Field Guide · Glossary
Ditch the bowl
EnrichmentFeeding a dog's daily ration through puzzles, foraging and training rather than from a dish.
How it works
The calories do not change. Only the delivery does. A bowl is emptied in under a minute and asks nothing of the dog, while the same food spread across a snuffle mat, a puzzle and a training session can occupy a substantial part of an afternoon. It is the cheapest enrichment available, because the food has already been bought. It also gives training a budget: repetitions paid out of the ration do not add to what the dog eats that day.
What it looks like
A dog fed two cups a day has half a cup in a puzzle at breakfast, half scattered across the yard at lunch, half spent on two short training sessions, and the last half in a snuffle mat at dinner. Nothing extra was bought and nothing extra was eaten.
Commonly confused with
- Nutritional enrichment
- Nutritional enrichment is the wider category, covering variety and novelty in what a dog eats as well as how it arrives. Ditching the bowl is specifically about the delivery.
Related terms
Where this comes up
Gear that helps
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Snuffle mat
Hides kibble in the fabric so a dog sniffs it out, and sniffing is genuinely calming. Our go-to for a dog who needs a job on a rainy day.
Treat-dispensing puzzle toy
Makes a dog think for their food instead of gulping it. A tired brain is a calmer dog, and this is our go-to when a walk isn't enough.
Kong Classic (multiple sizes)
The workhorse of enrichment. Stuff it, freeze it, and it buys you a quiet hour. We reach for it for crate time and alone-time practice.
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