Join us for a Week of Dog Enrichment Activities in the #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge!

Listen up, canine friends! My Lady and us are getting ready to do the #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge October 17-21! To be honest, I had no idea what it was until she explained it. But now, oh heck yea! The pack and I can’t wait and you are gonna want to do it too! She says it is five days of fun dog enrichment activities that we are gonna love! There will be fun games, puzzles, and training exercises. Plus, we get to listen to some fun music for dogs, watch some dog TV, get a massage and go on a car ride! Tell me again why we’re just now doing this challenge with dog enrichment activities? WOOF!

I got to run and tell all my local buddies about it, so I will let my Lady give you all the particulars.

I’m so excited, I can’t sit still WOOF!

Here’s my Lady to tell you how you can join in the #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge and a week of Dog Enrichment Activities!

When you decide to adopt a dog, it’s typically understood you are signing yourself up for training, exercise, and time spent dedicated to that new pup in your life.

What many dog owners (especially new ones) may not realize is that it doesn’t stop there; simply walking your dog a few times a week and basic training won’t lead to fulfilling lives for them.

There’s much more to it – they need enrichment, and you can provide that for them in a multitude of ways.

Dedicated to providing enrichment for dogs through thoughtful product design and education, PAW5™ is launching their #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge.

This one-of-a-kind program challenges pet parents to provide five days of ideal enrichment for their dogs to further engage their pup’s minds and bodies in healthy and rewarding activities that will keep them mentally sharp and physically fit. 

Now, you may have been hearing more and more about the concept of enrichment, but what is it and why is it so important?

What is Enrichment and Why is it Important?

Enrichment is a way to provide mental and physical stimulation for your dog by way of puzzles, training, games, and socialization – all built to tap into natural canine instincts and behaviors.

Mental stimulation helps keep your dog’s mind active and we all know they need physical stimulation too.

6 Categories of Enrichment

There are 6 defined categories pet parents can choose from with the goal of finding the ones that best suit your individual pup!

1. Sensory – This includes anything and everything that stimulates your dog’s senses – sight, hearing, smell, taste and touch.

This is where playing in the grass, rolling in the dirt and splashing in water come in.

You can also support this through TV programming, music and scent work.

2. Feeding – This is how you can make feeding time challenging, engaging and fun.

It’s about putting hunting and foraging skills to use, employing the power of their nose and their brains to get to the good stuff!

3. Toys+Puzzles – These products encourage your dog to engage and manipulate them to get the desired results…normally treats.

But it also includes plush, rubber, rope and fetch toys, and the regular rotation of these so that your pup continues to engage with them.

4. Environmental – Adding something new to your dog’s environment can pique curiosity and sometimes increase physical activity.

Build a ramp in the backyard, place a mirror in the living room, go play on a playground, or go for a hike in the woods.

5. Social – Interaction with other people and other dogs builds trust and self-confidence.

Whether you are going to the dog park, to the pet store, in the car, or to a friend’s house, engagement with new environments, new people, and new dogs will help keep your pup well-socialized.

6. Training – Training is an incredible time to bond with your dog, building trust, rapport, and some much-needed listening skills.

Whether you are training the basics or have moved on to trick training, the time spent doing this has great benefits for your dog and your relationship.

How can the busiest of pet parents implement Dog Enrichment Activities into their dog’s life?

The Enrichment Recipes for the PAW5 Enriched Life Challenge are broken down into five days.

Each of the five days is broken into five distinct times enrichment can be inserted into your daily schedule, along with recommended activities for each time slot.

The goal of each day is to include each category of enrichment, provide a variety of activities across each category and make it as easy as possible for you to be successful!

We want you and your dog to love this Challenge and see the benefits enrichment can bring to your lives!

By participating for the 5 days, and with 5 dog enrichment activities per day, your pup will have 25 enriching moments!

When does the challenge start and how to join in?

STARTING ON OCTOBER 17th, we will post a daily menu for you to follow. Don’t worry!

There is nothing complicated or hard with the activities!

And, the best part is that for the puzzles and games, it is things you can create at home!

We want you and your dog to have the most fun possible!

Prepare for the Kick-Off!

In order to be ready for the activities, you may want to gather a few supplies to use in the games and puzzles.

Supplies you’ll need from around the house:

• An old tupperware or food container with lid
• Peanut butter
• A large tupperware or food container, no lid
• Chicken broth
• Cardboard box
• Blanket and two chairs or a pop-up tunnel
• Muffin Tin
• Empty paper towel roll
• Pillow case or dish towel
• Rubber bands
• Paper grocery bag

Supplies you may need to purchase:

• Seven tennis balls
• Rock ’N Bowl or any other food puzzle (see our write up on the fun Rock ‘N Bowl! Pups love it!)
• Kong or any other treat toy
• PVC pipe with holes

For DogTV and Mood Music:

• Mood Music can be found on www.caninelullabies.com, throughadogsear.com, or on Spotify
• DogTV has a month free trial subscription or you can find it on YouTube

 We hope you will join us for this fun adventure of dog enrichment activities! Miss Molly and the pack are getting excited and can’t wait for the kick-off!

Let us know in the comments below if you are going to try and join us starting October 17th!

We will be posting each day’s activities October 17 – 21. 

Let others know about the challenge by sharing on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter using the hashtag #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge! They may want to join in too! Let’s have some fun y’all!

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