Keeping their brains busy!
Written by Zoe Russell, BSc (Hons), ANutr
Nutrition Officer, Naturediet
October is now upon us- that means the weather is getting colder, the days are getting shorter and the welly boots have emerged from the cupboard. Although some dogs are still happy to play out in the rain, for many dogs, they’d much rather spend the majority of their time cuddled up inside in the warm. For these dogs, although they may not be as active, it’s still important to keep their brains busy!
Enrichment
In posh terms, enrichment is a practice that enhances the care of an animal by providing environmental stimuli that encourages natural behaviours. In simplified terms, enrichment helps keep an animal’s brain busy and is important for their mental and physical health. There are many different types of enrichment such as sensory (think smells and tastes) and food-based enrichment, as well as environmental, cognitive and social forms of enrichment, which are more common in the zoo industry.
Food enrichment
To help keep your dog’s brain busy, there are many different ways we can make their mealtimes fun. If you’re a wet feeder, why not try spreading their favourite Naturediet wet food into a Likimat, puzzle feeder or Kong. These toys can help to slow your dog’s eating down and encourage them to use their nose, tongue and teeth to access their food. Our wet food can also be frozen inside toys such as Kongs and Likimats which can provide a more refreshing meal and slow their eating even more. These toys are readily available in many pet stores, so why not keep an eye out next time you’re in your local stockist.
Sensory enrichment
Dogs have fantastic noses and have more than 100 million sensory receptors in their nasal cavity compared to people who have 6 million. Overall, it is believed that dogs can smell around 1,000 to 10,000 times better than humans! Sniffing is also a natural behaviour in dogs and it’s important we encourage them to exhibit this innate behaviour. Therefore, why not try hiding their favourite Naturediet Training Treats around your kitchen or living room and encouraging your dog to use their nose to go find them. Treats could be scattered across the floor, hidden behind furniture or tucked under lightweight objects they can push over with their nose. This should help keep their minds busy and encourage them to ‘work’ for their food, rather than just being handed a treat!
Mindful management
Although providing treats can be a great way to reward and bond with your dog, it’s important to be mindful of how much we are feeding. In general, treats shouldn’t account for more than 10% of their daily calorie intake. By sticking to this rule, it should help to minimise the likelihood of unwanted weight gain and reduce the chances of unbalancing the diet.
Contact us
If you need more nutritional advice or information about our products, please email our nutrition team at nutrition@naturediet.co.uk and we would be happy to help.
