Tori Mistick [00:01:53]:
And then finally, I’ll wrap up with two product recommendations that you can use to get your dog moving during mealtime. Okay, so let’s start off with what is physical enrichment? So physical enrichment is not about exhausting your dog. It’s about providing opportunities for varied movement, different textures and terrains that they can interact with body awareness, healthy touch and handling, stretching, climbing, crawling, balancing, and also physical autonomy. So giving your dog the chance to move the way that they want to move. A definition that I really like from the animal welfare field is that physical enrichment promotes natural movement, improves physical health, and supports emotional regulation by giving animals more ways to use their bodies so we can see that movement variety drives brain variety. And I’m excited to share with you a couple of different studies that show how crucial physical activity is to your dog’s brain aging in a healthy way. So let’s just get right into that. Our first study that we are looking at today is actually thanks to the dog Aging Project.

Tori Mistick [00:03:07]:
So the authors of this study and review are Dr. Sarah Yarborough and her colleagues. And this was done with over 11,000 dogs and they were actually pet dogs. So if you’ve been listening to this podcast on the regular, you know that I’m always looking for studies that talk about pet dogs because it’s a little bit different and I think more applicable to your life and my life because we wanna know how to enrich our pet dogs lives. So it’s really nice when stuff is done in a very controlled, scientific manner, but the pet dog stuff is really going to be applicable to you and me and our best furry friends that live with us. So in this study, the Dog Aging Project made data from over 11,000 dogs available. And they focused on how different lifestyle factors influenced aging and canine cognitive dysfunction. Canine cognitive dysfunction is like what we kind of colloquially call doggy dementia.

Tori Mistick [00:04:05]:
And that is when our dog’s cognitive and brain health declines as they age. And obviously we don’t want that. We want our dogs to be sharp and with it up until the very last moment, right? So in this study, they found that dogs with higher physical activity levels had significantly lower odds of cognitive decline. This included light movement. It didn’t have to be running and jogging and fetching like a real maniac dog. It could be walk, doing some gentle play, even walking up and down stairs was really healthy for senior dogs in this study. And also meandering sniff walks, or sniffaris as we like to call them. They found that physical activity was associated with 33% lower odds of severe cognitive dysfunction symptoms.

Tori Mistick [00:04:54]:
Did you hear that? 33% lower chance of developing doggy dementia just because you let your senior dog engage in meaningful regular novel movement. I think something important to note here is that it is not about the intensity of the movement, but it really was about the variety and the consistency of being able to do it on a regular basis. One way that I encourage people to give their dog the opportunity to engage in novel, different movement is to go on a terrain walk. So a terrain walk is when you walk your dog and you seek out different varied terrain and textures that your dog can walk on. They’re engaging their sense of touch, they’re using their sense of balance, and they might even get some really interesting sniffs and smells along the way. So some different surfaces you can look for are like grass, mulch, gravel, small little pebbles or big pebbles, sand, maybe encouraging your dog to walk and balance along a fallen log. They could even balance on a curb. If you are in an urban Environment, and then even walking up and down a sloped driveway is a really great way to give your dog varied surfaces to walk on.

Tori Mistick [00:06:04]:
So remember that this type of movement and giving your dog access to different textures and, and different sensations and going up and down and sideways, that is what is going to keep their brain young. Now, it’s not just the dog aging project that is showing this. There are other studies that show us that physical enrichment is actually helping to keep our dogs healthy and young and mentally sharp. So there was another study done with Purdue University and IMES looking at dog cognitive aging. So that is how their brain ages. And the reason why I think there’s a lot of studies on this is because a lot of it is used in modeling for human aging. So it’s kind of a benefit to us in the animal field is that people are interested in how humans age. So they’re able to do all these studies in how dogs age and how their brains age healthily.

Tori Mistick [00:06:53]:
And that means there’s a lot of really great data out there about dogs aging. So this other study that was done at the Purdue Animal Welfare and Behavior Lab also found that dogs who practice novel movement, such as walking up and down slopes, navigating obstacles or uneven terrain, and simple physical problem solving activities, they retained their learning ability longer as they aged. So again, this was not about speed. This was not about doing the same thing over and over and over again. It actually found that novel movement preserved the executive function in their brain, so their ability to make decisions, to think clearly, and to figure out exactly what it is that you’re trying to communicate to them. And I found one more study that I want to share with you about how important it is to give your dog a chance to engage in varied, different physical activity, engage with different textures. And that actually comes from the Canine Sports Medicine review. So I love that these are two totally different areas of research, Aging, cognition, and sports medicine.

Tori Mistick [00:07:57]:
But they both come to the same conclusion, that dogs need to move their bodies in different ways, not just the same loop every single day. So this canine sports medicine review found that walking on the exact same surface, so example, walking on the same sidewalk loop around your neighborhood every single day in increases repetitive strain on your dog’s body, their muscles, their joints, their bones. So it was really important to change surfaces and environments because it promotes joint stability and it prevents overuse injuries. So actually giving your dog the chance to go out on a trail and walk over sticks and fallen logs and walk on gravel, it’s encouraging their body to stay healthy. And be ready to adapt to different surfaces versus walking on the exact same sidewalk loop every single day. This shows that our dogs are kind of like little athletes who are living in our homes and they need to do body awareness training just like professional athletes do. Now, some ways that you can engage in this if you don’t have access to go to a different trail every single day. I understand sometimes our schedules don’t allow for that, but you can totally do this at home or in your backyard by creating a surface circus.

Tori Mistick [00:09:10]:
This is another really great physical enrichment activity. And it basically means that you gather a whole bunch of stuff. It could be pool noodles, couch cushions, blankets, a platform, plastic lid from a big storage bin, balls, toys, treats, all kind of different stuff. And you lay it out into sort of an obstacle course for your dog. So this is different than doing like an agility course, but this is more of an obstacle course where your dog has to step over pool noodles to walk on the uneven surface of a pillow that’s on the floor or something like that. And as you can see from these studies that we have referenced that kind of unpredictable terrain and uneven obstacles that they have to go over, it’s going to help their body and their mind age in a healthy way. Now, one other type of physical enrichment that I want to share in this episode is a little bit outside of the box. But when I sat down to research this episode, I thought, let’s look into canine massage therapy and what the benefits of that are, because that’s physical enrichment, right? And so I looked into it and it turns out there was some data that shows how beneficial canine massage can be for your pup.

Tori Mistick [00:10:23]:
One study that was done in 2017 found that 15 minutes of calm petting lowered cortisol in many shelter dogs. They noticed in this study that it really mattered that you were petting the dog, not just sitting next to the dog, to really impact their cortisol levels. So the next time that you’re sitting next to your dog, consider just gently petting them. And that might make them feel a little bit less stressed. And I think you’ll get some benefits from it as well. And for some more data to support canine touch and massage, there was a study done in the UK with 527 dogs. This was done by the Canine Massage Guild of the United Kingdom. And they found that massage significantly improved dogs gait, posture, daily activity and overall quality of life.

Tori Mistick [00:11:08]:
Over the duration of this study, each session created measurable improvements. So over the different massage sessions over, I think it was a two week Period. They noticed that each time the dogs felt better, had better mobility, and just general overall better health. I loved finding this study because it really made me feel justified in the nightly routine that I have with Bert. So every night as I’m brushing my teeth and washing my face, Burt goes in my bedroom, and he usually sleeps on his dog bed in the corner. But while I’m doing my bedtime routine, he always gets up on my bed and then I come in there. And he knows the drill. We have this little routine where he.

Tori Mistick [00:11:47]:
He flops over on his back and I just give him some nice gentle massage, making circles on his chest, kind of like right on his sternum. And sometimes I’ll massage the front of his shoulders. I just do nice gentle little circles, and his face just melts and his little mouth opens up and you can see his little front teeth. And I can just tell he is completely relaxed. And I know that this has helped to strengthen our bond, but I think it also really makes him feel good as well. And now, thanks to this additional research I have done, I know that this massage isn’t just something that makes him feel good and that I feel good about doing it, but it’s actually helping his mobility as he ages. So why not incorporate a little bit of intentional petting and intentional touch with your dog as part of your daily routine? Maybe you want to do it at nighttime. That’s when Bert and I like to do this.

Tori Mistick [00:12:39]:
But you can just spend one to two minutes intentionally petting and massaging your dog. A great place to start is just by making gentle circles. You don’t want to push too hard. Remember, they’re smaller than us, making gentle circles over their hip bones or on the front of their chest, or maybe doing a little deep ear massage and see how your dog likes this canine massage. Okay, let’s recap what we have discussed so far about physical enrichment. I want to make this really easy for you so you can take action and start incorporating some interesting physical enrichment into your dog’s life today. So, first of all, we found out that movement keeps the brain young. The Dog Aging Project shows that regular physical activity equaled 33% lower odds of cognitive decline.

Tori Mistick [00:13:28]:
Now that is enough of motivation for me to make sure that Bert is getting some really interesting, novel and regular physical enrichment every single day. We also saw that variety prevents injury and also boosts dogs ability to be open to learning new things as they age. So this Purdue study that we saw, it showed that novel terrain and obstacles improved your dog’s cognitive abilities. And body awareness. So it’s really important that we give your dogs variety so they don’t get an injury by doing the same repetitive movement over and over and over again. And then finally, I worked in there. A little bit of information about canine massage therapy and all of the different benefits of that. Don’t overthink it.

Tori Mistick [00:14:13]:
There’s a ton of great YouTube videos out there where you can learn about canine massage. But the best place to start is just by simply intentionally petting your dog and noticing how they lean into your touch. And if they lean away from your touch, that means they’re not really enjoying the massage. So make sure that you’re communicating with your dog. You’re reading their body language, and you’re doing things that they like. Because with enrichment, if it’s not something that benefits them, it’s really not enrichment. All right, my friends, that brings us to today’s listener Q and A. And we have a good question from my friend Nikki.

Tori Mistick [00:14:48]:
So she says it is too hot to go outside that much. So I am looking to expand my dog’s indoor enrichment, especially something to calm him down because he gets wild when he has been in all day long. So, Nikki, this is definitely a relatable problem. And it’s not just when it’s too hot, but sometimes when it’s too cold or too rainy or sometimes too dark out. I’m recording this right now. It’s November in Pittsburgh, and it’s gets dark at like 5pm the sun has set. So I’m always looking for great ideas to keep my dog engaged and also tire him out a little bit when we have a limited window that we can go outside. So a couple of things that you can do.

Tori Mistick [00:15:32]:
Try out that surface circus that I was talking about, where you make an obstacle course around your living room or your bedroom, or if you have a nice big basement, that’d be a great place to do it. And if you want to make it a little bit more interesting and engaging for your pup, you can actually hide treats treats around the surface circus. And if you want to take it to another level, you could get into a little bit of scent work. You can get a kit like Hide and Scent, which is a wonderful product that I will link to in the description of this episode. It will show you how to do scent games with your dog beyond just a treat scavenger hunt. And we know that there are so many benefits to doing scent work like this, so try that out. Another idea you can do is working on movement for your dog. So getting him to move in different ways that he’s not accustomed to.

Tori Mistick [00:16:19]:
And a great way to do that is with tricks. So I love training my dogs to do spin or twist. That’s just kind of spinning to the left or spinning to the right. You could also do doggy push ups, which is having your dog starting in a standing or a sitting position and going to down and then back up and then down and then back up to sit or stand. And you can do a few repetitions of that. That’s really great way to incorporate some clicker training. Sure that you are marking at the right moments and rewarding your dog for their movement. You can also do some other kind of physical therapy and dog fitness routines like having your dog step their front feet up onto a cushion or a foam pad.

Tori Mistick [00:17:01]:
You can also experiment with having them walk their back feet up onto that cushion or foam pad. There’s a lot of different YouTube videos. I’m going to link to my friend Caitlin down below who is a canine fitness expert and she has some great ideas that you can do inside with your dog. And then finally, I do want to mention some intentional petting. Something going back to whatever episode we talked about, sound enrichment. I think it was three perhaps. My friend Lisa Spector, who records music just for dogs, recommends that you sit calmly with your dog and listen to music together for 10 or 15 minutes a day. And so that kind of calming bonding time can help help signal to your dog that it is time to chill out and relax at the end of the day.

Tori Mistick [00:17:47]:
So I hope these ideas are helpful to you, Nikki, and to anyone else who is listening. If you want to submit a question. I know there’s only one more episode of season one coming, but there’s always going to be a season two, right guys? You can go to toriknowsdogs.com podcast on that page you can submit your listener questions. You can see the show notes with citations of all of the studies and reviews that I’ve covered in this entire season. And I also have a link there to sign up for the Mental Enrichment Activity Pack. So I have a really fun bite sized course. It’s just $19 to access 10 unique and novel canine enrichment activities that I demonstrate with my dog Lucy. There’s some great physical enrichment in there as well as cognitive enrichment for everyone from beginner to more advanced.

Tori Mistick [00:18:36]:
And moving right along, we have made it to the Product Product Spotlight portion of this episode and I’m excited to share with you some ideas about how to get physical enrichment in at mealtime. So I love the concept of habit stacking. Everyone says I don’t have time to do enrichment with my dog, but your dog eats every day. So as much as we can incorporate enrichment into meal time, I think it’s going to make it a lot easier for you to fit it into your schedule and for your dog to reap all of the benefits. So today I have two different treat dispensing balls and toys with me. If you’re watching the video, you’ll be able to see exactly what they are, but I’ll do my best to describe them for you as well. So the first one is from Outward Hound. And I love this because if you listen to our visual enrichment episode, you know that this bright yellow and bright blue are two colors that your dog can see really easily.

Tori Mistick [00:19:28]:
These are dog friendly colors. So I love that. And it has two different holes here on the ball where you can put your dog’s kibble inside. And then they roll it all around the floor and they find the kibble as it rolls out. The thing about this ball is it does not open. So your kibble has to fit into these two small holes that are here on the ball. And for a lot of kibble, I think that’s totally fine. But you couldn’t fit a larger treat into this ball.

Tori Mistick [00:19:56]:
However, I have other options. There’s another great treat, dispensing. It’s not really a ball. It’s shaped kind of like a snowman actually. It has a smaller sphere on the top and a larger sphere on the bottom and it opens up so you can actually untwist it and you can put your dog’s kibble or small treats or whatever you want in here. What’s great about doing this type of enrichment is you can use your dog’s existing food. So we always want to be really careful about overfeeding our dogs. In doing a lot of the research for this episode, I came across some really startling data about dog obesity and how dangerous that can be for our dogs.

Tori Mistick [00:20:33]:
I didn’t really have time to include a lot of that into this episode because that’s a whole other can of worms. But we wanna make sure that when we’re doing enrichment activities, we aren’t necessarily overfeeding our dogs by giving them these giant peanut butter stuffed Kongs or giving them a whole extra meal, because we’ve filled this with food. So instead, fill one of these balls with your dog’s actual dinner so they’re getting the right number of calories and nutrients per day. And this ball is really adjustable, so it has different openings on the bottom and on the top to make it a little bit, you know, more of a challenge or sometimes more easy for your dog to get the food out. What’s cool about this one is since it has the smaller ball and the larger ball, it rolls at kind of an inconsistent pattern. So your dog really does have to kind of follow and chase it around the room and this will certainly get them moving. To find links for either of these products, you can go to the show notes. You can go to the show description underneath of this episode, wherever you are listening to or watching it.

Tori Mistick [00:21:34]:
So this week I really want to encourage you to do some kind of physical enrichment with your dog. And now we know that that means doing something novel, something different that they’re not used to doing. So don’t go for a regular sniffari walk if you’ve already done that a whole bunch of times. You instead seek out a different trail. Try getting your dog to walk over some fallen branches or fallen logs. Maybe do a surface circus. Or seek out varied terrain like sand, mulch, gravel, snow even, or whatever kind of different surfaces you can find around you. And when you do do these activities, please share them with me.

Tori Mistick [00:22:12]:
You can find me on instagramystic. Just tag me in your posts. I would love to see what you’re doing with your dog. You can also comment below this episode depending on where you are listening to it. And make sure to share this show with your friends. Like I said, we have one more episode coming up in season one and then all 10 of this limited series will be out. And this is designed so people can listen to it whenever and wherever they find it. I just want to help more dogs live a more enriched life.

Tori Mistick [00:22:43]:
Thank you so much for listening here to episode nine about physical enrichment. We have one more episode coming up episode episode 10 and it is going to be about how dog enrichment benefits you. You’ll be able to listen to that wherever you find your podcast. Or of course go to torinosedogs. Com Podcast.