6 easy ways to give your dog more choice

Rachel Williams Author

How much choice does your dog have? Have you ever thought about it?

As dog guardians we have control over what our dogs eat, when they eat, when to toilet, when and where they walk, who and what they play with and where they sleep.

The inability to make decisions removes a dog's capability to take control in fulfilling their needs. In time this can lead to stress, frustration and even aggressive behaviour. Giving our dogs choice not only helps to build their confidence and independence but is also a fun way to get to know your dog better.

Here are 6 easy ways we can give our dog's more choice in their daily routine:

1. Sleep

There is a huge variety of dog beds out here and there is no one size fits all. Some dogs prefer to be elevated as it makes them feel safe, others like more of a den environment, such as a crate. With any bed, make sure your dog can fully lie flat as this is when REM sleep is most likely to occur. Dogs who sleep curled up tend to stretch out as they relax.

I have a bed, mat, or crate in almost every room in my house. You might think that's a bit excessive but that lets Meg choose which bed to rest on and acts as a stationing area where Meg can go when guests come over. Guests can sit and eat their meal without worrying about Meg begging for food but still includes her in the social event.

2. Meal time

Does your dog prefer to snuffle or lick? Do they prefer food in their Kongs or in a puzzle toy? Letting our dogs choose which container to place their meals into is another easy way to give them choice. Although I am a fan of 'ditching the bowl' and giving our dogs a chance to use their natural scavenging behaviours to eat their meals I don't believe dogs should be made to work for every morsel of food. While food puzzles and games can be fun for our dogs and reduces the chances of boating, make sure not to make feeding time a time of frustration for your dog. Signs of frustration include: giving up on the puzzle after a few attempts or not even trying at all. If this is the case, make the puzzle or stuffed Kong easier, introduce new puzzles at a beginners level and make it more challenging over time.

3. Rewards

When it come to rewarding your dog, what is their favourite thing in the world (apart from you!)? Are they a foodie or do they prefer a good game of tug?

If your dog loves food, which food do they prefer? Smelly sprats, pieces of carrot, chicken or peanut butter? Knowing what your dog's preference is when it comes to food is really useful, especially when training. Offer your dog a tasting platter and see what they go for first - do they prefer to chew or lick? Try this a few times to really understand what your dog likes. When giving Meg a long lasting chew I give her a choice of two proteins, such as pork or deer, she gets to sniff them both and takes her preferred one for that particular day. The video below shows Meg trying out her platter.

When it comes to toys, does your dog prefer to tug, retrieve or dissect their toys? At play time give your dog a choice of textures to interact with; such as rubber, a soft plushie, crinkle, squeaky and rope.

4. Training

Being allowed to 'opt out' of training is another great way to give your dog choice. If they are not able to offer the desired behaviours, consider why that might be. Are they tired or bored? Have they got an injury or feel unwell? Do they not understand what is being asked of them? If your dog is ignoring you or acting stubborn check out my blog: Why is my dog being stubborn? for a more in-depth look into this topic.

5. Walking

This is my favourite way to give a dog choice. Walks are for our dogs after all, so let them decide where to go and what to sniff. Obviously we need to make sure our dog is safe, but by letting them stop as many times as they want to sniff their surroundings or giving them the option to take a right or left turn encourages them to explore their world. If your dog has not mastered their recall yet, put them on a longline, if they tend to eat discarded food, muzzle train them. This is an amazing way to build the confidence of an anxious dog as they can investigate at their own pace. Sniffing is also a calming activity for dogs and uses up a huge amount of brain power - you don't need to throw a ball 100's of times to tire your dog out!

6. Petting

Probably the most important one of all: petting. How many times have you approached a dog, bent over and stroked their head? I know I did many times before studying dog behaviour. Although this is very natural and understandable behaviour (who doesn't want to go say hi to a fluffer?) it can actually be quite intimidating to the dog if they don't know you. When I meet dogs for the first time I let them approach me and sniff me while I say 'good dog' and toss a treat away from me. This gives the dog a chance to move away and decide whether or not they want to approach me again.

A great way to check your dog is happy with being stroked is do the 3 second consent test. Place your hand gently on your dogs chest, shoulders or back and stroke with light pressure for 3 seconds.

If your dog:

• moves away - they don't want to be petted, leave them alone.
• stays still - if they are avoiding eye contact or have turned their head away from you, leave them alone. If they look at you or are not showing any stress signals pet again for 3 seconds and re-evaluate.
• moves closer to you, gives eye contact, paws you - they are enjoying the attention and would like more.

Categories: : dog training, enrichment, puppy training