Page 20 - Chiron Winter 2020

Canine Enrichment
by Pte Tomlinson
Like humans, dogs too can also suffer from stress and anxiety. Mental health is a
much talked about and important subject amongst humans, but it also applies to working dogs. This
is called canine welfare. A study
by Rooney et al, 2016 found that military working dogs with high levels of anxiety didn’t perform as well on tasks set to them by their handlers. Studies also found that dogs with high levels of anxiety and stress, much like humans, were also prone to illness.
Canine enrichment is the act of providing low- level risk activities
in which the dog actively wants to participate both inside and outside of the kennel environment. The use of canine enrichment is to aid in reducing behavioural problems and stress in dogs who are lacking in appropriate stimulation. Stimulation includes both mental and physical. In his book Shay Kelly (2018) found there to be 5 elements to canine enrichment.
These elements never stand alone; there is always some degree of overlap for example food enrichment may also be acting
on the need to perform natural behaviours, such as chewing or sniffing.
Safe environment: both dog and handler need to have a safe
environment for the dog to get a more enriching experience. This is particularly important for Military Working Dogs (MWD) because
even though they are training for dangerous scenarios, the dog needs to feel confident. If the MWDs didn’t have a safe environment they would then become anxious, stressed and possibly scared to do the task set out before them, whether that’s chasing and biting an intruder or searching for ammunition and explosives. The more confident a MWD is in certain tasks the more the handler can
then start to make these tasks more complicated, but always making sure the dog is working in a safe environment.
‘The more confident a MWD is in certain tasks the more the handler can then start to make these tasks more complicated’
Food enrichment: food offers an infinite way to enrich dogs. But there is a common misconception that dogs only get enrichment from eating food. Dogs get both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation from food enrichment. Extrinsic motivation is the reward itself and intrinsic motivation is the feelings created
inside of the dog when they have completed the puzzle, a sense of accomplishment.
Examples of food enrichment activities and toys are slow feeders, putting treats inside of kongs or even something as simple as a ration box filled with toilet roll tubes with kibble hidden inside. Feeding puzzles encourage mental stimulation, decrease overeating and makes eating an interactive activity. All animals evolved to acquire their food through activity, whether hunting, scavenging or grazing. These activities provide exercise, mental stimulation and social interaction.
Non-food enrichment overlaps with all the other elements of enrichment other than food; this
is because dogs can’t swim and
get a reward at the same time for example! Non-food enrichment includes activities such as tug of war, agility and fly ball. Some of these activities are not for everyone, as humans lead busy lives and the novelty of a new toy can wear off quickly especially if there is no
food reward at the end. Making toys interesting to dogs can improve the dog’s enjoyment and stimulates them at the same time, this also helps form a closer bond with the handler. Overlapping non-food enrichment with a safe environment can include activities like swimming and paddling.
Natural behaviours are any activity that uses the senses; eyes, nose, ears and mouth. An example in a kennel area is the use of flower boxes outside of kennel areas, which uses sight, sound and smell. Sight of the flowers and insects; smell of the flowers and sound of insects flying around. The more dogs can perform
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