Before we decided that an English Springer spaniel was right for our family, we researched and gave it a lot of thought, and felt we understood what he needed.
- Long walks? Absolutely, a tired dog is a happy dog isn't it?
- Mud, fields, woodland, off-lead runs with lots of places to sniff ? Of course.
- A safe place to relax after adventures. We can do that *note he has more beds than any of us
- Strong trusting relationship with human family . Absolutely
Like many people with working breeds especially Springer Spaniels, my main focus was on exercise. I knew spaniels were energetic. I knew they needed movement. So I made sure we moved.
But, even after a good walk, there was often a kind of busy energy.
Not destructive. Not “naughty”. Just still switched on. Alert. Looking for something before he could fully settle.
The question I had was, we had been meeting his physical needs but were we meeting his mental ones?
Working Breed Energy Isn’t Just Physical
Spaniels are intelligent, sensitive (you only have to read my previous blogs to know that) and they are driven dogs. They were bred to work closely with humans, to search, retrieve, problem-solve and stay engaged for long periods of time. Our dog Harvey comes from a strong working lines too!
You may have seen online that many working breeds particularly Spaniels are re-homed not because they are “too much”, but because their need for stimulation is underestimated.
On a Spaniel Facebook Page I recently read that there is a high volume of owners seeking to re home spaniels. And often, it seems to come down to this:
They are brilliant dogs… but they are not just exercise dogs.
They need outlets for their brains as much as their legs.
There are lots of ways that we can give them the outlet their brains need but, in this blog I am focussing on enrichment with their food.
The Food Bowl Moment
The shift didn’t happen because I suddenly became knowledgeable about enrichment for dogs. We had used enrichment with our first dog Skooby but if I am honest back then we used enrichment just as an activity for him.
With Harvey our working English Springer I knew that using enrichment toys would engage his brain ( which is what he LOVES) and when used during his meal time he would enjoy it even more!
If dogs are natural foragers… if they are designed to search and work for food… why are we presenting their food in the easiest possible way every single time?
This is probably the time to mention the concept of contra free-loading. This is the idea that many animals will choose to work for food even when the same food is freely available. The reason, because it is rewarding for them.
I have had people challenge this and say they think food in a bowl is kinder, more efficient, normal!
But what if normal isn’t always enriching?
Exercise vs Enrichment
This is where things began to change for us.
Walks matter. Movement matters. Sniffs REALLY matter. Especially with a spaniel.
But physical exercise and mental enrichment are not interchangeable.
One tires the body.
The other engages the brain.
And when I began using part of his daily food allowance in enrichment toys I noticed something different.
More focus
Longer engagement
A deeper calm afterwards
Plus there is something VERY satisfying watching your dog' work' their toy to get to the food.
I’m Still Learning
I’m not a trainer. I’m not a behaviourist. I’m someone who wanted to provide an enriched life for my dog and started learning along the way.
I still use a bowl sometimes. Sometimes I want to give him a change. Or if he is not himself, like the time he was still drowsy after an anaesthetic, I want to make it simple and quick for him to get his food.
But now I see enrichment for dogs especially working breeds like spaniels, as part of daily care, not an optional extra.
Enrichment isn’t an extra. It isn’t a trend.
I see it as just one piece of the puzzle.
And for me, it all started with questioning the food bowl.
Follow us @nofussfill on social media - we are on Instagram, Facebook and Tik Tok to see our English Springer enjoying is food in lots of different places and from many different toys ( and sometimes a bowl)
