Adventure Landscape - An ACE free-work inspired enrichment activity to boost confidence for all dogs

What might look like a dog just searching for treats amid a bunch of junk in the grass is actually a very important exercise. Observing your dog as she explores this adventure landscape can tell you a lot about who she is.

Do you see how she has a preference for using her nose and muzzle? How she readily fishes the treat out of the pool, but won’t go in it? Do you notice how she doesn’t care when her back paw gets stuck in one of the yellow pods? And when she’s been everywhere once, she goes around a second time, checking for missed treats.

This dog loves to use her nose. She can give you the softest boop or poke you deftly in your behind, depending on what she’s trying to tell you. She opens doors with it. She uses it to arrange her pillows. She uses it to scoop up a toy and throw it high into the air. And being the fun police, she'll even use it to muzzle punch another dog.

Why might that be important for me as her human?
It is information that using her nose is fulfilling for her. I will want to make sure that enrichment activities allow her to express this preference.

It might explain why she likes to learn new games that involve using her nose instead of her paws.
It could be the reason why she only lets people she trusts pet her near her muzzle, which is potentially significant in a social situation with strangers.
It might affect how I approach teaching her to wear something on her face such as a muzzle.

Let’s look at her body language. Does she explore all areas equally? Does her path meander or does it appear methodical? Does she seem to avoid certain surfaces? Is her tail wagging? Is it high or low? Is her weight distributed over her core or is she leaning forward or back?

What about those feet then? She seems to care very little where they go.
Gemma is not a careful dog. I might even call her overconfident at times. She acts first and asks questions later, which can lead to all kinds of trouble, including injuries.

Proprioception does not come naturally to her. She needed to learn what her hindlegs are doing. Today, at almost 10, she has a confirmed weakness in her lumbar spine, since when I do not know. Is there a connection? Maybe. Observations concerning your dog’s locomotion are always worth investigating.

Did you see how she quickly glanced at me before she went on her second round of exploration. I’m a source of information for her. Whether due to her genetic background as a shepherd bred to work closely with humans or because of our long history of playing games together, she cares what I think. Yet once she decides to go back and investigate, she is very independent in her actions. Independence and connection with their person are two traits of a dog’s personality that can have a huge impact on your life and lifestyle together.

These observations are very personal to this dog and their interpretation is informed by our relationship. Another dog might show entirely different behaviors. There is no good and bad here. Just information. Confidence is a spectrum, not an absolute.

I haven’t even talked about the benefits for your dog yet. Sniffing and exploring are inherently relaxing activities. They can actually lower your dog’s heart rate and slow down their breathing. How awesome is that?

However, you aren’t an active part of this activity. The dog gets to decide where to go, how to explore and what to ignore. It’s an exercise in choice and empowerment, which are crucially important to developing confidence and trust.

That’s what makes this activity so valuable for puppies, dogs in shelters, and newly adopted dogs. It’s also a great way to give your dog something to do on their own terms when other activities might be restricted.

The positive experiences your dog makes while engaging in this seemingly easy activity can be incredibly valuable for dogs who become nervous around sudden environmental changes - weird looking things or people, strange noises - and dogs who get worried about unusual surfaces, tight spaces, or things touching their body.

So was this just a fun way to eat a bunch of cookies? Yes. But if you look closely, it’s so much more.

Note: In hindsight, putting treats in the yellow cones wasn't a good idea. The opening is too small for her and she got her muzzle stuck in it. For this dog, no problem. She has enough confidence and experience to remain unfazed and voluntarily repeat the same behavior. For another dog, this could have caused distress and actually been counterproductive.
PS: The box on her collar is a microphone so you can hear how she experiences the activity.

*Always think ahead and adapt accordingly. Never lure into danger. Know your learner! *

What I call an Adventure Landscape is based on the Free Work exercise developed by Sarah Fisher as part of the ACE methodology. While I am profoundly inspired by her approach, this is not Free Work. To learn more about the original method please visit http://www.tilleyfarm.org.uk/AceIndex...