Most modern dog breeds were a result of a job that needed doing, and unfortunately most of those jobs are obsolete now. All that energy, that drive to work is still there – but the job’s gone! Who needs a sled pulled when we’ve got snow mobiles? Who needs to haul resources up a mountain when we have four-wheel-drive? I doubt you have a herd of cows attached to your two-bedroom apartment right now, but your cattle dog sure would love that.

Lets talk about the areas of enrichment in a dog’s world. Enrichment isn’t just the fun stuff, its everything your dog needs. We like to holistically approach your dog’s needs; what’s being provided, what isn’t being provided yet.

Here are the core areas of enrichment that we evaluate during our behavioral plan development and incorporate into our training plans:

1. Health

Routine Veterinary Care

Many of the reactive, aggressive, hyperactive, or destructive pets we see we request a veterinarian evaluation first and foremost as part of our onboarding process. At least half of these dogs come back after vet evaluation with some kind of unseen health issue that was impacting behavior.

High-Quality Food

This doesn’t mean we expect you to feed your dog raw or homecooked meals. This means your dog needs a complete mean with all vital nutrients, kibble, raw, or cooked.

Rest + Safety

I contemplated putting this one first, its so incredibly important. Rest is undervalued, under-managed, and under-noticed in almost every ‘problem dog’ we see. Anxious dogs, reactive dogs, aggressive dogs, hypervigilant dogs all have issues sleeping as a common denominator. It winds up being a vicious cycle. Your dog is stressed, they sleep less, the less the sleep, the more stressed they become, the less the sleep. If you come to us for a behavior modification plan, I’m going to hand you a chart to log your dog’s sleep schedule. Learning to rest is about regulating the nervous system and we can help with this.

Grooming

All dogs need grooming. The more frequent proper grooming strategies are used, the healthier your dog will be. Long nails contribute to arthritis, catch in fur, scratch your dog as much as they scratch you, curl over into paw pads, and can even break off painfully. Matting can cause bruising and other injuries. Shedding coat packed into the hair follicle can cause overheating. Unclean or undried coats can cause skin issues. Frequent careful grooming can also alert you to any issues your dog may have like ticks, new lumps and bumps and growths, skin infections, ear infections, dental issues, or lameness and tenderness.

2. Physical requirements

Exercise

The dreaded E-word. Realistically, how much is your dog getting? Most dogs we see require 2 miles of exercise a day with at least one of those miles being on-and-off hard running. And yess, that goes for our little guys too. (I see you, shih-tzu owners.) And no, for most dogs, having a big back yard they can run around in is not genuine exercise or a replacement for this.

During day trains, we utilize treadmills and targeted body awareness exercises to meet your dogs physical needs.

3. Mental stimulation + instinctual behaviors

I group these two together because they go hand in hand as far as activities go. There are lots of ways to provide mental stimulation for your dog. Generally we recommend two short training sessions a day. Depending on the dog 5-15 minutes could be plenty. We recommend structuring these around meal times and utilizing their food to make training motivating, fun, and a bonding experience. Everything yummy is coming from you! Here are some other ways to provide outlets:

• Training sessions (obedience, tricks, agility, confidence building, whatever you do that will challenge your dog will work)
• Shaping games (wow, these sure do tire a dog out. 10 minutes of shaping and my dog is exhausted)
• Foraging mats
• Digging
• Sniff walks
• Herding games + flirt poles
• Tug (recently we taught an 11 year old dog how to tug and it was truly a life changing outlet for frustration and fun)
• Sensory games
• Social play (with humans or other dogs, depending on your dog’s temperament this may or may not be a good outlet)

4. Agency

What on earth does this mean? That’s the thought that most clients have when I bring up agency with their dog. This is all about your dog’s opportunity to make choices. This is a core pillar of our training program, as well. We teach you when to allow your dog to effectively make choices so they can learn. This covers a few key factors in your dog’s enrichment plan.

Is your dog a willing and happy participant?

If your dog isn’t enjoying something that you’re doing, odds are it’s going to negatively impact your relationship with them. Obviously, we all have to do things we don’t want to do sometimes, but we want to make sure we’re making experiences as positive as we can.

Can your dog disengage if they would like to?

If your dog feels unsafe or unhappy, can they disengage? Take a break? Do you force them through the situation? Can they escape scary situations? Do you advocate for them making their own choices here?

Value

Rewards are only rewards if your dog sees them that way. We may look at our dog and think ‘Wow, this chunk of hot dog/walk/toy/etc. is such a high-value reward!’ but if you have a dog that isn’t super interested in food rewards or could give a crap less about playing, it’s not rewarding to that dog. Your dog chooses what has value to them, not you.

Enrichment programs at Anything’s Pawsible strive to work your dog’s body and brain and provide fulfillment that many dogs are not reaching nowadays. Let us tire your dog out so you don’t come home to the chewed up couch or the garbage strewn about the house. We work through a structured schedule of exercise – mental stimulation – food games – play – rest – repeat.

Important Information About Day Train Enrichment.

Spots in our training program are incredibly limited due to the rigorous enrichment schedule provided & specialized care and clients are limited to two enrichment days per week so we don’t overwhelm your pup.

Day train runs Tuesday-Friday. Drop-off is between 8:30 – 9:30 AM and pickup is between 4:30-5:30 PM.

Day train is $130/day to pop in as available. Packages are available if you would like to bundle with grooming, other training programs, or multiple days.

If you would like a package deal for day train, flexible add-ons, virtual training subscriptions, and grooming please click here.