09/01/2025
๐๐ป๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐ ๐ผ๐ณ ๐๐ต๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ: ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐ช๐ฎ๐น๐ธ๐
What even is enrichment? Itโs anything that lets your dog mimic natural survival instincts: sniffing, shredding, digging, chasing, tracking, chewing, and more! A lot of people think enrichment just means โPut peanut butter in a KONG.โ And while I do love a good KONG, thereโs so much more we can do.
Think about the things your dog naturally wants to do, even the ones that drive you nuts. Ripping up shoes? Thatโs chewing and shredding. Dragging you down the sidewalk to sniff? Thatโs their brain craving info about their environment. Punishing those behaviors doesnโt remove the need.
Why Enrichment Matters:
- Mental exercise tires them out twice as much as physical exercise
- Builds confidence and value in learning (and you!)
- Makes training easier
- Creates a calmer dog at home
- Reduces problem behaviors because their needs are met
๐ง๐ต๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฒ๐ฒ๐ธ'๐ ๐ฒ๐ป๐ฟ๐ถ๐ฐ๐ต๐บ๐ฒ๐ป๐: ๐๐ผ๐ป๐ด ๐น๐ถ๐ป๐ฒ ๐๐ฎ๐น๐ธ๐!
Dogs werenโt bred to politely walk down the sidewalk once a day. They were bred to roam, work with us, and explore. Without that, weโre doing them a disservice. Take them out to the park, the lake, or a field and let them explore!
Hereโs what I recommend:
- Small dogs: 20-foot leash
- Larger or high-energy dogs: 50-foot leash
- The more room, the better!
And skip retractable leashesโthey just teach dogs to pull.
The best part? Youโll walk the same distance, but theyโll walk twice as much AND get a huge mental workout. Sniffing alone is exhausting in the best way.
Another bonus? Less pulling. Most dogs pull because they want to explore. A long line lets them, so the environment stops being โforbidden fruit.โ
๐๐ฒ๐๐ฒ๐น ๐ถ๐ ๐๐ฝ!
- Bring treats and reward check-ins
- Practice recalls with the extra space
Not only does this make the walk more enriching, but it makes your shorter leash walks way easier.
The picture below is Buko with his favorite 50-foot leash. Long line walks are one of my favorite tools for building a calmer, happier, more balanced dog. Dogs in daycare and boarding here at Plum Creek Canines get frequent long line walks too!
