· By Minou Tpain
Author: Denise Partlow
Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas
Animals have the same core emotion systems in the brain, also known as the “Blue Ribbon Emotions” and they are listed as follows: fear, panic, rage and seeking.
Seeking is the emotion we want to evoke in our dogs. Seeking is the desire to search, explore and collect information about the world and make sense of it. When this particular emotion is activated, it makes it difficult for the other three to emerge in that moment.
One of the best ways to stimulate our dog’s seeking system is to have them work for their food.
In 1972 Dr. Markowitz, a pioneer in providing enrichment to captive animals, was asked to create a more enriching environment for captive monkeys at a zoo. The monkeys were required to pull a lever in order to receive their food but the trick was the food was only available when the light turned on. Once the lever was pulled, the food was delivered on the other end of cage where they then had to cross over steppingstones built across the top of the cage in order to get the food.
What they found was that for seven years, the monkeys preferred to work, pull this lever, to obtain their food versus eating the food down below that was given to them at their normal feeding time.
It’s no surprise to me that when given the option our dogs are happier to work for their food as well. Working for their food gives them the power to control when they get the food versus having to wait on the human to deliver their bowl when the human is ready. Even though as humans we can analyze and see that it’s virtually the same thing, our dogs cannot. When they are working for their food we are activating their seeking system which makes them feel good. Furthermore, dogs that work for their food never seem to lose interest in food and are always happy to work for it even when they’re are not hungry.
So instead of loading your dog with additional calories through the use of training treats, try scooping up their daily allowance of meals and finding ways to provide them with enriching activities to earn that food.
