Let’s face it: we all get bored doing the same thing every day – and that includes our dogs! Whether it’s the same dog walk or the same old toy, your dog can get entangled in the walk. It’s easy and inexpensive to add variety and challenge to their daily lives. World Animal Enrichment Day shines a light on the many opportunities dog lovers – as well as everyone from shelter custodians to zookeepers – must improve the lives of animals by by stimulating mental and physical preferences that allow them to express their natural behaviors.
When is World Animal Enrichment Day?
World Animal Enrichment Day is celebrated every year on 12 November. Pet Holidays was founded in 2020 by UK-based Animal Behaviorist Sarah-Jane White.
Be sure to share photos of your dog enjoying the richness of his everyday life, whether it’s enjoying a puzzle feeder and experiencing a fun dog walk. The hashtag for this pet awareness day is #worldanimalenrichmentday.
What is animal enrichment?
According to Sarah-Jane White, owner of Ruffle Snuffle® and founder of World Animal Enrichment Day, “Animal enrichment is the process of providing animals with mental and physical stimulation to enhance their health and quality of life by ways that allow them to exhibit their natural behaviors.
“Enrichment is defined by the American Psychological Association as activities that ‘enhance happiness by providing enjoyable and meaningful experiences of intrinsic value’.”
The use of the term “animal enrichment” was first noted in 1981 at the Annual Meeting of the Association of Laboratory Breeders.
What is the purpose of animal enrichment?
Enrichment helps animals feel more at home by performing their natural behaviors, whether it’s hunting, climbing or stretching.
White note, “Wealth keeps all animals happy and healthy whether they are pets or imprisoned in the zoo and rescue centers. Enrichment helps reduce the risk of health problems that often occur in captive animals. It also makes the animals more relaxed and less stressed, making them easier to care for and handle.”
What forms of animal enrichment are there?
Animal enrichment can take many forms, depending on the type of animal.
While chimpanzee enrichment can be ropes and swings to enjoy or a mirror for tigers to see themselves in, enriching your dog is completely different.
For your dog, getting rich can take the form of:
- New toys or objects to discover
- A trip to a new dog trail or park, allowing your dog to discover all the new scents
- Get rich to challenge your dog to “work” for food, fishing tackle or food from a puzzle feeder or interactive toys
- A trip to a dog friendly shop or have lunch at a dog friendly restaurant so your dog can see new people and new places
- Teach your dog a new trick
White explains that animal enrichment appeals to all the senses and needs of a pet or animal:
- Physics: Exercise, game, sport
- Society: New faces and new places
- Awareness: Puzzles, Brain Games
- Environment: House, cage, aviary, cupboard (for your dog this could include a new bed or a basket with their toys to challenge them to find a particular toy)
- Sense: Taste, smell, hearing, touch, sight
Enrichment can include providing natural things like leaves and branches, building natural shelters, adding hiding places and logs, and playing recordings of nature sounds (e.g. birdsong ).
Ruffle Snuffle
How to enrich your walking dog
I like to add variety to our dog walks, an easy way to add variety to your dog’s life (and add some fun!)
Even if we’re walking our usual dog trail, here are some fun extras to add to your walk for variety and challenge:
- Walk in the opposite direction. Do you usually go first on the right? Turn left! It’s amazing how different going in the opposite direction of the same old walk will be.
- Look for some nimble elements you can add to the route. Along our path, there is a (very) inclined tree that Barli loves to walk up to, a challenge and a workout at the same time. Another point along the route has a tall rock; we use it to practice “perch”. Is there something similar on your dog’s walking path? Or perhaps a low obstacle that you can teach your dog to jump over?
- Stop in for a quick trick. Challenge your dog to do a trick at some point during your walk – even just a simple sitting position. Your dog will be glad you’re having fun (and he’ll be really happy if you reward him with a small treat!)
How to participate in World Animal Enrichment Day
White offers some ideas on how you can participate in World Animal Enrichment Day:
- Share your ideas: We want people to be creative and share their favorite enrichment ideas for their animals like toys, games, DIY, environment.
- Post a photo or video on social media: Share a photo or ‘how to’ on social media and use the hashtag #worldanimalenrichmentday.
- Provide enrichment for others: Why not take some get rich game to rescue your local animals center, or volunteer at your local zoo?
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