Canine Partners

Puppies!

• 21 new puppies in the nest at the start of the year
• All 8-week-old puppies now placed in volunteer homes, following puppy home checks, onboarding and pre-placement visits plus all vaccinations complete too
• A huge well done to everyone involved

Expert tips from our trainers – food enrichment ideas

This is a type of enrichment that can be used to encourage your dog to use their natural foraging and feeding behaviours to earn their food. This is a great way to provide mental stimulation, reduce stress and can help to reduce unwanted behaviours, such as barking. The below enrichment methods are some examples of simple ideas you can use for your foster dog using everyday household items.

Egg Boxes

• Put some of your dog’s food in the egg box and either let them eat out of it with the lid open or, for more of a challenge, you could shut the egg box.

Flower Pots

• Use upended plastic flower pots in the house or garden and put some of your dog’s food underneath so that they have to remove the flower pot to discover what is underneath.

Scatter Feeding Poles

• Use poles such as bamboo canes, garden brooms or hula hoops and lay these in a random pattern on the ground. You can then scatter your dog’s food in and around the poles so that they have to search out their food. This exercise also helps with body awareness as your dog will have to think about stepping over the poles/hoops.

Tips for Enrichment Success

• Always supervise your dog whilst they use the enrichment
• Start by giving your dog the simplest version of the above ideas – for example having one end of a toilet roll tube open
• Only increase the difficulty once your dog has mastered the easier way
• You could sprinkle a few treats on top or around the enrichment to encourage your dog to investigate
• Work with your dog and verbally encourage and show them the objects/food and praise them for any successes
• Once your dog has finished with the enrichment, call them away and scatter some food on the floor and then go and clear away anything used – boxes, paper, bamboo canes etc
• Use some of your dog’s daily food allowance
• If your dog starts to eat or chew any of the enrichment (other than the food) then please call them away and scatter some treats and put the enrichment away and speak to your trainer/welfare officer
• Don’t try to grab the enrichment/chase them to take the enrichment as this will turn it into a game
• Give your dog their enrichment in a clear space/area so that they don’t think that a nearby child’s toy or jigsaw box is part of their enrichment
• Think about what materials/objects you are using – don’t use anything breakable such as glass, ensure wooden objects such as boxes don’t have splinters or nails, remove staples from newspapers
• If you have any questions or queries then please speak to your Canine Partners contact
• If you have any other ideas/suggestions then we’d love to hear them!