#160 Stop Being Your Dog's Entertainment Director

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Are you frustrated when your dog devours an expensive bully stick in just 20 minutes? You're not alone—but that frustration might be misplaced. In this eye-opening episode of 5-Minute Dog, we challenge the common misconception that dog enrichment activities should function as all-day babysitters.

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Episode Transcript

Speaker 1 (00:04):
Welcome to the 5-Minute Dog, the mini-podcast
that delivers practical trainingadvice in less than 5 minutes.
So let's talk about enrichmentand why we need to stop
panicking when our dog finishesa bully stick in 20 minutes.
I hear it quite often oh man,that dog treat didn't last too

(00:29):
long.
She was only busy for 15minutes and then she was back at
my feet again.
But here's the thing Enrichmentisn't supposed to be an all-day
babysitter.
It's not Netflix for dogs.
Enrichment activities like bullysticks, puzzle toys, frozen
kongs, snuffle mats those thingsaren't meant to occupy your dog

(00:53):
for hours.
Their job is to take the edgeoff, to give your dog a little
mental workout, shift their moodfrom bored and bouncing to
calmer and more settled.
So if your dog finishes a chewin 20 minutes, great, that's a
success.
Their brain got activated, theystayed out of trouble for a

(01:15):
little while and now they havethe opportunity to rest or
figure out what to do next, andthat's actually healthy.
What's not helpful is when wejump in immediately with okay,
now here's another one, andanother one, and let me keep you
endlessly entertained, becausewhat we're doing there, without

(01:36):
realizing it, is teaching ourdog.
Hey, the moment you're donewith something, come to me and
I'll fix it.
We're not giving them theopportunity to self-regulate or
relax.
They're learning to demand moreimmediately, and then we're

(01:59):
stuck in this cycle of becomingtheir cruise director 24-7.
So instead of trying to stringtogether six enrichment items in
a row, give them one, let themwork through it and then just
let them be.
If they settle down afterwards,perfect mission accomplished.
If they start pestering, youtry redirecting them calmly or

(02:24):
maybe even just ignoring them,but don't fall into the trap of
always offering a new toy orchew every time they ask.
Enrichment is a tool.
It shouldn't be a subscriptionservice.
So the next time your dogfinishes a chew in 20 minutes,
smile and say perfect, that'sexactly what I hoped for.
And then let them nap, let themfind a window to stare out of,

(02:48):
let them decide how to spend therest of their time, because
that is what builds calm,confidence and independence.