General Resources
Its All About That Body Language
If you are caring for a dog learning how to “speak dog” should be one of the first things you aim to learn. Our dogs are always communicating with us and have deep emotional lives that we can explore if we know how. Understanding your dog’s body language can assist in building a strong relationship and ensure you can provide them with the best possible care.
Additionally, learning how dogs communicate with each other is critical to ensuring we understand about safe play and interactions. Reading body language will help avoid accidents and misunderstandings, prevent dog bites and improve your quality of training.
Below are some of my favorite resources:
More Body Language Resources
Excellent book for all ages!
Deep dive into canine body language.
Additional Body Language Resources
Bravo Dog Free Body Language Course
Silent Conversations Website : Many free articles, images and detailed descriptions of various aspects of dog body language
Eileenanddogs Website & Blog Posts: Eileen Anderson is a fantastic author, blogger and asset to the dog training world. Her website is filled with resources on noise phobia, dog body language, R+ training, the fallout of using aversives in training and more.
Enrichment - a hot topic - a “buzzword” - but what is enrichment? Allie Bender and Emily Strong authors of Canine Enrichment for the Real World, Making it a Part of your Dog’s Daily Life define enrichment as…
“Meeting all of an animals needs as closely as possible to how they would be met in the wild, in order to empower them to engage in species-typical behaviors in healthy and appropriate ways”
The average pet guardian hears “enrichment” and likely thinks of pretty stuffed food toys or puzzles, and while those can be great options - there is so much more to enriching a dogs life and you shouldn’t be held back! Enrichment is often less about the “what” of the activity but more about the outcome. What is the end goal? To ease boredom? Help build confidence in a new space? Aid in relaxation before or after a stressful event? Assist in learning? Once we define the goal we can understand if our enrichment was beneficial to the animal and adjust accordingly.
See my Blog Posts: Enrichment. Is it really that easy? for more details on what defines enrichment and this post indoor enrichment ideas.
Enrichment for Dogs
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Chewing / Shredding / Destroying are natural and instinctual behaviors for dogs. Providing appropriate outlets is the best way to ensure your dog makes the best choices and doesn’t resort to your furniture.
Chews:
All dogs are different and have different wants and needs - always supervise when introducing new chews
Bully Sticks
Trachea
Backstrap
Raw Bones
Different textures and flavors interest different dogs at different times
Some dogs want to chew and destroy soft toys, rubber, squeakers etc. - as long as they aren’t being ingested, it should be ok!
Shredding / Ripping:
Toys, paper, cardboard, anything in the recycling!
Save your empty toilet paper rolls, paper towel rolls, packing paper, egg cartons and more! Create enrichment boxes with food, paper, cardboard and let your dog go nuts
See video here: https://youtu.be/_t8XUMKRpLk
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The opportunities are literally endless
Long sniffy walk: Dog on a long leash and non restrictive harness. Allow your dog to lead the walk (safely), stop as often as they want to smell, let their nose lead the way! Don’t rush. Enjoy the time.
Nose Work Games: Nosework is an activity that allows your dog to use their natural desire to hunt. It harnesses a dog's unique ability to detect scent and determine the source
See Video for beginner games:
https://youtu.be/nJB-cDwwXvEhttps://k9nosework.com - A wonderful activity for dogs of all ages, anxious dogs, dogs who are injured etc..
Treat Scatters: Scatter food / treats in your yard for your dog to sniff out - if your just starting use a small area to ensure success
Allow your dog examine new things in your home, packages, mail, new clothes, anything they seem interested in smelling!
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Many dogs need to dig. The more we lean against it and try to prevent it, the more likely our dogs will be to find a place to dig. Instead of fighting it, I recommend providing a safe digging outlet. This might be a digging box outside such as an old garden bed, or a kiddie pool filled with sand or dirt. Fill with your dogs favorite toys and maybe bury a few snacks to encourage them to dig and find.
They may still make errors and dig in the “wrong” place - if this happens, gently lead them to the digging spot and encourage them to dig there. You can even put it on cue!
A digging pit inside can be a kiddie pool with balls, a dog bed they enjoy burrowing into or something with holes you hide things inside of. Get creative! Just encourage and reinforce the natural behaviors when they occur under conditions you want to replicate.
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While it may seem like a leashed walk through the neighborhood tires your dog out, it typically does not (for the average dog). Especially if we are rushing our dogs away from interesting smells or they are experiencing stressful events like dogs barking behind fences or from across the street on leash. This may cause a type of tired we don’t want - stress, like after a hard day at work. Some other options are
o Take your dog for long walks or hikes or to run off leash (sniffspot.com)
o Go swimming (there are apps to rent pools these days!).
o Games like tug, flirt poles, chase.
o Dog sports such as Agility, Flyball, Dog diving and more.
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o Hide treats around the house for your dog to find.
o Give your dog a food puzzle to solve.
o Play scent work games.
o Teach your dog a new trick or join a positive reinforcement training class.
o Take your dog to a new place to explore.
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• West Paw Toppl- Great for puppies, can be made more challenging as they grow
• Outward Hound / Nina Ottosson Puzzles – Often require supervision
• Snuffle Mats – Hide kibble or treats in this “toy” that encourages your dog to use their nose to sniff them out! Tap into a dogs’ instinctual need to forage. Good for dogs of all sizes and ages.
• Licki Mat / Bowl – Licking is innate and relaxing for many dogs. The Licki products can provide great texture options for wet and frozen options!
• Kong Wobbler- Kong shaped toy and feeder that stands up until your dog tips it over with their paws or nose dispensing what’s inside. Can be challenging for puppies, but also helps to develop coordination. ** Good for super chewers**
• Tricky Treat Ball: Challenging interactive ball will entertain for hours!
• Planet Dog Orbee Snoop: Interactive toy that will keep dogs going and guessing! Not appropriate for aggressive chewers. Great for small dogs & puppies!
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Items to collect:
Paper Towel / Toilet Paper Rolls Milk Cartons
Packing Paper
Socks – T-Shirts – Towels
Cardboard Boxes
Egg Cartons
Plastic Bottles of various sixes Muffin Tins
• Paper Towel / TP Roll: Close one end by folding it over - toss a few pieces of food inside and fold the other end over so both sides are closed lightly. Give to your dog and encourage them to find a way to open to find the food!
**Trainer Tip – The goal is for the game to be satisfying not too challenging. If your dog gives up or gets frustrated, make the game easier! It’s ok if they finish in 2 minutes. Remember it’s about the outcome nit how long it took to complete.
Packing Paper: Roll food into “paper presents” allow dog to shred paper to find food surprise
• For extra foraging - place paper presents into cardboard box while your dog is out of the room and let them in to find it!
• Extra challenge - close box and watch them figure out the puzzle!
• Tip - increase challenge as your dog is successful - too much too soon can cause frustration and that’s no fun!
• Place kibble/treats into plastic bottles and encourage your dog to use their paws/nose to get out.
**Tip if this is difficult for your dog, cut a hole into the side of the bottle or use a bottle with a large opening like Gatorade.
• Take your dog into the yard and toss some food into the grass - homemade snuffle mat!