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"Scatter feeding is not enriching your dogs life."
There, I’ve said it…..
Using lots of snuffle mats, lick bowls, treat hiding toys, treat/ food dispensing toys, cardboard boxes with food inside to entertain your dog and scatter feeding them is teaching your dog to go self employed, scavenge and become frustrated. It’s also a huge missed opportunity for training your dog. Not to mention it’s putting your dogs lives at risk!
Let me explain.....
In dog training and ownership there are many reasons why we would employ the help of these tools above, well some of them. Like with most dog equipment, it has a place in training and dog care.
If your dog is going through a training programme and requires these tools above to help keep them on crate rest, reduced exercise cases and separation anxiety then great. If you need to use them for your own sanity then do it! Sometimes you just need a rest and it’s the only way you get one. Don’t feel guilty for it, just be aware of it. Use them but don’t replace the food bowl completely or replace hand feeding either.
Can you imagine if every meal you were served daily you had to scavenge about for, lick a plastic mat or flip a lid to gain access to your food.
How frustrated would you be?
No knives and forks but your peas and pasta has been scattered across the lawn to “find” and keep you busy…... mums maybe we are missing a trick with feeding our kids like this! Can you imagine the time we’d get to enjoy a brew while they hunted the garden for their tea!
I’m not saying don’t do it, it is only my own opinion, but there’s a time and a place for it. Small intervals, a couple of times a week, maybe when you just need 5 minutes peace or not at all!
We are missing a massive opportunity in hand feeding and training our dogs with their food bowls.
Dogs don’t need to be shredding cardboard boxes for “enrichment” I’m sure I wouldn’t be happy if they managed to “enrich their lives” by shredding my amazon parcel that came in a box in search for something yummy.
Ingesting food they’ve found on the floor because a lot of the time, that’s where their tea comes from.
How do they know the difference between something potentially dangerous or laced with poison and a piece of food?
I don’t want my dogs eating things they’ve found on the floor, I’d rather they pick it up and bring it to me for huge praise or “leave it” on default.
Regardless of my opinion it definitely gives food for thought....
What do you do to enrich your life?
At Dovemoor we play with new "toys" together or learn new tricks, go to new places or I massage my dogs. We do things together to enrich both our lives......