Our volunteers now have the opportunity to take part in a series of volunteer training sessions led by Nancy, designed to build knowledge and confidence around all things dogs.
With three years of diverse experience working with dogs and her own dog training business, Nancy brings a wealth of knowledge to each session and an understanding of our residents through her other role as a kennel assistant at Cardiff Dogs Home.
“I absolutely love delivering our volunteer training days at the Dogs Home! They are a vital part of the work we do at The Rescue Hotel, to make sure all our dogs are the happiest and healthiest they can be, and that our volunteers get the most out of their walks and days spent at the Home.
Dogs can’t communicate with us the way we do with each other, so it’s important that we teach our volunteers things such as body language, so they can tell if a dog is fearful, and enrichment, so the dogs get everything they can out of their time in kennels. It’s been lovely to see the volunteers getting stuck in and using everything they have learned in our sessions. I can’t wait to continue to do more.” – Nancy, Rescue Hotel Behaviour Trainer
This week, we’re going behind the scenes of Nancy’s ‘Enrichment in the Kennel Environment’ training session with our volunteers.
Nancy covered a wide range of topics, including how we can use enrichment to support a dog’s individual needs and encourage natural behaviours to make their time in kennels more enjoyable.
We also learnt that enrichment is so much more than licky mats! From destruction boxes and snuffle mats to scent work games such as scatter feeding and hide-and-seek, there are lots of creative ways to keep dogs engaged and entertained.
Livia, our bulldog who is recovering from BOAS surgery, took a short break from her office managerial role to test out some of the enrichment activities in the garden. It’s great to see her keeping her brain busy and enjoying some enrichment while she’s on crate rest!
The session showed us that enrichment doesn’t have to be complicated either. By thinking about what each individual dog enjoys and finding activities that suit their needs, we can make their kennel environment more interesting. One of the highlights of the session was exploring breed-specific enrichment, with the help of Nancy’s four-legged assistants, Cooper and Diesel.
Cooper, a Lurcher, and Diesel, a Staffy cross, took part in a variety of enrichment activities, giving our volunteers the chance to see how different breed traits and individual personalities can influence the types of enrichment a dog may enjoy.
Cooper certainly wasn’t shy about getting involved! He was particularly enthusiastic about the flirt pole, showing just how rewarding enrichment can be when it taps into a dog’s natural instincts.
Having the opportunity to watch Cooper and Diesel in action helped bring the theory to life and demonstrated why enrichment should not be a “one size fits all” approach. By getting to know each dog as an individual, we can provide enrichment that is both meaningful and enjoyable.