 

Meeting needs addresses the fuel, not just the flames

When we start by addressing unmet needs, then we are addressing the issue at the source. No fuel, no fire. 

And let’s talk about what happened next with Zena! Once Zena was in a place where she was able to learn effectively and efficiently, Zena’s person was then able to teach Zena what to do instead of running, screaming, spinning, and yelling at all the little triggers. Zena was using all her bluster and might to get the things to go away. A person passing outside? Bark and they go away. Dog barking outside? Bark and they go away. 

Zena needed space. She needed distance from the things and the only way she knew how to get it was to go on the offensive. So, we taught her how to get the distance in a way that didn’t disrupt the whole household, and frankly, was more effective! 

By seeing and acknowledging that Zena needed space from the things she found stressful, we were able to teach Zena, not only how to get distance on her own, but how to get distance and relief at the same time through the Flight Cue. Now that Zena is well practiced in walking away and finding relief, she’s able to do it unprompted, and with other stressors in her life. While we are working on teaching her that she doesn’t need to be stressed about those things, she’s made incredible progress just by having the agency to move away from uncomfortable things, and without that skill, we couldn’t teach her that the mailman isn’t a threat to her very existence as efficiently and effectively.  

Comment reads: “Today I had some big wins and need to share with a group that gets it.

1) I took Zena out on a 15 ft leash near my houe and she sniffed a lot, checked in with me and kept to her leash length. We heard something scary and I did our flight cue and we both ran the other way and she was happy!

2) I had a tree guy in the back yard. I forgot he was there and let Zena out. She barked at him, I did the flight cue and she came to me with a few barks over her shoulder. Both of these activities would have been a DISASTER before I started this training. I am overjoyed and feel so proud of Zena!”

 

Meeting needs promotes sustainability

One of my favorite examples of this is Barty Boy Neutron, a well-intentioned cyclone of a pup who was running his family ragged. They were doing ALL THE THINGS with Barty Boy, trying to meet all his needs, and still, even after HOURS of activities, Bart would parkour all over the house every evening. 

They tried all sorts of physical activity, foraging, and mental stimulation. They were dedicated to giving Barty everything he needed, but what they were doing wasn’t sustainable, safe, or realistic in the long run. So, we dove a little deeper into what Bart might need. He was getting adequate exercise. He was getting lots of mental stimulation, and foraging opportunities. He was partaking in lots of dog-typical things like sniffing, chewing, and licking. 

One of the things his people did observe is that he ran hot. He would seek out cool spots in the house. So, his family crafted him the perfect cool place to help him self-regulate his temperature. Once he had a nice cool place to relax and settle, we saw giant improvements in his nightly routine, and his family was able to execute a sustainable routine to keep him happy, healthy, and safe. 

Comment reads: “The reason I started a “settle” cue was bc about a year ago, Ellen suggested that he might not know how to calm and/or cool himself down after some play. Being 60% English Bulldog, #bulldozerbart is veryyyy sensitive to the heat. More than I ever would’ve expected as never owning a bulldog myself. He was outside for about an hour, medium activity level and the outside temp is 68* with 15mph winds, NOT what you’d consider warm but here we are. We stated giving Bart a cool place to lay and I worked with teaching him to settle on it with my gudiance for the last year. I had set the fan and mat up earlier figuring he’d want it at some point but I’d have to help.

I just found him laying here after playingoutside, mnowing he normally would come in and bounce around and not be ready to settle without help.

TLDR: Bart put himself in the “settle spot” tonight after playing outside when he’d normally need guidance to the spot. My boy is growing up!”

 

Meeting needs helps the entire family, not just one individual

When we’re sharing our space with other living creatures, our lives become acutely intertwined. When one being is struggling, it can impact the entire family unit. Using the Enrichment Framework takes into account all the beings involved, including the humans and the other pets. 

In some instances, families that come to use are working on inter-household conflict, and whether that is dog-dog, dog-cat, dog-human, [insert species here]-[insert other species here], it is stressful for the entire family. Everyone in the home is walking on eggshells, and feeling secure in the place you’re supposed to feel safe can be difficult. 

That was the case for Rylee’s family. Rylee, the dalamation pictured below, had started growling, snarling, and lunging at the other dogs and cats in the household. Family time was no longer something that felt comfortable and cup filling, instead, it was riddled with stress and grief. 

By taking an approach to meet Rylee’s needs to help him engage with species-typical behaviors in healthy, safe, and appropriate ways, his family was able to make incredible progress. Each step on their journey opened up new opportunities for them along the way. This involved working with their fantastic vets to meet his medical needs and that helped him to be in a place to learn. From there, we were able to teach him about his safety room, and with that progress, he was able to start communicating when things were just too much and he needed his safe space. 

By addressing Rylee’s needs, the rest of the family is able to feel safe and secure moving around their home. And I mean, come on, look at that smile!

 

Meeting needs helps you and your pet learn skills that will help for a lifetime

Our pets are living beings with needs that will change as they age and develop. What one dog needs at 6 months, won’t be the same at 6 years, and that’s just a part of life! 

When we take an approach to explore and meet our pet’s needs, we are taking an approach that will help us in the future. We are creating a more robust behavioral repertoire and a foundation that we can always return to if we hit a bump in the road. When we utilize an Enrichment Framework, we are building in checks and balances, we are taking a directed approach to behavior change that will help inform future decisions and adjustments.

And that brings us to Otis. Otis is a wonderful little pup that is learning that it is okay to be home alone. Otis’ person is working on teaching Otis skills to help him self-regulate, self-soothe, and to be safe and feel secure in their home. These are all things that directly translate to being able to be comfortable at home alone, but the exercises, activities, and skills that Team Otis is working on will do so much more than just that. They are building a strong relationship that can weather storms, Otis is learning predictable and safe patterns that will help him during life changes in the future, and they are building a system of communication that will help day in and day out.

Watching Otis breathe deeply while learning to spend time alone is a reminder that meeting an animal’s needs doesn’t always look like what you see on the internet. Sometimes, it takes information to know the true beauty and joy of what you’re seeing, and Team Otis is doing an incredible job. 

 

All of this and more is why we suggest meeting needs first.

The majority of the time, if you jump straight to the “problem”, you’re going to miss out on the low hanging fruit, you may be doing things that are going to be ineffective or inefficient, and you may dread the process. Working through an Enrichment Framework can help you take a directed approach where you know that you’re meeting your needs and your animal’s needs. 

Instead of thinking and treating enrichment as a supplement to your plan, center it in your plan, and your results might just surprise you.   

 

Now what:

• If you are looking to implement the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework with the pets in your life, then make sure you check out our free enrichment chart guide! We walk you through step-by-step how we start utilizing enrichment for lasting behavior change. 
• If you are a professional that is still unsure how to implement enrichment as the center of your behavior modification plan, then come join us for a free upcoming webinar! Join 3 Strategies to Uplevel Your Consulting Skills to Solve Behavior Challenges: Happier pets, enthusiastic clients, & a more rewarding career using the Pet Harmony Enrichment Framework here. 

 

Happy training, 

Ellen

Happy December, everyone!

It is time for our final training challenge of this year! 

This month, we challenge you to explore enrichment opportunities outside of the foraging category.

One of the questions we get asked often is, “What about non-food related enrichment?” And this month, we challenge you to dive in, look at some of the other categories of enrichment, and spend some time focusing on there. 

 (Disclosure: some of the links in this blog are affiliate links. We receive a small commission for purchases made through these links at no extra cost to you. This helps us continue to put out free content to help you and your pets live more harmoniously!)

 

First, what else is there? 

 

And the answer is, so much! 

While foraging is a way that many creatures on this planet spend their time (finding and acquiring food to sustain oneself is pretty important to staying alive!), it isn’t the only thing that creatures need to survive. There is so much more when we are looking to help our pet thrive.

In Canine Enrichment for the Real World Allie and Emily outlined 14 categories of enrichment, and while foraging is one of them, it is only 1 of 14! 

 

So, let’s take a gander at the other 13!

A few weeks back, Allie wrote a stellar blog article, Dog Enrichment Categories Explained where she dives into each of the categories, gives examples, and inspiration. If you’re looking for a more in-depth description of each of these categories, make sure you check that out. 

For reference, here are the 14 categories: 

• Health and Veterinary 
• Hygiene 
• Diet/Nutrition
• Physical Exercise 
• Sensory Stimulation
• Safety 
• Security 
• Species-Typical Behaviors
• *Foraging*
• Social Interaction 
• Mental Exercise 
• Independence 
• Environment 
• Calming 

And of course, we need to give a shout-out to agency as well! 

 

Whoa! There are so many options! But what does my dog need? 

Now that we’ve briefly listed the categories of enrichment, the next question people most often ask is, “What enrichment should I use with my dog?”

Which is a great question, but one that frankly, I can’t answer for you without asking you a litany of questions and some trial and eval. 

There are so many factors that go into creating each individual’s enrichment plan. I have two dogs in my family, that have lived in 4 houses, in 3 states. With each move, they have different needs. With development, age, environment, location, and health their needs have changed. 

Allie discusses a couple of practical ways to explore and find what your dog needs in this blog, so make sure that you check out that blog before continuing! She went into much more depth than I will go into here, and it also includes a link to our “Are Needs Being Met? Checklist” to help guide you throughout the process of identifying your dog’s needs! 

 

Once you have an idea of where you want to focus, then you start crafting a plan! 

Start with a goal, and then ask yourself, “How can I achieve this?” 

It may be something like: 

 

“How can I help my pet be more independent?”

“How can I help my pet better self-regulate and calm?”

“How can I help my pet get their extra energy out?”

 

And from there, you trial and eval. 

 

Of course, we’ll use Griffey as an example.

Griffey has a bad back and has developed pretty intense allergies over the past couple of years. If you have heard me tell the story of Griffey, you know that we’ve tackled many challenges throughout his time with our family. We’ve worked on big responses to other dogs, discomfort around strange humans, being comfortable home alone, building lilypads of safety in the world, and generally trusting that the world isn’t full of scary monsters. 

And while there are overarching things that living creatures need (see the 14 categories of enrichment), how we met those needs shifted and changed through each of those stages of our journey. 

At this point, foraging is the smallest subset of Griffey’s plan. It’s a pretty well-oiled machine that doesn’t take much time, energy, or bandwidth from us. But we still utilize food in a lot of areas because it’s easy and effective. We are constantly teaching him new things, and for that, we may opt to utilize food rather than something else. 

So, for now, our focus is on meeting his health and vet needs, both as they are now, and how we predict what they will be in the future. 

Let’s look at some of the ways we’ve adjusted our plans in order to better meet his needs outside of foraging:

*Disclaimer: As mentioned above, each family and pet’s enrichment plan is unique to them and their situation. The details of Griffey’s enrichment plan shared below have been determined and developed with the help of Team Griffey, which includes many professionals with specialties (both medical and behavioral). None of the details below are intended as directions for your situation or may even be relevant to your pet. Work with the appropriate professional when developing a plan for health or behavior challenges to make sure that your plan is effective, sustainable, and helping you.* 

 

Health and Vet 

We’ve established with some INCREDIBLE vets to make sure that his health and veterinary needs are taken care of. This includes scheduling time with our vet so that she can become his friend before we need to do the icky things to him. We also have worked with our vet to develop a medication protocol for those visits that are just going to stink and an allergy medication regimen that takes his current skillset and self into account.

*Adding Agency* – Working on Care with Consent with the wonderful and amazing Sara McLoudrey, so that Griffey can communicate when he’s ready for things, and when he needs a break. Sara has a great Instagram here!

 

Hygiene

With the direction of the veterinarian, we developed a bath regime to help with his discomfort. 

*Adding Agency* – We worked with Griffey to make sure he was driving the bus during bath time. We swung just a bit too far, and now, we can barely keep him out of the shower 😀 

 

Diet/Nutrition

We switched from a kibble-based diet to a canned food diet to manage the storage mites (one of Griffey’s most extreme allergy triggers). This means we also had to find different shelf-stable treats to station around the house in our treat jars since kibble was no longer an option.

*Adding Agency* – Griffey and Laika’s stomachs are good when we rotate through different flavors of the same food, so they get to pick which of the blends they get for their meals.

 

Physical Exercise

We do a lot of tug in the house. Grasses are another one of his big triggers, so during certain times of year, we spend more time inside than out. 

*Adding Agency* – He gets to tell me when he’s ready to continue playing, when he needs a break, and when he needs a quick game of tug RIGHT NOW. 

 

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A post shared by Pet Harmony – Enrichment & Behavior (@petharmonytraining)

 

Sensory Stimulation

We have window film up in the front room, and keep sound masking on throughout the day. After this most recent move, it took us about 2 weeks to get everything set up, and ooohweeee did it make a difference in his ability to settle. 

You can find many options for window film to meet your aesthetic. 

*Adding Agency* – We also provide quiet locations throughout the house so that he doesn’t HAVE to listen to the sound masking if he doesn’t want to. 

 

Safety

We moved into a location that has two homes in it, and the other tenant has a dog. With Griffey’s discomfort around other dogs, we put 3 layers of barriers in place and a communication system so that we can feel comfortable that the only time they will have visual access to each other, they will be supervised. We are laying down rugs/yoga mats/traction mats on all the slippery surfaces so we don’t need to worry about him slipping out.

 

Security

We have safe spaces peppered throughout the house, and gave Griffey a refresher on The Flight Cue when we moved this latest time. The window film and sound masking also apply here. 

*Adding Agency* – He has lots of safe spaces to choose from and ways to move away from his stressors. Both mom and dad are here to support him, so he gets to take his pick the majority of the time. 

 

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A post shared by Pet Harmony – Enrichment & Behavior (@petharmonytraining)

 

Species-Typical Behaviors

Sniff walks, destruction, digging, and bed building are all common activities in our house. 

*Adding Agency* – Through the “Do You Wanna…” game, I can let him pick what activity he wants to participate in.

 

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A post shared by Pet Harmony – Enrichment & Behavior (@petharmonytraining)

 

Foraging

We have options for various puzzle toys, sniff activities, scatter feeding, destructibles, and more. The most common ones in our house these days are licking opportunities, like lick mats, toppls, and kongs to help channel some of his licking and grooming time toward something other than himself. 

*Adding Agency* – He gets to pick the format that he gets his food in most days. 

 

Social Interaction

He gets the opportunity to have time with my partner, myself, and Laika throughout the day. My partner and I facilitate play sessions with the dogs, and we make sure we carve out time to just snuggle and be present with both dogs. 

*Adding Agency* – Again, this is where the “Do you wanna…” game comes in super handy! 

 

 

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A post shared by Pet Harmony – Enrichment & Behavior (@petharmonytraining)

 

Mental Exercise

Through puzzle toys, play with Laika, and our Care with Consent training, Griffey uses that noggin quite a bit! I also keep a small dish of treats available on the kitchen counter so that throughout the day, while I’m waiting for things to finish cooking or reheating, I can easily do a quick little training session with him. 

*Adding Agency* – Griffey gets to opt in or opt out of every single one of our training sessions. If he opts out, then he gets to choose what activity he does want through the “Do you wanna…” game. 

 

Independence

We worked hard on this one, and it’s a culmination of so many other things like security, calming, and more. 

*Adding Agency* – He gets to choose how close or how far he is from us. Sometimes, he needs a little extra love and support, and that’s okay. 

 

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A post shared by Pet Harmony – Enrichment & Behavior (@petharmonytraining)

 

Environment

This, like independence, is a culmination of lots of little changes in other categories. Under this, I also include our home cleaning routine to manage his allergies, which changed drastically over the last year. 

 

Calming

We work on this all the time, and we have many routines in place to work on calming and self-regulation for him. This also includes many things from other categories coming together to create that restful environment for him.  And, I’m proud to say, it was clear during this last move that he has the greatest skillset of anyone in the home at this 😀 Make sure to check out Episode 5 of Enrichment for the Real World for a deeper dive into the Calming category!

*Adding Agency* – He runs this show, we are just there to support him. 

 

And keep in mind, this is always evolving. His plan 3 years ago looked VERY different than it does today, and it looks very different than it will 3 years from now. 

 

Now What?

• Review the 14 categories of enrichment and determine where you’d like to spend your focus. There are 13 categories aside from foraging to choose from! 
• Although we’re talking about non-food enrichment ideas, that doesn’t mean that we can’t use food as a tool. There are many activities that I listed above that I initially trained Griffey to do using food. Determine if training with food will get you further faster in the category you chose and if so, go for it! Non-foraging enrichment doesn’t necessarily mean that food isn’t involved.
• It’s time for trial and eval. We only know if the activity or idea we chose is the right one after we implement it and observe the effects. Put your plan into action and observe how your pet responds. You can then tweak from there!

Happy training,

Ellen