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Showing posts from October, 2023

Dog Enrichment: Toys, Games, and DIY Ideas

 Providing enrichment for your dog is one of the most important aspects of pet care and it's easy to incorporate into day-to-day life. Dogs are natural foragers, needing to put their brain to work in finding food. Providing them with enrichment means we're satisfying not only this instinct to forage, but also activating all of their amazing canine senses.  Just like you, your dog needs a variety of activities to spice up their life and keep them happy and healthy. Enrichment helps to prevent boredom and can help with dog behavior problems, such as anxiety. And by meeting your dog's enrichment needs, you'll reduce unwanted behaviors like destructive chewing or counter surfing. Enriching your dog's life is simpler than you might think, and it doesn’t require a large budget or huge time commitment. Table of Contents     DIY Dog Enrichment Toys     Best Enrichment Toy Picks     Enrichment Toy Safety Tips     Enrichment Games & Activities...

The Benefits of Dog Training

 Dog training has taken many new shapes in recent years and all the different tools and styles can feel overwhelming. The good news is, with the influx of resources and learning options, there’s a training style that is best for what your dog needs. Whether you have a new pup or an older dog, you can always teach a dog new tricks. Beyond impressing your guests at dinner parties, there are several benefits of training. 1. Creates Good Habits Training your dog helps them create good habits. For example, if you train your dog to sit when they hear a knock on the door, you’re showing them the behavior you expect when a guest arrives, they aren’t jumping on anyone with their muddy paws, and they’re slowly forming a habitual response to a knock on the door. Alternatively, if you aren’t showing them what they should be doing, they’ll follow their instincts and likely behave in a way that most humans don’t accept. Without guidance, they’ll continue to exhibit bad behaviors and turn those i...

How Enrichment and Training Benefit CMZoo Animals

 In humans, physical activity not only benefits physical health but mental health as well. At Cheyenne Mountain Zoo, the training and enrichment the animals can choose to participate in are also beneficial. Research has shown that kids who have moderate physical activity in their day show increased attention, comprehension and learning ability, as our sponsor, Children’s Hospital Colorado explains in this article. The same is true for animals, which is why CMZoo keepers and trainers make daily enrichment and training a priority for the animals in their care, all with positive reinforcement. “When we provide specific opportunities for animals to be physically active, we often see their overall activity level increase, even outside of the opportunities that we are providing,” said Rick Hester, Cheyenne Mountain Zoo animal behavior programs manager. Emmett, CMZoo grizzly bear, consistently did a stretch on his own during interactions with keepers, which bears in the wild sometimes do....