#110 - Q&A: Enrichment Strategies for Pets with Allergies

03/24/25 • 35 min

Anyone who has a pet with allergies knows that it can be rough to create an enrichment strategy that fits their needs. Depending on the type and severity of that allergy there can be a lot of restrictions. In this episode, we discuss the allergy journies we've gone on with our own dogs and how we've created enrichment strategies around allergy restrictions. After that, we tie in how we can measure success for allergy kiddos and non-allergy kiddos.

You can find the full episode show notes here.

You can find the full episode show notes here.

Previous Episode

#109 - Assessing Risk for the Safety Enrichment Category

We're asked all the time about enrichment that isn't related to food. Well, here we are, folks! Today's episode is all about the safety category of enrichment. We'll discuss how to perform a risk assessment for your pet's enrichment strategy.

You can find the full episode show notes here.

Next Episode

#111 - Scent Work for Dogs: Enrichment That Supports the Whole Household

Simple, flexible scent games that help your dog thrive—and give you a well-earned breather.

If you’ve ever needed your dog to do something enriching without needing your full attention, or wanted to build your relationship through fun, sniffy games, this episode is your new best friend.

In this week’s episode of Enrichment for the Real World, Allie Bender and Emily Strong unpack the magic of scent work—and how it supports your dog’s physical, mental, and emotional well-being and makes your life easier too. We’re talking about games like “find it,” scatter feeding, and what we call the “anywhere but here” protocol, with tips for tailoring them to your specific household setup (no matter how chaotic it may be).

You’ll hear why scent work is more than just a fun activity—it can be used to teach your dog independence, encourage relaxation, and even build trust in tricky situations. Whether you need something that works behind a baby gate, away from food-stealing pets, or hands-free while you hop on a Zoom call, there’s something here for you.

TLDL (Too Long, Didn’t Listen): 3 Key Takeaways
Scent work is ridiculously adaptable.
Whether you need to keep dogs separated, avoid food on the floor, or work behind a barrier, there’s a nose game for that.

Teaching “set it and forget it” is a game-changer.
It takes effort up-front, but the payoff? A dog who can self-entertain while still engaging in healthy enrichment. Gold.

“Find it” is the duct tape of dog training.
This go-to cue can give you a pause button, channel your dog’s energy, and lay the foundation for more complex games.

Links & Resources from the Episode

📖 Canine Olfaction: Scent, Sign, and Situation – Book chapter by Simon Gadbois & Catherine Reeves
📚 Being a Dog: Following the Dog Into a World of Smell by Alexandra Horowitz
🔬 Study: Let me sniff! Nosework induces positive judgment bias in pet dogs
📓 Episode #109: Assessing Risk for the Safety Enrichment Category
🎲 July 2023 Enrichment Challenge: Try a New Active Foraging Option
💻 Check out the full show notes, including more resources at petharmonytraining.com/episode111

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Enrichment for the Real World - #110 - Q&A: Enrichment Strategies for Pets with Allergies

Transcript

[00:00:00] Emily: So I love what you said about like starting with the, the restrictions and thinking about how can we operate within these constraints? that really emphasizes the purpose of a descriptive approach, because if we understand what our goal is. And we understand which paths up the mountain are not available to us. It helps us to be creative about how we can get to the top of the mountain. Um, When the paths that we usually would take are blocked off. So if you're