What is Freework?
Freework is a fun and engaging enrichment activity for your dog to enjoy taking part in. It provides an ideal opportunity for dogs to gain confidence around new or unusual items, release energy and provide mental stimulation whilst helping to increase confidence, calmness and positive emotions.
Who can take part?
Freework is suitable for ALL dogs, no matter their age, ability, training skills, mobility, fitness or confidence. It is particularly beneficial for
- Young puppies
- New rescue dogs
- Excited teenage dogs
- Over-aroused dogs
- High energy dogs
- Senior Dogs
- Reactive Dogs
- Those on limited exercise
So, what do you actually do?
Freework is similar to an obstacle course but with no set route. You can create obstacles from many different items including standard food enrichment toys and general household items as well as some novel things too. These can include objects of different textures, heights, sounds, smells and movement. We encourage dogs to explore freely amongst the obstacles by leaving food in, on, next to and between the items, this channels their natural desire to sniff and seek out food.
What are the benefits?
Freework can provide calm mental stimulation for your dog which is beneficial for all. It also increases confidence around novel items and provides an outlet natural behaviour. My favourite element is that it also allows us to sit back and watch our dog and gain valuable information. Do they move fast or slow? Do they approach things confidently or more cautiously? What items are they more unsure of? How do they respond to changes in texture or sudden movements? Do they explore confidently or require your support or reassurance?
We can also look at their physical interactions to see if they seem confident with their food placement, are able to stabilise on wobbly items, perhaps they always turn one way – this information can be valuable for your canine physio or vet when assessing their movement.
As sniffing/seeking out food creates a positive and happy state of mind, we can use Freework to help our dogs to become more comfortable in new environments and situations.
How do I start Freework?
You can begin really easily at home by placing a few different items on your kitchen floor (egg boxes, bubble wrap, carboard, food filled toys etc) and sprinkling some dinner in/around them and progress to larger areas with more items. You can ask your local trainer if its something they offer and book a
Freework FUN session.