30.11.2019

Dog Behaviour. How does this Dog Behavioural Consultant & Dog Trainer feed her dogs?

We feed with enrichment.
Splitting Lily and Trev’s daily feed portions up and alternating between all of the methods below for feeding – variety is the spice of life!

• Placing biscuits in a maze like dish to be pushed and licked out (ours is a Trixie feeder but other brands are available).

• Stuffing lamb mince into Trev and Lily’s Kong’s and freezing them (these also get trapped inside ice blocks in Summer with some veges.)

• The biscuits in a ‘wobble toy’, wobbled and rolled around the room.

• Scatter feeding outside on the lawn (especially good for when I am running late in the mornings but great for enrichment too, particularly for dogs that were bred to be more inclined for scent work.

• A biscuit portion could be in a feed ball (make sure you get a sturdy one here from experience and that biscuits flow easily around in it – so possibly a slightly bigger size ball than you think, once dogs learn about a feed ball they usually LOVE IT!)

• We are more likely to use on the weekend, when there is more time, a ‘pull-out’ Hol-ee Ball. These balls can be purchased in a variety of pet stores and online. Cut a medium sized old rag into strips (just smaller than the width of the holes) and roll up biscuits (or treats) into each rag strip. Your dog pulls and tears out the fabric from the holes to get to the biscuits!
Selina McIntyre, Dog Behavioural Consultant & Dog Trainer, Dogs Best Friend.