What Dogs Like to Do = Enrichment
Dogs like to do some things that humans don’t particularly care for! Dogs, as a species, have performed these behaviors for generations. These activities are often driven by the tasks humans have carefully bred dogs to help with. Maybe there are ways we can allow dogs to express themselves through these naturally pleasing activities without giving up our human desires.
Digging
Dogs dig for many reasons. We have a place in the country where the soil is sandy. Digging is easy! Our cabin is on blocks. When I was a kid, our dogs spent hot afternoons under the house, sleeping in dog-shaped holes they had dug into the cool sand.
Some dogs are genetically predisposed to digging holes for themselves. Livestock Guardian Dogs such as Great Pyrenees come to mind. These giant dogs were born to sleep outside with their flocks. They’re really good at creating their own dirt-hole beds.
Digging for Naps
I once had a client whose Great Pyrenees loved to dig holes in the yard so she could nap in them. She did not care about how her parents’ grass lawn looked, so it looked like a mine field. We provided a sand box for her and buried toys and chewbones in it. Training helped her learn that the sandbox was a great space to dig her nap-holes in. She switched to the sandbox and found that it was much easier to dig in and very cool in the shade. In Houston, Texas, cool shade is a good thing!
Digging to Get to Something
At home, we have a lot of pecan trees. Pecans fall – yes, in the Fall LOL – and are buried in the soil either by squirrels or simply as they deteriorate over time in the grass. My dogs smell these decomposing and sprouting pecans and dig them up to chew on. The current dogs, Albert and Daisy, are less into this activity than previous Golden Retriever, Leo, was. Leo was nuts (tee-hee) for digging up rotting pecans!
Digging for old pecans is somewhat related to dogs searching for and trying to rescue trapped humans or cadavers. Highly trained canine first responders use their noses to find the target they were trained on and if their handlers would let them, they’d dig (or do anything) to reach it. Of course, search dogs and detection dogs are trained to give a specific alert rather than dig for their target because digging could be dangerous. You wouldn’t want a search dog to scratch up an already-injured, trapped victim. It’s the same for detection dogs. You wouldn’t want a detection dog to cause a bomb to explode or a gun to go off by digging at it!
However, Dachshunds, Basset Hounds, and many types of terriers were selectively bred to find and destroy prey like rats, mice, and even badgers. These tenacious dogs were selected for their focus and persistence in pursuing prey down into the ground where they sought refuge. They often have to dig to get to their target. Generations later, these types of dogs are well-known for their digging prowess.
Permissible Digging
Digging is apparently a lot of fun for some dogs. It’s exercise and it produces a nice hole, so that makes sense! You can provide digging opportunities for your dog by building a sandbox and teaching them that it’s their personal digging zone.
Using Snufflemats for enrichment can be helpful, as they provide a searching experience for your dog that can include a little bit of digging action. If your dog just likes to dig up pecans, perhaps you don’t mind him making a few small holes here and there. You can teach him to restrict his digging to certain areas, like not in your flower beds.
Tearing Up Things
Dogs tear up items in a variety of ways and for different reasons. Some dogs destroy the cute toys you buy for them. They rip plush toys apart, take out the squeakers, and pull out the stuffing. Sometimes, they spread the stuffing all over the room. There are dogs who are predisposed to dissecting things; i.e., ripping them open and pulling out the guts. This activity is likely a part of an innate predatory behavior sequence.
However, tearing up things can also be a stress response. Many dogs will decrease their shredding activities as their stress decreases. Over time, with stress reduction and relaxation training, you may find that your dog keeps toys intact, playing with them in a more peaceful way. But one day, when the stress level increases again, a favorite toy might get shredded to bits.
Stress-based Destruction
Remember that the physiological stress response can be produced by either scary, threatening events or by exciting, fun events that push dogs over a threshold. My Golden Retriever, Leo, was good at competition obedience and enjoyed going to shows – but only for 1 or 2 days. The third day of a show pushed him over the edge into over-stimulation. He showed stress responses like tummy upset, hyper-vigilance, and destroying stuffed toys.
We worked on relaxation skills but also simply limited our entries to single-day local shows, which we both enjoyed and he handled perfectly. The toy-destroying was a symptom of stress and he didn’t do it once we figured out what pushed him over the edge and how to provide balance for him. Toys are cheap and losing one was not the problem. Understanding how my dog could enjoy his life more fully was the important factor.
Separation Distress and Destruction
Often, one of the first symptoms of separation distress is destructive activities. Dogs who are anxious when left alone may tear up toys, accessible garbage, or even furniture. Destructive behavior, like so many dog behaviors, requires analysis to determine the function the behavior is providing for the dog. The Mannerly Dog offers a Separation Anxiety Training Package to help you sort out and change this dismaying set of behaviors.
What Dogs Like to Do Provides Comfort
Performing the actions of ripping and tearing, holding something down with the paws and using the teeth to pull it apart is a natural set of behaviors that exercises muscles and provides mental stimulation. It is known as “dissection” because it mimics what predators do to dead prey in preparation for eating it. Because it’s innate, it comforts dogs. It’s natural and connects with deep parts of their brains, stimulating chemical changes that combat the physiological stress response.
Separation Parties
That said, destructive behavior gets out of control when dogs learn just how comforting and fun it can be. Every dog who tears things up when left alone does not have separation distress – not based on anxiety, anyway. Some dogs have “separation fun syndrome.” They understand that when Mom and Dad leave, they can party! That may mean emptying garbage, unrolling toilet paper, and tearing up all kinds of fabric-based items, from dog toys to couches.
If your dog practices destructive activities when you’re gone, the first step is to determine exactly what is going on. The second step is to create a training plan that includes management to prevent the destruction, enrichment to build a way for your dog to have permissible fun, and training in relaxation skills along with “being alone” skills.
Permissible Shredding
Giving your dog something to shred can give him an outlet for fun. It won’t increase the amount of time he spends shredding things unless you don’t provide enough other activities for him. Tearing up stuff can simply be a fun enrichment activity that is a part of your dog’s life. Check out our videos on the topic! Creating enrichment devices that give your dog a chance to tear something up to find a chewable or edible item, or a favorite toy, is fun for you and your dog. Using them will teach your dog that there is a time and place for everything, help him learn to work puzzles to get things he likes, and even build his training muscles.
Learning by Shredding
Working puzzles is nothing more than trying out behaviors that either do or don’t produce good outcomes. These experiments result in learning for your dog. This is exactly what you’re trying to teach your dog when training for tricks, retrieving, or any behavior. You give your dog things he likes when he does behaviors that are close to the one you want in the end. That’s positive reinforcement and it builds behavior.
When your dog works through enrichment puzzles, he tries different approaches. When a particular approach gets him closer to his prize, he consolidates that information in his brain and repeats that behavior. The enrichment puzzle reinforces the behavior he chose, just the same as when you give him a treat after he does something you like.
What Dogs Like to Do = Enrichment
Your dog is showing you what behaviors he would like to do more often. Can you provide ways for him to do them? It takes a little creativity, but there are many helpful ideas around. In the end, it’s all about the search – looking for stuff, or the drive for “seeking.” Jaak Panksepp documented animals’ need for seeking and we can help them satisfy that need through permissible digging, shredding and more. Check out these resources for more information about the work of Jaak Panksepp; it just might make you smile:
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