Canine Enrichment Menus
Does your dog pick hobbies that you'd rather they not engage in? Do you find yourself telling them "no" or "stop that" or "hey wait that's my shoe" or "don't dig up the flowers"? Do you feel frustrated by their seemingly endless desire to choose crimes?
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A lot of the behaviours that annoy us are behaviours that we actually bred dogs to do - some for millenia, some for hundreds of years, and some as recently as their parents' generation. It's very hard to just stop a behaviour that is so deeply embedded in our dog's genetics.
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So, how do we encourage them to choose better hobbies?
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We give our dogs better outlets for their natural behaviours! Harness their genetics to your benefit by channeling what they were bred to do in a way that you find acceptable.
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Don't know how to do that?
We've got you covered :)
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Our Enrichment Menus provide you with a menu of activities that you can do with your dog to help "scratch the genetic itch" without sacrificing your furniture and your sanity.
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How to Use the Enrichment Menus
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Figure out what Breed Group your dog belongs to
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Download the Enrichment Menu for that Breed Group
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When you don't know what do with your dog, pick something from the Menu
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Cross off any options that your dog doesn't enjoy
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Add any options that your dog does enjoy
Remember - your dog is an individual and their individual preferences matter! These menus are designed to add activities to their life, not limit them.
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What Breed Group Does My Dog Belong To?
If you have a purebred dog, look for your dog's breed in the list below.
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If you have a mixed breed dog, look for their suspected or known breeds in the list below. If your dog has at least 30% of its DNA from breeds in that group, that's probably your best bet. Some dogs have traits from multiple breed groups so you may need to get creative with your specific mix.
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Breed groups taken from Kim Brophey's L.E.G.S. handouts - thanks for the great resource and framework for how to make our dog's lives better!
Guardian
Akbash, Anatolian Shepherd, Bernese Mountain Dog, Boerboel, Bullmastiff, Cane Corso, Dogue de Bordeaux, English Mastiff, Fila Brasileiro, Great Dane, Great Pyrenees, Greater Swiss Mountain Dog, Kangal, Leonberger, Komondor, Kuvasz, Maremma Sheepdog, Neapolitan Mastiff, Newfoundland, Spanish Mastiff, St Bernard, Tibetan Mastiff
Gun Dog
American Cocker Spaniel, American Water Spaniel, Barbet, Brittany Spaniel, Chesapeake Bay Retriever, English Cocker Spaniel, English Setter, English Springer Spaniel, Field Spaniel, Flat-Coated Retriever, German Shorthair Pointer, German Wirehaired Pointer, Golden Retriever, Gordon Setter, Irish Red and White Spaniel, Irish Setter, Irish Water Spaniel, Labrador Retriever, Lagotto Romagnolo, Munsterlander, Portuguese Water Dog, Spinone Italiano, Standard Poodle, Vizsla, Weimaraner, Welsh Springer Spaniel
Herding Dog
Australian Cattle Dog (Heeler), Australian Kelpie, Australian Shepherd, Bearded Collie Beauceron, Belgian Groenendael, Belgian Malinois, Belgian Sheepdog, Belgian Tervuren, Berger Picard, Border Collie, Briard, Cardigan Welsh Corgi, German Shepherd, Old English Sheepdog, Pembroke Welsh Corgi, Polish Lowland Sheepdog, Pumi, Pyrenean Sheepdog, Shetland Sheepdog, Smooth Collie, Standard Collie, Swedish Valhund​
Terrier
Airedale Terrier, Australian Terrier, Border Terrier, Cairn Terrier, Fox Terrier, Irish Terrier, Jack Russell Terrier, Kerry glue Terrier, Lakeland Terrier, Manchester Terrier, Miniature Schnauzer, Norfolk Terrier, Scottish Terrier, Sealyham Terrier, Skye Terrier, Welsh Terrier, West Highland Terrier, Wheaten Terrier, Yorkshire Terrier
Questions about how to use the Enrichment Menus with your dog?
Contact us and we'll be happy to help!