17/10/2026
Let's talk about 🌟ENRICHMENT🌟
(and why that word now makes me cringe 😬😖)
For the last 5 (or so) years, I've noticed dog owners have become made increasingly aware of the importance and benefits of "Enrichment" for their dogs. But somewhere along the way, the word "enrichment" seems to have become synonymous with food-dispensing toys, lick mats, stuffed Kongs, chews, and whatever new contraption is trending on TikTok. Back in the day, we used to call these "interactive toys", but now these toys/activies are called "enrichment" Which isn't incorrect by the way. But it's become a "thing".
Before I continue, let me emphasize that there is absolutely NOHTING wrong with food-dispensing toys, or food-related 'enrichment'. We just shared a post the other day about the Kong Wobbler--so clearly we aren't against these cool toys. (I mean there's the very rare occasion where slow feeders/food dispensing toys can supplement a dog's resource guarding, or create frustration rather than a constructive activity, but that's neither here nor there, and few and far between).
So let me cook here..
It's a good thing that dog owners have been made aware of what happens when a dog isn't provided adequate mental stimulation/mental enrichment:
They chew.
They dig.
They bark.
They get hyperactive.
They get anxious.
They become a nuisance.
No loving dog owner wants their dog to be bored, and they surely don't want to live with destructive/chaotic/stressful behavior from their dog either.
So, "Enrichment" enters the chat to save the day, right? Well, yeah, but it hasn't been landing the way it should.
What's my problem with the word "Enrichment"? My problem is what it has come to mean to the general public.
🥩Firstly, the food-based association:
Again, a lot of people hear "Enrichment", they think of some type of food-dispensing toy, or food-related item for the dog. (And if that's not you, then this doesn't apply to you.) It's also common for dog owners (and quite a few trainers these days) to insist they give dogs all these toys/chews to channel and manage their dog's hyperactive/destructive behaviors.
Enrichment goes WAY above food. Enrichment is about providing meaningful experiences that allow dogs to engage in natural behaviors, explore their environment, make choices, and experience fulfillment. Things like:
⛰️ Exploration
🌸 Sniffing
🌊 Swimming
🔎 Finding things
🥎 Retrieving
Digging/Chasing (yes this CAN be appropriately channeled, believe it or not)
Secondly, the other issue is the CONSTANT need for these enrichment toys/activities for the dog "so they don't get bored."
I see an interesting parallel here with dogs and children (and I say this as a parent and as someone who also works with children as a martial arts instructor):
Today's dogs and kids don't know the art of doing nothing. They struggle with simply just sitting still for a few minutes, or relaxing without something preoccupying their attention.
For dogs, if I were to introduce self-soothing exercises that consist of no commands/treats/activities, its the same result as when I have my students in karate focus without fidgeting/talking/moving around.
We have become so concerned about preventing boredom that we sometimes forget to teach the ability to tolerate it. We constantly give our dogs things to do, just like kids these days constantly have stimulation (i.e. the tablet/screens, the fidget spinners, the over stimulating cartoons etc.) When we take away all the "things", both dogs and kids crawl out of their skin. They don't know what to do with themselves.
Then most people feel bad and feel compelled to address/console/pacify the discomfort, which leads to the loop of never-ending 'enrichment'.
There's a difference between a dog who is genuinely relaxed and content...and a dog who is simply exhausted from being kept busy.
My suggestion?
Give your dog opportunities to DO things they were biologically designed to enjoy. Let them sniff. Explore. Search. Play. Dig. Discover. Use those awesome interactive toys, too!
But ALSO teach them that it's perfectly okay to just...BE. No commands. No constant entertainment. No need to always be doing something until they learn how to rest their body and their mind....OF WHICH is a mentally enriching activity in itself!
Who would've thought teaching the dog to do nothing IS mental stimulation 🤯
A dog doesn't need to be entertained every waking moment.
Don't know where to start? Well, I know a trainer that can help with this--both in person AND virtually 😉 (And its EXTREMELY easy to do...literally ANYONE can teach this concept)
But in all seriousness, let's change the perception of the word "enrichment" and give our dogs activities and experiences they were biologically designed to thrive on, and let's start to change the general opinion on having a dog learn that doing nothing is actually okay.
