Have kids or grandkids…and a family dog? Getting them involved in creating enrichment activities for your dog is a wonderful way for them to build positive associations with each other.
Your kids can have loads of fun in the process…and then watch your dog have fun with his enrichment activity! It is a win-win for everyone!
This spring I got together with Mikhayla Hughes Shaw of WCPO’s Cincy Lifestyle program to film the Billman granddaughters and Murphy, their labrador retriever (who helps me with my kids class on dog friendship). You can see the video clip by scrolling down this blog post.
With all of these enrichment ideas, keep these dog safety tips in mind.
While your children are preparing your dogs enrichment activities, it is a good idea to keep your dog out of the way. To do this:
If your dog knows how to lay down and stay down in this circumstance, have your dog practice staying until released.
If your dog does not know how to stay fluently, then it can be a good idea to have your dog on a leash and encourage your dog to lay down (reinforce your dog if needed with treats); have your dog behind a gate; or have your dog out of the area.
Teach your children how to station.
Teach your kids to go and sit in a chair or on a sofa out of the way when your dog is released to do the activity.
You can also have a mark on the floor (with painter’s tape or a mat), and ask your kids to go to that place when your dog is released to do the enrichment activity.
This allows your dog to engage in the enrichment without your kids getting into your dog’s space. This is even more important for dogs with a tendency to resource guard; however, it is also important in helping your dog to feel safe with valued activities or items.
Three dog enrichment activities your kids can create.
Hide food in a towel or blanket for your dog to find.
Your kids can put tasty food pieces in a towel and roll it up on the floor.
Your kids can also throw a blanket on the floor and hide food in the crevices of the
               blanket.
Additionally, if you have a toy bin, your kids can hide food in the toys for a foraging box.
Have a dog toy food stuffing party.
This is super fun! Put little bowls of healthy food choices (for a list, see this blog post) on the kitchen counter or table. Add a variety of toys that can be stuffed such as toilet paper rolls, Kong toys, other rubber toys for food stuffing. Then let your kids have fun creating their own food stuffed toy that you can keep in your freezer for your dog.
Make a food maze for your dog in your yard (or house).
Give your child a cup of treats and ask your child to walk a path – your child gets to choose direction – and drop treats along the way. If you have multiple kids, give each
child 10 to 20 treats. The first child can start. Then stand still and the second child will create another path from where the first child finished. Keep going until each of your kids gets a turn.
These are just a few ideas to get you started having your kids participate in creating dog enrichment activities. Have fun with it!
Do you have your own idea? I’d love to hear about it…even better, see a video!
See this WCPO television segment about getting your children involved with creating enrichment for your family dog.
