Let your dog forage this summer!
To ‘forage’ means to search for wild food resources, and it’s becoming an increasingly popular activity to obtain natural, flavourful and eco-friendly ingredients for culinary experiments.
In the canine world however, foraging is intrinsic to a dog’s hunter and scavenger nature and works wonders for their mental health. Dogs use their superpower sense of smell whilst they forage and scavenge, which is an incredibly powerful form of mental exercise and can be just as effective at using up energy as a dog walk itself.
The modern domestic dog has little need to exercise their hunting and scavenging natures: their food is bought for them, and usually served to them in a bowl. This can sometimes leave your pet pooches a little under-stimulated and in need of some additional mental exercise. Summer foraging is a great way to help this.
The benefits of foraging
Foraging is hugely beneficial for both humans and dogs, making it a perfect activity to do as a family and a great way to add some excitement to the daily dog walk.
As mentioned, foraging is a great opportunity for dogs to use their superpower sense of smell. Studies show that sniffing makes dogs feel brighter, happier and calmer. Giving dogs the chance to sniff and seek out foods through foraging allows them to exhibit completely normal and natural behaviour, which of course boosts their mood and mental health. It’s also a great way for them to use up energy and mentally stimulate themselves, due to all of the identification and processing that happens with the different scents they pick up.
The very nature of foraging means that you have access fruits and resources that are in season. This is said to be a healthier way to consume foods as they grow and develop at the time of year they’re supposed to (without the help of artificial ingredients, stimulants, or environments). Foods in season this summer, and therefore perfect to forage, include apples, blackberries, blueberries, cherries, damsons, peaches, plums, raspberries, strawberries and tomatoes.
Remember to check that your foraged goods are safe for both you and your dog to eat before tucking in!
Foraging games to try at home
Let’s face it… the weather so far this summer has been truly British. But fear not, there are plenty of ways to get the benefits of ‘foraging’ in the comfort of your own (dry) home.
You can play ‘hide and seek’ with suitable berries you’ve managed to forage when the sun has popped out for 5 minutes! This can involve hiding them around the home, or under cups / in treat hiding toys for your dog to sniff out.
You could also consider freezing any foraged items in large ice cube moulds or in treat dispensing toys to provide a cooling and time-consuming way for your pup to enjoy the foraged fruits.
If you’ve not managed to get your hands or paws on any foraged finds so far this summer, you can stock up on Leo & Wolf treats which make the perfect treat for laying down scatter trails.
It’s important to note that foraging is perfectly safe and legal as long as you stick to the basic rules. Wild Food UK have put together a very handy list of tips and notes to keep you safe on your foraging journeys this summer.
