Tori Mistick [00:01:47]:
And maybe that’ll give you the extra motivation that you need to carve out a little bit of time every day to do something fun with your dog. I’m going to be sharing with you some research on how doing enrichment with your dog can actually improve your own nervous system, your mood, your stress level, and your general overall health happiness, as well as boost your productivity at work. If this season has inspired you, I hope that you will share it with me. You can always find me on social media. Mistick. That’s T M I S T I C K across pretty much all the different social platforms. And if you are watching this on YouTube or Spotify, you can leave a comment below. Okay, so let’s get into some of the biggest themes that I have learned this season.

Tori Mistick [00:02:27]:
There’s three of them that I’m gonna share with you in this episode. The first theme that I’ve learned across all the episodes is that variety is to enrichment. It’s important if we want to continue to get the benefits of enrichment for our dog, to give them novel and unique activities and exposures in their environment. When you do the same thing over and over again, day in and day out, the benefits do start to plateau and it’s not as effective. Imagine if you had to solve the same jigsaw puzzle every single day for the rest of your life. You would not only get bored of it, but you might get frustrated and it might cause more issues for you instead of benefits. So this came up across almost every episode. In episode five, we looked at sound enrichment, and we found that it’s important to play different genres of music for your dog, not just the same playlist on loop.

Tori Mistick [00:03:16]:
We also talked about this in episode seven, where we looked at environmental enrichment and found how important it is to give your dog novel environmental experiences. So we saw a review that suggested setting up a toddler playhouse in your backyard. And I suggested maybe you want to go in on that with your friends so that you have it for a month and your friend gets it for a month and your other friend gets it for a month. Again, it keeps it novel and fresh for your dog. So there were lots of ideas in there. We also talked about physical enrichment on our most recent episode, and that was about how to give your dog opportunities to walk on different varied surfaces. So it doesn’t have to be complicated. But giving your dog a chance to walk on gravel and pavement and grass and mulch, snow maybe is in your area this time of year.

Tori Mistick [00:04:07]:
The research I have found this season has shown that the nervous system grows through novelty. Without novelty, there is no adaptation. Now, jumping along to the second theme that I picked up the most on when I was researching and putting together season one of this podcast, and that’s all about choice and control. So it’s really important that we’re giving our dog the freedom of choice and the freedom to opt out of things that they don’t want to do. So in episode six, we looked at olfactory enrichment, AKA sniffing and scent based enrichment, and we found that it’s really important to let your dog choose how to sniff. So if you go on a sniffari walk, you’re letting their nose lead the way on your adventure, if you’re doing other types of scent based enrichment, you’re also letting them choose if they want to smell a new smell or if they don’t want to smell a new smell. So we aren’t forcing our dogs to do anything.

Tori Mistick [00:05:12]:
It’s really important that we give them choice and free will about participating in these activities because that’s going to boost their overall happiness and optimism. We also talked about this on episode 8 with social enrichment about giving your dog the opportunity to have small playgroups that are safe and well matched in terms of the ability and size and interest and enthusiasm of the dogs who are participating, and also giving your dog the choice to opt out. So if they’re not enjoying a play date, they have the option to go in another room or leave or go outside to get away from the situation. And then, of course, we also talked about this on the environmental enrichment episode. Think about if you give your dog an obstacle course or kind of a parkour course where they can climb over things, crawl under stuff, go around this way, go around that way, you’re giving them the option to figure it out on their own. And they have choices whether they want to climb over top of a tunnel or crawl underneath of a tunnel. And that kind of choice is so important for their happiness. Throughout all of these episodes, we keep coming back to the idea that enrichment is not performing for us or doing something perfect.

Tori Mistick [00:06:23]:
So you want to think about how you can do enrichment together. Not just something that gets your dog to leave you alone for an hour, but how can you do something together that is going to fuel your dog’s emotional, physical and mental needs? And also it’s going to boost the bond that you share. And we’re going to find out later, it’s going to also lower your stress levels and boost your joy levels as well. So on the episodes that we talked about this, we had episode five with sound enrichment. And we shared some great research about listening to music with your dog, not just hitting play and walking out of the house or walking out of the room, but actually treating this as like a prescription from your veterinarian, where you sit together calmly for maybe 10 or 20 minutes and pet your dog and just listen to some music together because it’s going to regulate beautiful both of your nervous systems.

Tori Mistick [00:07:32]:
So it’s really important that we look at enrichment as things that we can do together and things that you can do to support your dog’s well being and not just things that get your dog to leave you alone for the maximum amount of time. So across this whole season, these themes, novelty, autonomy and sharing experiences together, they don’t just shape your dog’s wellbeing, they shape yours as well, which is the perfect transition to what I wanna talk about in this episode. So the heart of episode 10 is really about how dog enrichment benefits you. So I wanna start by sharing a quick story with you. And I think I may have shared this before, but you know that I love busy boxes.

Tori Mistick [00:08:41]:
So busy boxes are a great cognitive, physical, scent based, food based enrichment activity. It kind of taps into so many different things and I also love it because it’s eco friendly and it’s very affordable. So you’re using recycled boxes, yogurt containers, egg cartons, whatever you have around the house, and you’re feeding your dog their meal or you’re doing this as an activity with treats, sprinkling all of their treats or their food in the different containers and sealing them up. And every single time it’s a different puzzle. So this is one of my favorite enrichment activities to do with my dogs. And I like to think I’m sort of known for this on the Internet and this is why I love it so much, all those benefits I just listed for you. But also it brings me so much joy watching my dogs ignite their curiosity and their enthusiasm and figuring out how to solve this box that I’ve created for them. And just the slapstick comedy of watching them rip open the cardboard boxes, it actually makes me feel calmer.

Tori Mistick [00:09:43]:
It makes me feel more joyful and happier because we’re sharing this experience together. And as my dogs are getting all these benefits of regulating their nervous system by tapping into scent and getting like some physical enrichment out of their system, I’m also kind of co regulating with them. Because we’re in sync together, we’re sharing this experience. So it’s also lowering my stress level and it’s making me feel just a little bit calmer about everything. I have found that doing a busy box is a wonderful reset at the end of the day. If you had a stressful workday or you’re just exhausted at the end of the day and you’re so tempted to just sit on the couch and do absolutely nothing. Instead, find a little bit of motivation to put together a busy box dinner for your dog and watch what happens. I promise you, you are going to smile.

Tori Mistick [00:10:34]:
If you, if you don’t crack a smile, something’s wrong with you. You’re gonna smile, you’re gonna laugh, you’re gonna have to get involved and maybe help them a little bit if it’s a little too challenging. And then at the end, you are gonna have to clean up the mess that your dog has created. So that’s gonna give you a little bit of physical workout too. But moving your body and watching something fun and funny and getting a good belly laugh while your dog is solving a busy box is going to give you so many health benefits. So let’s look at exactly what those are. Here are a couple of different pieces of research that explain why dog enrichment helps you just as much as your dog. So the first one that we want to bring UP is a 2024 study that was done with 30 adults and they were given three minute activities.

Tori Mistick [00:11:20]:
They had a whole bunch of different activities that they could actually choose from. I believe they gave them the choice and that was one of the elements. Remember, choice is very important to happiness. So they had all these different activities to do with the dog so they could play with the dog, go for a walk, massage and grooming, doing some play together, maybe tugging. They found that playing and walking with the dog for just three minutes increased brain patterns in the people associated with relaxation. They were actually hooked up to an EEG machine, so they were measuring their brain activity. They also found that when the people spent just three minutes massaging or, or grooming the dogs, it increased the participants concentration while lowering their stress levels. And this was all based off these EEG readings that they got from the people’s brains.

Tori Mistick [00:12:10]:
What they found also from what the people said, was that doing all of these activities reduced their negative mood and they had less stress in their self reported study that they did at the end. So this is pretty concrete proof that interacting with a dog actually changes your brain state. Just three minutes of playing or walking increased the brain patterns associated with relaxation. And just three minutes of massaging or grooming or petting a dog increased focus attention and took away some of the stress. What they found was that all of the activities that involved the dog for three minutes decreased negative mood for people. And just three minutes is all it took. Three minutes of doing something with a dog changed how these people’s brains functioned in real time. And when we look at the brain science behind this, the patterns that they saw in the EEG readings of this study are the same patterns that you would see in an experienced meditator.

Tori Mistick [00:13:10]:
But these people didn’t have to meditate for hours. All they had to do was pet and play with a dog. So how can you do this in your real life? Obviously, you can spend a couple of minutes brushing your dog or giving them a nice pet or massage, maybe play some of that relaxing music that we’ve already talked about together. You can go for a walk around the block. You can go for a walk in a new area that you haven’t been to. A quick walk in the woods would be hugely beneficial for both of you. And of course, you could also just play a simple game of hide and seek or a scavenger hunt around your house. Now, I think that data is pretty compelling, but I also want to share with you some great research that I found in an article from the American Psychology Association.

Tori Mistick [00:13:53]:
This was a 2019 article called Give Me a Break. In this article, author Kirsten Weir explains how psychologists are exploring the type and frequency of breaks that we need to refuel our energy and enhance our well being. And she summarized multiple different studies in this article, and it showed that short breaks can improve attention and performance on demanding tasks. Taking short breaks can reduce burnout and health conditions and complications. And also taking short breaks can help people come back to work with more focus and energy. One of these studies that she referenced was done at Baylor University where Emily Hunter and her colleague Cindy Wu surveyed administrative workers about their break habits. The researchers found that the workers who took breaks to do something they enjoyed reported fewer health symptoms such as headaches, eye strain, and lower back pain. They also reported higher job satisfaction and lower rates of burnout.

Tori Mistick [00:14:53]:
So let’s just look at that. They were doing breaks where they were doing something that they enjoyed. So instead of scrolling on your phone during your five minute break, or spending your five minute break doing like your personal accounting or balancing your checkbook, which sounds very terrible, try to spend a five minute break doing something that you enjoy with your dog. If you’re working from home. Of course that’s going to be much easier. If you are working in a office workplace, you might want to go out and take a walk and incorporate some of the enrichment things that we’ve talked about for yourself, like taking a walk on a varied surface or maybe listening to a different genre of music while you’re taking your walk. All of those things could benefit you just as much as they benefit our dogs. In reading this article, I learned so much and I found that micro breaks, just like three to five minutes can improve focus, mood and performance.

Tori Mistick [00:15:47]:
And these enjoyable breaks have stronger benefits than neutral breaks. So if you’re just going to sit and stare at the wall for five minutes is not as beneficial as doing something that you really enjoy doing for those five minutes. Outdoor breaks and movement based breaks increased and restored your attention span when you came back to whatever you were working on. So if you can at all get outside, get some sunlight, get some fresh air, maybe do a little bit of forest bathing if you’re close to some woods for five minutes and you’re gonna come back to work so refreshed and energized. We also found that people who take short breaks had lower burnout and fewer physical pain and other symptoms, and that cognitive performance improves after breaks. So there is so much data and so many studies out there that show us that taking frequent short breaks really makes you a better worker and a better human. So if you do have your dog by your side, if you’re working from home, I highly recommend that you take these three or five minute micro breaks because going to boost the bond that you share with your dog. It’s going to give them that enrichment that they need to feel fulfilled and satisfied and confident and calm.

Tori Mistick [00:16:58]:
And it’s also going to make you so much healthier mentally and physically. So don’t think of an enrichment break as a distraction from work. Think of it as a performance enhancer. You come back calmer, clearer and more focused and your dog gets enriched at the same time. If you need some ideas on quick short enrichment activities you can do with your dog, I have the Mental Enrichment Activity Pack. You can find that at Tori knows dogs.com podcast this is a really affordable micro online course that I created with 10 unique mental enrichment activities that you can do with your dog, no matter their age or their ability level. There’s everything from beginner to more intermediate activities. And it’s a really great online course that’s broken down into videos and step by step tutorials and I promise you there’s some activities on there that you haven’t thought of before.

Tori Mistick [00:17:50]:
Again, you can sign up for that little micro course at Tori knows dogs.com podcast. All right, and this brings us to our final benefit that I want to share for humans as to what you get out of doing dog enrichment. And we’re getting back into that blue zone research. So we love to talk about blue zones. They are the key to longevity and there’s so much great research about people’s diet. Where they live in sunny climates, they usually have lots of hills. But one of the most important things about the people who live in blue zones, who in the blue zones, they have the highest percentage of people living to over 100 years old. So we love to see how are they living so long and living healthy so long.

Tori Mistick [00:18:30]:
And one of the most important factors is socializing, having a strong social network, social ties, social connections, AKA social enrichment for your dog, which we’ve already talked about. So I want to share with you how doing different enrichment activities can actually boost your own social connections and investment in your community so that you can reap some of those blue zone benefits as well. In an earlier episode of the podcast, we looked at the Dog aging project and it said that socially active dogs are healthier and they have slower and less cognitive decline. It’s the same thing for people. You get similar benefits from social enrichment when you’re engaging with other people in your community. So a couple of examples of how you could do this in regards to dog enrichment. Maybe you join some sort of dog dog sports group. It could be agility, it could be barn hunt, it could be fast cat, whatever it is that your dog is into.

Tori Mistick [00:19:26]:
I promise you, you’re going to meet some really interesting and fun people when you get involved in dog sports. And it’s going to give both you and your dog that social enrichment. You could also organize some group hikes or maybe a paddleboard meetup if you like to sup with your pup, as I like to do. That would be a great way to get a little bit of interaction with people and also tap into some physical enrichment, environmental enrichment, and also get all of the social benefits as well. And if all of that sounds like a little bit too much work and you don’t want to do any of that right now, simply posting about the enrichment activities that you do with your dog on social media can actually connect you with a network of other people who are also passionate about dog enrichment. You can meet some really great people that way. I have met some of my closest friends through sharing pictures and videos of my dogs on social media. So I think this shouldn’t be overlooked as a way to get some of that social benefit.

Tori Mistick [00:20:22]:
However, we do know from research that in person, social connections are going to give you the greatest benefit. But I think that if we do social enrichment online in the right way, we can still get benefits from that too. Think about enrichment as something that you don’t do alone in your living room, but it pulls you into a bigger community of people who are also passionate about this. And as we know from the Blue Zones and the Dog Aging Project, that community is one of the biggest predictors of your long term well being and health span for both you and your dog. So here is the truth that I want to leave you with on this episode. When you enrich your dog’s life, you enrich your own life. When you regulate your dog’s nervous system, you’re regulating your own nervous system. You’re growing together.

Tori Mistick [00:21:07]:
And that’s what this whole season has been about. Not perfection, but connection. If this series of dog enrichment with Tori Mistick helped you in some way, I would love to hear about it. Please share with me on social media, you can find me pretty much everywhere, Mistick. You can also go to toriknowsdogs.com podcast and find all kinds of ways to get in touch with me. And I would also love it if you would share this series with your dog friends or your friends who are considering getting a dog, or your friends who used to have a dog. Or maybe people who don’t even like dogs. Share this with them because they’re going to learn the magic of dogs and the magic of dog enrichment.

Tori Mistick [00:21:47]:
And finally, thank you so much for being part of season one of this podcast. I hope that your life and your dog’s life is better. After listening to this series, I look forward to staying in touch with you and sharing more about how you can improve your life and your dog’s life together in the future. Stay tuned for what’s next to come from me and my dog, Burt.