Goobers

Goobers

Friday 24 July 2015

Friday Round-Up: Enrichment From Around The Web

Great week for enrichment!  I've got lots of good stuff to share with you.

"Hey, maybe less typing on that box thing and more enriching us?"
(Yes, they already had a walk and breakfast from food toys ;) 
Tips to Entertain Bored Dogs: A basic list but always good for reference.  The last option mentions the book Chaser: Unlocking the Genius of the Dog who Knows A Thousand Words, which is a fascinating book and great for a rainy day hanging out with your pups like today.

Venus Williams and The Best Ball Boys in the World:  My husband is a big tennis fan, so I had to include this one.  A cute video of some dogs using their natural instincts to assist in a tennis game.

Scent Rolling: Why Do Dogs Roll in Smelly Things?:  Learning about enrichment includes exploring the natural behaviour of dogs and why they enjoy the things they do.  Here's an interesting blog entry from Dr Sophia Yin's blog about one of the weirder dog behaviours: rolling in gross things.

Enrichment Ideas for Dogs:  From The Modern Dog Trainer, this is a really great, really thorough list of enrichment ideas and mental exercise for your dog. With this list on hand, you and your dog will never be bored!

The Right to Walk Away: Another important aspect of giving your dog an enriching life is understanding and respecting their choices and preferences (when it's safe and appropriate of course).  This article on using animals in psychological research discusses the idea of consent in experimentation: critical in human research but essentially non-existent in traditional animal research.

Top Ten Water Sports for Dogs: A listing of activities you and your dog might enjoy in the heat of summer, from the formal and competitive to the fun and casual.

Ditch the Dog Bowl: From one of my favorite sites, Your Pit Bull and You, a great first hand account of how you and your dog's life gets better when you replace feeding from the bowl with feeding from foraging toys.  This is something I encourage all my clients to do and I love to hear about the fun that the dogs have!

Enrichment Strategies for Cats: I hope to be able to include options for other species in this feature, so I was happy to come across this article on enrichment for felines.  We are often encouraged to keep our cats inside for safety, but few cats get the outings that dogs do, and they suffer from boredom as well.  So if you've got an indoor kitty, read up!


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