Canine enrichment is all about giving your rescue dog activities and experiences that keep them happy and healthy. Canine enrichment is important for lots of different reasons and not just for rescue dogs from Spain. If a dog is bored it can start chewing furniture or barking, enrichment helps them use up all that energy in positive ways.

Dogs have a lot of natural instincts-sniffing, chewing, exploring, playing – and enrichment lets them do these things in fun and safe ways.

In this first part of our Canine Enrichment series, we are going to be talking about chewing.

Chewing is an excellent enrichment activity for dogs for several reasons:

1. Satisfies Natural Instincts: Chewing is a deeply ingrained instinct in dogs, dating back to their wild ancestors. It helps them explore their environment, develop their jaw muscles, and clean their teeth. Providing appropriate chew toys allows them to fulfil this natural need in a positive and controlled way.

2. Mental Stimulation and Boredom Prevention: Chewing keeps your dog mentally engaged and prevents boredom. By focusing on the act of chewing and manipulating the chew toy, they're using their brain and staying mentally stimulated. This can significantly reduce boredom, which often leads to destructive behaviours like chewing furniture or shoes.

3. Stress and Anxiety Relief: Chewing can be a calming and relaxing activity for dogs. For dogs that tend to hold tension in their head or neck muscles, chewing can provide a way to release that tension. The repetitive motion of gnawing can act as a self-soothing mechanism, helping to reduce stress and anxiety. This can be particularly beneficial for rescue dogs who may be adjusting to a new environment or dealing with past trauma.

4. Dental Health Benefits: Chewing on the right materials, like raw bones or tough rubber toys, can help scrape away plaque and tartar buildup on your dog's teeth. This can contribute to overall dental health and potentially reduce the need for professional dental cleanings.

The Rawhide Debate

Rawhide is a very common ingredient in dog treats and chews, if you check the back of dog treat packets you will see it in the supermarkets and pet shops. If these shops we trust sell dog treats with rawhide in them, is must be ok, right?

The risks of obstruction and choking with rawhide are real concerns, with online articles quoting vets who do not recommend rawhide chews for dogs.

Rawhide can soften and stretch when water is added and it is generally considered not easily digestible for dogs. Pieces of rawhide can pass through the dog’s digestive system undigested which can cause blockages in the intestines.

We mention rawhide as it is a very common ingredient in dog chews and there can be risks associated with it.

Any chews can potentially pose a risk, it is important dogs are supervised when chewing and the right size of chew is used for your dog. Chews should not be so small that they can be easily swallowed whole.

Natural Dog Chews

If you haven’t explored the world of natural dog chews in the past, you may be taken aback when you start looking into it. We are talking chicken feet, lungs, snouts, ears and bully sticks.

Bully sticks or beef pizzles as they can be known, are made from bull or steer penis-yes, we said it, it’s a thing. Once you get past any ick you might have and you start giving your dog natural dog treats you will discover that your dogs likely LOVE them.

• Chicken feet and Pig Trotters are a natural source of glucosamine and chondroitin, key in promoting healthy joints.

• Dried Sprats are rich in Omega 3, promoting healthy skin, coat and joints.

• Puffed Jerky Beef Lunch retains its nutrients while its soft texture and low-fat status make it a good choice for puppies and elderly dogs.

• Furry Rabbit Ears are a good source of fibre and a natural wormer.

You may find your local pet shop stocks natural dog treats, you can also google local stockists or online suppliers. One of our Spanish Happy Tails adopters started up her own business after adopting Izzy, who is a gorgeous Spanish Mastin. Karen also went on to adopt Bruce and now Izzy and Bruce are living their best lives in the UK.

Karen has been hugely supportive towards Spanish Happy Tails and we want to give her and her business a shout-out. Visit Izzy’s Natural Doggie Treats by clicking on the image below, happy shopping!

Adopt a dog from Spain

At Spanish Happy Tails Rescue UK we help rescue dogs from Spain find loving homes in the UK.

Adopting a dog from Spain is more straightforward than you might think, we deal with everything for you and with full Rescue Back Up, we are there for you from adoption and every day after that.