Big City Dog Life - Dog Tips for Survival

Living in a large urban environment is how many dogs experience the world, far away from grassy fields and off-lead opportunities.

Every dog, just like us, needs mental stimulation and safe new experiences to enhance their well-being. Activities that suit dogs from your dog's perspective.

Here are five things you can do today to give your dog freedom.

1. Urban Agility - think parkour: Utilise the existing urban landscape creatively. Practice navigating park benches, walking around them, jumping on and off if safe, and you have trained your dog. Weave through bollards or trees, or practise balance on low walls. You can also bring portable agility equipment like collapsible tunnels or weave poles to designated dog-friendly areas or even your apartment hallway if space allows and neighbours understand!

   
   

2. Sniff Walks: Instead of rushing past other dogs, arrange controlled, brief greetings with familiar dogs, visit dog parks or organise playdates. More importantly, dedicate "sniff walks" where the primary goal is to let your dog explore the environment through their nose, their primary sense. Allow them to sniff lamp posts, footpaths, and interesting patches of ground for as long as they choose. This provides significant mental stimulation and information gathering.

   
   

3. Field Trips to explore the next neighbourhood: Introduce your dog to different urban environments. This could be a pet-friendly cafe with outdoor seating and pet-friendly stores, or you could walk through a less crowded neighbourhoods. The novelty of new smells, sights, and sounds is inherently enriching. Keep these outings positive and check in with your dog's body language cues to ensure it is in its comfort zone, especially if it is sensitive to urban stimuli.

   
   

4. Puzzle Toys and Interactive Feeders: A daily opportunity for foraging indoors! Offer a variety of puzzle toys that dispense treats or kibble, requiring your dog to problem-solve, move them around your home so they are eating in a different spot each day and rotate these to keep things interesting. Slow-feeder bowls and scatter feeds can also make mealtimes more engaging and slow down fast eaters. Consider DIY puzzle toys using cardboard boxes and toilet paper rolls as well. Check my blog on enrichment feeding.

   
   

5. Scent Work in City Parks: Even small patches of green in the city can become a scent work playground. Bring high-value treats and hide them in the grass, under leaves, or around the base of trees. Encourage your dog to use their nose to find them. This taps into their natural instincts and provides mental stimulation. You can play these games at home too, starting with easy wins and building difficulty.

Which ever activity you choose, whether its an obstacle course or a Sniffari, just by adding them to your dog's routine shows you are interested in and care about your dog's well-being. Lucky dog!