LEGAL DOG THINGS

 

SNIFFING, TRACKING, SNUFFELING, MOOCHING, CHEWING, DIGGING, PLAYING

The legal way…

For the vast majority of animals, finding food takes up a huge amount of their time and energy. Our domesticated dogs often have this behavioural opportunity removed, resulting in a huge behaviour deficit. We then wonder why they develop behaviour problems. Many factors may contribute to behaviour problems, but a major player is simply a lack of appropriate stimulation. Here are a few easy examples of how to give your dog more access to legal ways of fulfilling their intrinsic needs:

  • WORK FOR FOOD: Working for food can be as simple as throwing the food in the grass to let the dog snuffle for it. A nice altered way of doing this is hiding the food outside in a few different spots and going hunting for it together with your dog.
    You can also help your dog work for their food through training. Either exercises that are useful for your future outings, such as Lead Walking or Touch or to work on Calmness through the Karen Overall Protocols or the Default Settle.
    Another awesome way of providing food is through food toys, such as these. This allows for legal CHEWING as well as do dog chews, such as Venison tendons!
    Toss your food bowl and become creative! :)

  • SNIFFING/MOOCHING: While humans are mostly visual creatures, dogs are all about smells. They have millions more olfactory sensors than humans do, and they even have an extra organ, the vomeronasal organ, on the roof of their mouth for the purpose of processing smells. Asking a dog to not sniff during a walk is pretty much the same as asking a person to walk around wearing a blindfold.
    If you really want to tire out your dog, you need to enrich both their body and mind at the same time. Sniffing a particular scent and then interpreting the accompanying information is the canine version of a mental work out. A walk where they’re allowed to sniff until they’re mentally content is the perfect opportunity to address both your dog’s physical and mental needs. Dogs are dependent on their owners, and along with regular meals and a place to call home, that arrangement comes with a good deal of confinement. Your four-legged family member has almost no control over their life, and that feeling of constantly being constrained can play its toll on their mental health. A daily walk is your chance to give your dog some slack and let them make decisions on their own. If they want to spend five whole minutes sniffing every inch of a fire hydrant, let them. It’s a small decision in the grand scheme of things, but the chance to choose will do a great deal of good for their mental health. If you spend every step of every walk forcing your dog to heel by your side and making every decision on which way you turn, you could be adding to their stress when you want to be relieving it.

  • TRACKING: The perfect outlet for dogs to use their nose and brains doing what they do best. 10 minutes of tracking replaces a 50-minute run through the park. A great way to give them the combination of mental and physical stimulation when you either don’t have the time for a walk or your dog needs to stay home for a bit to calm their nerves. Plus amazing for your bond with your dog and a cool game to play together!
    Start with teaching our dogs a find-it with treats and gradually work up to a toy. Be aware to always have your dogs succeed and only gradually make it harder. You will be amazed how far distances your dog will track soon!

  • DIGGING: If it’s stress related your dog is likely better off being kept inside. If your dog just enjoys digging, build him a sandbox!