What is enrichment and why does it matter?
Snuffle Mats by Golden Perfection now available to our customers here!
Enrichment is all about meeting your dog’s natural mental, physical and emotional needs. In the wild, dogs’ ancestors spent hours every day sniffing, foraging, hunting, exploring and solving problems to thrive in their environment. Modern life, with its comfy sofas and regular meal times, has removed many of these challenges – but dogs still crave them.
When dogs lack mental stimulation and physical outlets, they often express their frustration through unwanted behaviours like chewing furniture, digging holes, barking excessively or simply becoming restless and anxious. Enrichment fills this gap, turning boredom into curiosity, frustration into focus and anxiety into calm.
How enrichment benefits your dog
1. Mental stimulation
A mentally stimulated dog is a happy dog. Studies show that engaging a dog’s brain can be just as tiring as a long walk! Activities like foraging for food, puzzle games and snuffle mats activate problem-solving skills, improve focus and reduce destructive behaviours caused by boredom.
Tip: Hide healthy treats or Phoenix Bark in a snuffle device. Watching your dog “hunt” for their food will not only keep them busy but also trigger their natural foraging instincts, releasing feel-good endorphins.
2. Physical fulfilment
Enrichment provides opportunities for controlled movement and exercise that suit your dog’s needs. Whether it’s slow sniffing sessions, gentle exploration or working on a new trick, physical enrichment ensures they use energy in a healthy, productive way.
Tip: A snuffle mat or interactive feeding toy encourages slower eating while gently exercising their senses - perfect for those cosy winter days indoors.
3. Stress relief and calm behaviour
Dogs are wired to “work” for their food and rewards. Engaging in enrichment activities mimics natural behaviours like sniffing, searching and chewing, which lowers cortisol levels (the stress hormone) and promotes calm behaviour.
Tip: Give your dog a quiet space to enjoy an enrichment activity while guests are visiting, or at busy times. This helps them to settle and prevents overstimulation.
4. Encouraging natural behaviours
Enrichment taps into your dog’s instincts – sniffing, digging, chewing and foraging – which helps them feel fulfilled.
Tip: Use scent-based enrichment, like hiding treats or herbs (like parsley or mint) in a snuffle mat to encourage sniffing. It’s a simple and effective way to bring joy to their day.
5. Strengthening your bond
Enrichment activities create opportunities for you and your dog to connect. Whether you’re watching them excitedly “work” at a puzzle toy, helping them search for treats or introducing new challenges, you’re building trust and shared experiences.
Golden Perfection have created a device that ticks all the boxes fulfilling your dog’s enrichment needs on the go or at home. All items are made using high quality non-toxic, non-pill polar fleece, meaning they can be washed time and time again without balling, This means that your dog can sniff away without worry about inhaling small fragments of material.
PLEASE NOTE: We recommend that your dog should be supervised when chewing any treat. Fresh drinking water should always be available.
Associations between physical activity and cognitive dysfunction in older companion dogs: results from the Dog Aging Project
You can get in touch if you would like to chat about anything related to your dog’s nutrition, contact kathy@phoenixbark.com 🙂