Dog Enrichment Ideas For Shelters

In the United States, over six million dogs and cats enter animal shelters every year. This vast number is pushing many shelter organizations to breaking point, creating stressful work environments for shelter staff who often work tirelessly to increase adoption rates and find suitable homes for animals in the shelter.

There are several reasons why animal surrender rates remain high, but there are two in particular that we can work to improve. Firstly, dogs in shelter environments often display behavior linked to fear or anxiety (often linked to boredom or undersocialization) which reduces their chances of being adopted. Secondly, if those dogs are adopted, they may struggle to cope with the sudden environmental change, and their new family may decide to surrender their new pet back to the shelter. And the cycle continues.

With these factors in mind, if you are an overworked member of a shelter team, what can you do to help reduce fear and anxiety for dogs at your shelter? How can you increase the chances of successful outcomes when adopted dogs transition into their new home? A lot of positive outcomes can be attributed to simple enrichment activities. Enrichment simply provides a dog with a range of different activities to meet their mental stimulation and physical exercise requirements. Even in a hectic shelter environment, your team can implement some of the ideas in this article to increase adoption rates and reduce the probability after animals re-entering the shelter post-adoption.

1) Provide toys

Toys are perhaps the easiest enrichment idea of them all, but there are a few points to consider before offering them to dogs at a shelter. Firstly, dogs should be confined to their own private space when playing with a toy – this prevents potential conflict arising with other dogs (including resource guarding). Additionally, it is crucial that the toy is durable – not only is this cost-effective, but it reduces the chances of the dog choking on shredded parts of a toy. Chew toys are a good option, but even freezing a fillable bone with peanut butter and yogurt can keep a dog occupied for a long time. Make sure to regularly monitor a dog who is playing with a toy.

2) Go on socialization outings

One of the biggest issues for shelter dogs is undersocialization – the reality is that the majority spend their time confined to a kennel, unable to interact with the world around them. If it is possible to take dogs off-site, bring them out on lunch outings or take them for walks in a local park. Changing the context of their surroundings is a great way to offer mental stimulation, and will help them to transition to the outside world when they are eventually adopted.

3) Brain games

There are several inexpensive brain games available for dogs, all of which help to alleviate boredom and encourage them to think. These usually work by hiding small treats inside the game, and the dog then has to work to sniff out the treats and maneuver the game to be able to access them. These can be easily wiped down for sanitization and reused with other dogs in the shelter.

4) Petting, touch and interaction

Many shelter dogs are skittish, fearful, and may be uncomfortable being handled by humans, either because they are unfamiliar with it or they had a negative learned experience in their past. Shelter staff can help by gently petting and touching a dog, so that they gradually become more accustomed to being touched – this can be easily achieved by spending 15-20 seconds gently petting and praising a dog any time they are taken out of their kennel.

5) Interaction with other dogs

While this may seem straightforward, it isn’t as simple as just throwing several dogs out together in a playgroup and hoping for the best. You’ll want to make sure that, as much as possible, you match up dogs based on energy level, temperament, and even physical characteristics like size (a high-energy, large dog could injure a smaller, toy breed during playtime). Dogs may need to be systematically introduced to one another before it is appropriate for them to play together. Shelter staff should always monitor group playtime, and will benefit from an understanding of canine body language to spot potential issues early on.

6) Teach basic obedience

If there’s one idea that combines enrichment, increases adoption rates, and offers real-world life skills that a shelter dog can use post-adoption, it is teaching them basic obedience commands. These skills provide incredible enrichment, as learning these behaviors forces your dog to think, reducing the likelihood of destructive tendencies arising from boredom. But more than that, a controlled, well-behaved dog is always a more attractive prospect for adoptees than the polar opposite. If you can demonstrate that a dog already knows how to do the basics, families will be more likely to adopt them. And even more valuable is that, because those fundamentals will already be in place, it is less likely that the dog will have to return to the shelter because the family is unable to control them.

Our Shelter Education Program module offers a detailed, step-by-step instruction video on how to teach basic obedience commands to shelter dogs.

7) Sensory stimulation ideas

There are almost endless possibilities for enrichment ideas that stimulate your dog’s senses.

Smell – Certain odors can provide stress relief for dogs, or you could try dog-appeasing pheromones. Taking shelter dogs to novel places for walks is a great way to expose them to a whole new world of smells.
Touch – You can provide tactile stimulation by offering different surfaces for shelter dogs to interact with. Familiarizing dogs with grooming brushes or nail clippers can make veterinarian visits easier after they have been adopted.
Sight – Toys in different shades of blue and yellow are easier for dogs to see. You can also take them to new places with different scenery.
Sound – Classical music, ocean sounds, and even white noise could help to reduce anxiety.
Taste – Providing a variety of different treats keeps your dog from becoming bored of receiving the same flavor over and over again.

In conclusion

As shelter staff continue to face challenges due to the large number of animals surrendered each year, they must use every tool at their disposal to increase adoption rates and reduce the chances of dogs returning to the shelter after being adopted.

In addition to the enrichment ideas in this article, our team at Highland Canine has developed a series of educational videos for shelter staff. These videos provide practical tips that your shelter can implement easily and effectively. Check out our Shelter Education Program for more details.