All About Enrichment

08/09/2024

I've been busy crafting for next weekend's Ballycastle artisan market - and have a very small number of seasonal items for sale. Prices on the board in the pictures, DM for orders!

07/09/2024

Our order arrived today and isn't it a beauty?!?! Kingsley models the olive and Honey the orange. What lovely packaging as well!

04/09/2024

The realities of being guardian to a senior dog with health issues. A long post tonight!
Honey turns 10 next month (😭) and some of you will know of her struggles over the last year or two. She has cruciate degeneration as well as hip dysplasia. She's on Librela and gabapentin to manage pain, but I am taking her for a pain med review as I believe she is still uncomfortable. She gets regular hydrotherapy, acupuncture and laser treatments and physio at home. We are going to add massage next
In addition, Honey was diagnosed with mild to moderate IBD. Her symptoms were inappetence, bloating, constipation, mucus in her 💩, gurgles, lip smacking, digging and hu***ng after eating, and periodic compulsive grass eating.
In the last year we've spent probably more than 100 hours travelling to appointments in Earlswood who are doing all her treatments. They have been amazing - as have Tesco Pet Insurance who to date have paid out more than £5,000 for all the procedures and diagnostics (x-rays, ultrasound, gait assessment, endoscopy, blood work among others) as well as the ongoing treatment.
The first picture is of all her meds at dinner. She's on Prednisolone for her IBD (tapering down), omeprazole for her stomach, gabapentin for pain, plus some smart oil from and Weetabix for fibre. She also gets a probiotic and her food is a special hydrolysed kibble.
The second picture is the renewal cost for the pet insurance this year. I am SO glad we took the policy we did, which covers her treatments for life. Yes, it has gone up, but it could have been so much worse - and it gives us peace of mind to know she continues to have coverage. All her conditions will require ongoing treatment which is not cheap.
Why am I sharing this? I guess a few reasons. Please - insure your pets! You never know what could happen. Push for the right veterinary treatment for your companions. You know them best and you are their advocate. If you suspect pain - insist on a pain trial. And find out what options are out there - there are loads of complementary therapies that work alongside your vet.

26/08/2024

Happy International Pet Day! Here are the All About Enrichment inspirations - Honey and Kingsley! Don't they look adorable in their attire? 🥹
We were doing a wee photoshoot today for our new branded materials, stay tuned for more cuteness! 💜💜💜

29/07/2024

After a busy summer meeting lots of lovely dog guardians and their canine companions, I've written my first blog!

It's in response to a common statement I hear when talking about enrichment toys - "my dog would destroy that in 5 minutes!"

I've pulled together my thoughts on this and how, with the appropriate management and support in place, all dogs should be able to enjoy enrichment toys safely.

How do you give your dog an outlet for their natural behaviours?

https://allaboutenrichment.com/blogs/b/my-dog-would-destroy-that-in-5-minutes

My dog would destroy that in 5 minutes

28/07/2024

A special order for 3 dogs in the same household - a handcrafted neon pink and blue tug toy for two dogs who love to wrestle toys with each other (square knot for strength - IYKYK 😂), a licking mat in a beautiful turquoise, and a bright multicoloured snuffle ball to engage the seeking system and provide a moment of calm! 💜💜💜 For the lovely who crafted the beautiful branded nails I'm modelling in the photo!

DM me for orders - I also offer custom colourways as well as a whole host of snuffle toys including , treat dispensers, burrow toys, puzzles and more!

23/07/2024

Can we get a petition going to change to ? Kingsley is happy to be the cover star!

21/07/2024

POV: you just want to eat a cinnamon bun in peace but you have the dog equivalent of a bin 😂

20/07/2024

The weather may be damp and miserable, but our spirits are not!

Come down to the All About Enrichment stall at Paws for Nature at Castle Ward for a free pup cup while you browse toys such as snuffle mats and balls, treat dispensers, licking mats, burrow toys and more!

15/07/2024

Have you ever bought a toy for your dog and found it's too much of a challenge for them, or they get frustrated and give up?

Don't throw the toy away! Sometimes all we need to do is make some small modifications to better meet the dog's needs.

Below is a toy I bought some time ago but stopped offering to my dogs as they couldn't get the pieces out no matter how much they tried. I saw it in the toy cupboard recently and had an idea to make it more accessible to them - and now they love it!

How could you make an existing toy more accessible for your dog?

14/07/2024

As well as crafting enrichment toys myself, I also offer some fantastic products created by others that I and my dogs love.

I'm going to be stocking Pickpocket Foragers foraging items soon which I am SUPER excited about - the foraging pouches and foraging caterpillar are key components of my enrichment toolkit!

These UK-made fleece foraging toys provide opportunities for low-impact activities that can be enjoyed by dogs of all ages and abilities, which I'm really passionate about. Both the caterpillar and the foraging pouches pictured below get regular use in our household. Honey is a particular fan - we use the caterpillar on its own or with pouches stuffed in, we've used the pouches for scentwork as well! Her absolute favourite is getting the pouches as part of an ACE free work setup - I put them in a trug tub along with other snuffle / foraging items and she loves to get her nose right in and to snuffle out her kibble! And, because they are made of fleece, similar to my own crafted items, these can be machine washed and air-dried to clean.

Honey has recently been diagnosed with mild to moderate irritable bowel disease and she is on a very strict hydrolysed diet. The foraging items have been amazing for providing an enriching experience with food, giving her the opportunity to engage with what she would otherwise consider a "boring" food item in a way that promotes natural behaviours and lets her take her time and enjoy the experience.

As well as the caterpillar and foraging pouches, they also make foraging bags and blankets, both of which I will be adding to my personal collection and my shop soon too!

I have a caterpillar and some pouches to demo as part of my stall next weekend at Paws for Nature in Castle Ward - call down for a chat and I'll be delighted to show you how to use them! 💜

06/07/2024

And we're off! 😍 Call by our stall at Bark Life in the Ballee Playing Fields for a free pup cup and to shop handcrafted enrichment items! Gladys and Honey are big fans!

02/07/2024

Delighted to be attending our very first event - and it's a great one! Dogs Trust Bark Life this Saturday 6th July! Join us at Ballee Playing Fields for a great day out - free entry and loads of opportunities to support a great cause. Details in the pictures below. On the day All About Enrichment will have some great enrichment toys to purchase, including lots of lovely handcrafted items:

* snuffle mats and snuffle balls
* shredding balls
* tug toys

We'll also have other great toys available to buy, such as burrow toys, treat balls and other treat dispensing toys.

Call at our market stall and your pooch will get a free pup cup!

We are so looking forward to meeting you and your lovely canine companions!

30/06/2024

A lovely weekend crafting in advance of a busy summer at some fantastic dog-friendly events!

30/06/2024

A fantastic event at Midtown Makers yesterday! Great to meet other creators and to get tips and tricks on launching and growing a craft business.

26/06/2024

Such an important message, one which I've had to learn a few times! Not all dogs are ok with physical contact, and even if they are, they don't have to be available to meet our request for contact.

There seems to be a kind of societal expectation around dogs that they are available for humans to interact with and make a fuss of. Often this sees people making a beeline for dogs, hands stretched out and looking directly at them. This is at least a little understandable – we all love dogs, after all, and just want to say ‘Hi!’

We’ll sometimes see warnings that the humans with the dog should be asked if it’s ok to say hello, and to respect the answer given (if a dog is wearing a coat or harness showing that they are an assistance dog then we shouldn’t even be asking as they need to be allowed to focus on their job as they are working).

The truth is that we also need to ask someone else if it’s ok to say hi and interact – the dogs themselves.

Think of it this way: we don’t want to interact with every person we see all the time.

We might be shy of people we don’t know.

We might just want to carry on with what we’re doing.

We might be a bit too warm for comfort (as is the case in several places right now).

We might be nervous.

We might be not feeling quite right and just want to be left alone.

Every single one of those things can be true for dogs as well. And, while there are lots of dogs that welcome fuss and attention when out and about, there are also those who just want to be able to do their own thing without interruption.

And, perhaps the most important thing to remember, is that our dogs are sentient creatures with thoughts, feelings, and preferences. We have an ethical duty to make sure that we and others around us respect those things and, even if the human end of the lead says it’s fine to say hi, respect what the dog shows us they would prefer.

19/06/2024

A beautiful blue and beige snuffle mat crafted - getting ready for a busy summer of dog-friendly events! We will be selling handmade snuffle mats, snuffle balls, shredding balls, tug toys and much more throughout July and August - stay tuned for dates and locations!

15/06/2024

My helpers today as I get stuck into making more snuffle balls, snuffle mats and tug toys! Honey at the front and Kingsley at the back enjoying his fleece fort!

11/05/2024

Having a lovely holiday in sunny Cushendun ☀️🐶