Enrichment gardens for dogs

Dogs love to explore and rely heavily on all five of their senses to do so. Enrichment gardens, also known as sensory gardens, are a fantastic way to engage your dog, encouraging exploration, play and relaxation. They are usually built to include an exciting variety of smells and surfaces for your dog to investigate, stimulating them both mentally and physically.

---

The benefits of an enrichment garden

What’s the point of creating this space for your dog? Enrichment gardens are a great way to enhance your dog’s life, helping to keep them happy and healthy, mentally and physically. Not only does it give your dog a safe space to relax, but enrichment gardens can also help reduce their stress levels and provides them with an area to fulfil natural doggy behaviours. Your dog should be allowed (and encouraged) to sniff, dig, explore, roll or just relax as they please.

Creating an enrichment garden

Enrichment gardens are typically designed to engage all your dog’s senses, and there are many things that you can do, easily and cheaply, to help create your own fun, sensory experience for your dog at home.

Here are some ideas to get you started:

Smells

Sniffing is a natural behaviour for dogs and is essential for their wellbeing. Did you know, just 20 minutes of sniffing is the equivalent of an hour’s walk in terms of enrichment for your dog!

If you’re feeling green-fingered, do some research on pet-friendly plants and get planting! There are plenty of flowers, shrubs and herbs that are not only beautiful to look at, but also smell delicious to your pup. These include roses, marigolds, catmint and many different herbs such as rosemary and thyme.

You could also leave a patch of grass to grow long, which would allow you to hide toys or treats for your dog to sniff out, engaging their powerful nose.

Textures

Incorporate texture to your outside space by laying down different surfaces around the garden. For example, woodchip, gravel or astroturf. A sand-pit is also a great addition for dogs who love to dig, and can help divert them away from creating holes in the lawn!

Your dog may also appreciate a shallow water tray or paddling pool to play in, especially when the weather’s warm outside.

Sounds

Windchimes or water fountains are an easy way to introduce relaxing sounds to your outside space. If you have outdoor speakers, why not play some relaxing music for your dog too? Dogs tend to prefer soft, classical music over songs with a faster beat. Try searching for ‘calming music for dogs’ and test some out to see what your pooch prefers.

Sights

Wind spinners or garden ornaments and decorations may capture your dog’s attention. If you can, creating different levels allows your dog to get up higher and survey their domain!

For dogs that aren’t likely to chase, placing a bird feeder or bath in your outside space may encourage birds and other wildlife to visit for your dog to watch.

Tastes

Depending on what you decide to plant, you may find your dog is partial to a little nibble. There are plenty of dog-safe herbs, fruits and veggies that actually have health benefits for dogs. Just be sure to do your research on what is safe and what is not! Sweet things like pansies or strawberries may tempt your pup and are perfectly safe for them to peck at.

You could also create a tasty treasure hunt to tantalise their tastebuds by hiding treats around the space for them to sniff out.

Small spaces

Whilst we’re sure everyone would love a large outdoor space to create the ultimate enrichment garden, most of us just don’t have that luxury. If space is tight, don’t worry, there’s still plenty you can do!

If you’ve only got a small outside space, patio or balcony area, you can still create fun and enriching experiences for your dog. Here are some of our top tips:

• Fill pots or planters with some lovely lavender or relaxing catmint for your dog to enjoy.
• Create an indoor space using a plastic tray, shell or a paddling pool and fill it with ball pit balls.
• Snuffle mats, puzzles or indoor enrichment games are great to keep your dog’s mind active.
• Have some fun with bubbles! You can buy dog-scented bubble mixture which your dog will love to chase and pop!
• Set up indoor treasure hunts to engage your dog’s nose.

Pet safe plants

We all know about house-hold foods and products that can be toxic to our pets, but did you know some plants can also be harmful to our four-legged friends? Here are some plants to consider including and some you must avoid:

While some hazardous plants may just cause a slightly upset tummy, others can be more serious, especially if eaten in large amounts. Make sure to know the signs of poisoning in dogs and if you’re at all concerned, reach out to your vet for further advice.

Petplan customers, don't forget you can speak to a vet 24/7 with our Pet Expert Chat service. Simply log into your MyPetplan account and go to the MySupport area.