Hot Weather Enrichment
Keeping Your Dog Happy Without a Walk!
When temperatures rise, many dog owners automatically worry about how they are going to exercise their dog. The good news is that physical exercise is only one part of keeping our dogs happy and fulfilled. Mental enrichment can be just as valuable and, during hot weather, it is often the safer option.
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Dogs are natural problem-solvers, hunters, scavengers, diggers, shredders and explorers. By providing opportunities to fulfil these natural behaviours, we can help them stay content while avoiding the risks that come with walking in excessive heat.
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Scatter Feeding
One of the easiest enrichment activities is scatter feeding. Instead of serving breakfast or dinner in a bowl, scatter tasty morsels, scrambled egg, turkey mince, sausage around the garden or house and encourage your dog to find them. Flicking yogurt around the garden is a firm favourite.
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Spread the food out rather than dropping it in one pile. This encourages your dog to use their nose to search for each piece individually. Yogurt encourages licking which is very calming.
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Using their sense of smell activates the seeking system in the brain and allows them to engage in natural hunting behaviours. They are solving a puzzle, searching for food and using skills they were designed to use. Great all round physical and mental exercise using slow twitch muscles. Really good for them.
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For many dogs, ten minutes of sniffing and searching can be more satisfying than a much longer walk.
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Snuffle Mats, Licky Mats and Food Toys
Food enrichment is a fantastic way to keep dogs occupied.
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These can be used with kibble, wet food, raw food, natural yoghurt or other dog-safe foods.
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To make them last even longer, freeze them but make sure you run them under a tap before presenting them. I remember getting my tongue stuck to a frozen school railing... yep... I was that smart!
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Ideas for frozen licky mats and Kongs include:
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Organic fruit and vegetable baby pouches
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Freezing adds an extra challenge and can provide a cooling activity on warm days.
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Destruction Boxes
Many dogs enjoy shredding and ripping things apart. Rather than trying to stop this behaviour completely, provide an appropriate outlet.
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Take an old delivery box and fill it with:
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Part of your dog's daily food allowance
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Your dog can dig, shred, search and investigate.
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You can even create several boxes around the house or garden for your dog to discover.
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For dogs that love tearing things apart, destruction boxes can be incredibly satisfying and provide an appropriate outlet for natural behaviours.
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Also you could roll treats and food up in old towels and then stack them in a box, or roll them up and encourage your dog to unroll them with their nose, teaching them a "push cue" at the same time!
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Digging Opportunities
Digging is another normal canine behaviour that many dogs never get a chance to express. It is a massive source of all over physical exercise plus they get to use their brain. Soil contains bacteria too so it can really help a dogs gut microbiome which is why sometimes they eat mud.
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Create a designated digging area using:
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Containers filled with sand
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Hide treats, toys or chews for your dog to uncover.
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Giving dogs a suitable place to dig can help fulfil a natural need while protecting your flower beds.
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Scent Work Games
Scent work is one of the best forms of mental enrichment available. Hide your dog's favourite toy or ball around the house or garden and encourage them to find it. So much better for them than repeatedly throwing a ball.
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The reward for finding the item could be:
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Searching is often more mentally tiring and satisfying than chasing. It's also brilliant for anxious dogs or reactive dogs. Check out our Scentwork workshops and look out for a workshop on the benefits of Scentwork coming soon with me and Ellen.
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Water-Based Enrichment
Many dogs enjoy cooling off with water activities. A shallow paddling pool can provide a safe and fun option. Go and buy a cement mixing tray from B&Q! You can make it more interesting by adding floating treats such as:
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Allow your dog to bob for the food in shallow water. Always supervise and ensure the water remains shallow enough for your dog to feel comfortable.
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Toy Rotation and Toy Swaps
Sometimes enrichment is as simple as making old things feel new again. Many of us have toy boxes full of forgotten treasures.
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Rotating toys every few weeks
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Putting some toys away and reintroducing them later
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Swapping toys with trusted friends or family members
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Novelty often increases engagement and excitement.
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Bring the Outdoors Home
If you decide to go for a walk without your dog, collect some safe items from the environment and bring them back for them to investigate.
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- The bedding of other pets and animals
Place them in boxes or containers and allow your dog to sniff and explore. The scents carried on these items provide valuable information about the world outside and can create a fascinating sensory experience.
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ACE Free Work and Exploration Areas
ACE Free Work involves creating an environment full of interesting objects for dogs to investigate at their own pace.
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Hide treats throughout the area and allow your dog to explore freely.
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You can create different heights, textures and movement. For example, placing bubble wrap over a cushion creates a slightly unstable surface that encourages careful movement and exploration.
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Activities like this can help build confidence, encourage problem-solving and support independent decision-making.
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Teach a New Trick
Hot weather is the perfect time to work on training skills indoors.
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Tricks using household items
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Learning new skills provides mental stimulation, strengthens your relationship and builds confidence.
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Relaxation Activities Matter Too
Not all enrichment needs to involve activity.
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Cooperative care exercises
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Quiet time with their favourite person
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These activities can help dogs relax and unwind while still providing valuable interaction. But make sure they are enjoying it. Look for subtle signs of discomfort: licking, yawning, side eye, flat ears, trying to get away, leaning away.
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A Walk Isn't the Only Way to
Meet Your Dog's Needs
When the weather is hot, it can be tempting to worry that your dog is missing out if they skip a walk. But in reality a dog walk is a human construct!
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By providing opportunities to sniff, search, shred, dig, explore, lick, learn and relax, we can meet many of our dogs' natural behavioural needs while keeping them safe and comfortable during warmer weather.
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Sometimes the most enriching days aren't the ones where we walk the furthest. They're the ones where our dogs get the chance to be dogs.
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All of these activities can be done anytime of the year not just because it’s hot and it can really enrich your dogs life!
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