Let's Play Fetch Everyday to Tire Them Out

I once believed that the more enrichment activities a dog had, the better! The more breed-specific tasks we undertook, the more frustration we could relieve, and the more they'd sleep.

However, a conversation with one of my mentors, Dave Brice, turned my understanding on its head — a lesson I've since imparted to thousands. I was away on a course covering resource guarding, and on the last day, before returning home, we touched upon the significance of a dog's arousal level in relation to resource guarding. Additionally, we explored the importance of meeting the dog's needs to support their mental well-being… resource guarding is a vast subject.

A few minutes into one of David's enlightening tangents, which we all eagerly awaited, I brought up the topic of using fetch as a means to alleviate frustration for a terrier we were discussing. Dave's response was a game-changer for my perspective on enrichment. He mentioned, "Fetch can indeed help in relieving frustration and provides physical exercise. However, many overlook the fact that fetch is also extremely highly arousing. The more you do, the more trigger-stacked the dog becomes."

From that point, I expanded my training horizons, ensuring that I would always be well-versed in all things related to enrichment. It became clear that regardless of how much you physically or mentally exhaust a dog, over-arousing them through excessive play keeps them AWAKE! Although I learned so much about resource guarding during my time away, it was that singular conversation that left the most profound impact.

Sometimes, all it takes is one unexpected insight, perhaps from a video or an off-topic tangent of mine, and suddenly you identify an error in your approach. Parenting and helping a dog isn’t complicated when you have the right knowledge.

However, it’s just like learning to drive.

It’s easy to pass, but also easy to fail.

So, when shall we begin our learning journey?