Have You Been Taking Care of Your Dog’s Mind?
Here at Camp Paws, every day is a balanced day. We personalize your pup’s enrichment activities to ensure that both their mental and physical needs are met. Beyond that, their structured days allow for time to rest and reflect, both crucial part of your dog’s daily life!
All of our Camper programs emphasize a balance of the five types of enrichment– and your pup gets to explore them all!
Social
WHAT
Encouraging positive relationships between your pup and other pups and humans.
HOW WE IMPLEMENT
» Group/Solo Play
» Sniff-Venture
» Teaching Time
WHY
» Provides a constant source of mental stimulation.
» Minimizes fear, overstimulation, and aggressiveness when faced with new stimuli.
Occupational
WHAT
Challenging your pup physically and mentally with “jobs”.
HOW WE IMPLEMENT
» Food Puzzle
» Obedience Training
» Cabbage
WHY
» Alleviates boredom
» Allows your pup to “work” for their reward, mimicking nature
Physical
WHAT
Improving the quality and increasing the complexity of your pup’s space.
HOW WE IMPLEMENT
» Outdoor Access
» Raised Platforms/Beds
» Varying Textures
WHY
» Decreases reactivity to environment.
» Minimizes abnormal behavior such as excessive barking, digging, escaping, and destroying.
Sensory
WHAT
Stimulating your pup’s sense of sight, sound, or smell.
HOW WE IMPLEMENT
» Sniff-Venture
» Brown Noise
» Snuffle Mat
» Ball Pit
WHY
» Mitigates stressful stimuli from the new environment.
» Stimulates pup’s interest and minimizing distress.
Nutritional
WHAT
Encouraging natural feeding and foraging behaviors using food as a reward.
HOW WE IMPLEMENT
» Kong, Toppl, and Snoop
» Stuffed Frozen Vegetable
» Food Puzzles
WHY
» Minimizes abnormal behavior such as excessive barking, digging, escaping, and destroying.
» Promotes physical wellness by increasing physical activity
From Purdue University
And for the nerds…
A Deep Dive into Canine Science:
Why Enrichments?
Mimicking Nature
The stimuli provided through enrichment activities mirror what they would have encountered naturally.
Enhancing Instincts
Enrichment activities provide puppies with an outlet for their natural instincts that otherwise would not have been exercised.
Meeting Their Needs
A puppy’s needs go beyond physical stimulation. They also require mental stimulation and rest! The key is to personalize the balance for your puppy.
Encouraging Quiet Time
Yes, pups need to play in groups- it’s a party! But… not a non-stop 10 hour party. Puppies require time alone to rest, relax, and reflect. Individual enrichment provides them the perfect opportunity!
For Pups and for YOU
Abnormal behavior is just that- abnormal. With a properly enriched pup, behaviors like excessive chewing of body parts, excessive vocalization, digging, and pacing can be minimized. (Most of these are signs of chronic stress!)
Backed by Science
Purdue University – Implementing environmental enrichment for dogs
Taylor & Mills 2007 – The effect of the kennel environment on canine welfare
Enrichment Menu Description
Seedling
Kong* – KONG Classic stuffed with the choice of Peanut Butter or Plain Yogurt
Snuffle Mat – Classic snuffle mat sprinkled with treats and/or kibble
Stuffed Frozen Veg – Frozen Cucumber stuffed with Peanut Butter or Plain Yogurt
Puzzle* – Classic puzzle toy filled with treats and/or kibble
Lick Mat* – Rubber lick mat smeared with the choice of Peanut Butter or Plain Yogurt and treats and/or kibble.
Lil’ Snoop – Outward Hound Lil’ Snoop with treats and/or kibble inside
Sapling
Kong+* – KONG Classic stuffed with the choice of fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, and yogurt.
Snuffle Mat+ – Extra large snuffle mats sprinkled with treats and/or kibble
Ball Pit – Treats and/or kibble sprinkled in a kiddie pool filled with colorful plastic balls
Cabbage (For Destroyers) – A head of cabbage to be destroyed in a safe area
Toppl* – West Paw Toppl stuffed with Peanut Butter or Plain Yogurt
Lil’ Snoop+ – Outward Hound Lil’ Snoop with treats and/or kibble and fruit chunks for higher difficulty
Evergreen
Treat Bob* – “Boats” of treats floating on a kiddie pool of water
Sniff-Venture – A walk in a dog-safe area filled with different scents and stimulation
Barkcuterie Boards* – A platter of foods with different scents, tastes, textures, and consistency (Fruits, peanut butter, yogurt, dog biscuits, cheeses, freeze dried meat, eggs, etc!)
Toppl+* – West Paw Toppl stuffed with the choice of fruits, vegetables, peanut butter, and yogurt
*Make Frozen – Enrichment will last longer, giving dogs more mental exercise and helping calm them down more. Recommended for hot days! (+$2)