Enrich Your Dog’s Life!
Adding enrichment activities can benefit dogs of all ages by meeting the foraging and seeking needs of your dog.
- by using up puppy and adolescent dog energy and reducing boredom and inappropriate behavior.
- a fun, bonding activity for adult dogs.
- helpful for dogs recuperating from illness or injury.
- giving purpose to older dogs or dogs with mobility limitations.
Kongs & Lick Mats at our facility.
Overnight boarding and daysits can be difficult for some dogs. Our Kongs and Lick Mats can help by reducing boredom, redirecting their energy and help reduce anxiety. The process of licking releases calming hormones and can help distract and give purpose to a dog during a stressful situation.
Our Kong’s and lick mats are available for all boarding and daycare guests. We offer a variety of homemade and nutritious fillings.
Treat your dog to an American Classic. Our special July flavor is Bacon Cheeseburger. It’s bound to get their tails wagging!
Ask for a Kong or Lick Mat when you schedule your next reservation!
Choosing between a Kong and a lick mat.
In general, enrichment toys provide several benefits. They curb boredom, provide mental stimulation & reduce anxiety. It’s important to find the right fit for your dog. If it’s too hard your dog may get frustrated and give up.
IMPORTANT: Some dogs don’t take to these toys immediately. It’s recommended that you start slow. Make it easy for your dog to get the goods and slowly increase the difficulty. Dogs with high drive or high food motivation may need little encouragement but a less confident dog may need more help. The personality of your dog can also help you decide whether a lick mat or Kong product is a better choice.
A Kong is a good choice for dog’s that are food motivated and are willing to work hard to get the goodies. It requires the dog to reach their tongue in the hole to coax the treat out.
A lick mat may be better for dogs that can get easily frustrated or don’t want to work very hard. The food is spread over a textured surface increasing the time and energy needed.
Both toys provide mental stimulation which can help to release stress or boredom. They can provide an appropriate outlet for our dog’s natural foraging behaviors.
Enrichment at home.
Enrichment activities are also great for dogs at home. They can be used during grooming and husbandry activities like bathing, nail trims or administering medications.
For fast eating dogs this can help slow them down.
Does your dog have the habit of watching out the window and barking or pawing you for attention while you’re trying to work? An enrichment toy can be just the thing your dog needs to occupy their time.
Looking for an enrichment toy that your dog can enjoy at home? We sell a variety of enrichment toys in our store! In addition to Kong products and Lick Mats we have food / treat dispensing toys.
Learn more…
As with any new toy it’s important to observe your dog to be sure that they are using the toy in the way it was designed. The Kong toys are durable, but a determined dog could destroy it and swallow the pieces. Lick mats due to their thin design could be more easily destroyed and ingested.