Enrichment Feeding For Dogs

So you’ve heard about dog enrichment feeding, but what is it all about? We humans enjoy our food and look forward to meal times. Yet for dogs, if we simply put their food in a bowl only to be eaten in 30 seconds, there is probably very little enjoyment for them. We know that, if free-ranging, dogs would spend their days scavenging, foraging and gathering food.  Survival in these conditions would require a great deal of physical exercise and problem solving ability. 

But domestic dogs don’t have much control of their day-to-day lives in a busy household and so by appealing to their love of scavenging and foraging we can make feeding time much more fun.

Some Benefits of Enrichment Feeding

• Slows down feeding time
• Creates a sense of achievement when food is found
• Encourages natural foraging behaviour
• Useful for dog training, for example crate training.  High value training treats such as our Dogs Delight Liver Training treats can be an excellent way of training with positive reinforcement.
• Burns more calories
• Prevents boredom and can help with separation anxiety and possible destructive behaviour.
• Stimulates and assists brain growth – great for all ages especially puppies and seniors.
• Strengthens their bond with you.

Ideas for Enrichment Feeding Activities

Chewing

A natural instinctive behaviour for dogs.  Chewing can act as a stress reliever and it may help prevent boredom when you need to do household tasks.  Antler dog chews, yak milk dog chews etc will keep a dog busy for a while!

Foraging

Scatter feeding – this is easier with dry food (kibble) and is a great way of making the meal last longer.  Scatter the food in as many areas as possible for the dog to find, indoors or outdoors (great indoors for a rainy day!).  You can also use wet food if you prefer by using a food dehydrator you can make little balls of food to scatter.

Snuffle mats – these can be homemade and are available online.  Dogs love to snuffle out food which gets buried into the large felt strips.  If you would like to make your own, you will need a rubber mat with holes and fleece blanket cut into strips. Thread through adjacent or diagonal holes and tie in a knot. Alternatively, crush up some pieces of paper towel and place on a tray, then mix in kibble for the dog to find.

Hiding foods – hide treats and make them twice as enjoyable! Make it easy at first by letting the dog see you do it to build confidence. You can then progress to more difficult hiding places where the dog is not in the room as you hide the food.  You could also hide foods/treats in a ball pit, box of toys, upturned flower pots, a muffin tin etc.

Interactive Dog Puzzle Toys

Such as Kong toys, treat balls, puzzle feeders can be challenging ways for the dog to work for their food. The dogs’ usual diet can be packed easily into these toys and if you feed wet food you can use muffin tins.  These keep the dog busy for a while – much longer than a food bowl!  You can make a tougher challenge by filling up the feeding toy and freezing.  Remember to place a straw through to make a hole and remove when you take out of the freezer and are ready to use.  This will avoid choking. 

Licking

This is extremely relaxing for a dog.  Wet food, low fat cream cheese or peanut butter (xylitol free) can be spread on a lick mat (available online) and can be a helpful calming aid if there are any situations which the dog finds a little stressful as well as providing a nutritious snack.

For Older Dogs

There is evidence that enrichment can help delay the progression of dementia.  Dogs with canine cognitive dysfunction can still have enrichment in their lives but try not to include anything that requires complex problem solving.  Indeed, food toys designed for puppies are perfect for older dogs too.  There are also specially designed Kongs for older dogs.

In Summary

Enrichment feeding should be challenging but not frustrating so start of easy and gradually increase the difficulty.  Help your dog be successful and build from there.

Try getting rid of the food bowl for one meal to start with – the goal is to increase the amount of time it takes them to eat their food and therefore encourage mental and physical activity.

There is no right or wrong way to use enrichment feeding. However it is recommended to use their daily food allowance. Our Dogs Delight training treats are extra small and can be used in puzzle feeders.

Have several types and prepare them ahead to make it easier to keep to the enrichment feeding plan.

If the dog doesn’t eat what you have made – go back a stage and make it a bit easier.

Overall, have fun! Our canine companions are super intelligent animals and providing a variety of ways of feeding can provide crucial mental stimulation for them and be a real boost to their daily lives.