We really thought Harrison, our 9 year old Brittany, would love our new Florida home. Along with his favorite blanket from our home in western New York, we schlepped his crate, an endless supply of treats and his beloved toys. My husband, Steve, arranged for a new fence for our Florida home and a nifty doggie door. We brought Harrison to this beautiful dog-friendly community with built in great weather, long walks and new doggie smells. We thought Harrison was going to be one very happy dog until we were blind-sided when we needed to leave him alone to run errands. It seems our funny, wildly curious pet went into a blind and bloody panic, clawing at doors and walls, whenever we left him alone.

Harrison is a bit of a folk legend among our circle of friends and family. There are so many stories about our wacky, but brilliant dog that folks just figured this was another one of those stories. Our friends said, that Harrison was sure to get used to the new place soon, but that just did not happen. Instead, Harrison's panic increased when we left him alone. We came home to horrible blood smears on the walls and doors and bloody paws on our very frightened dog. Why was this suddenly happening in Florida and not back in our New York home?

That sent us running to our new Florida veterinarian who informed us that Harrison is suffering from Separation Anxiety. No, it was not a joke and to our horror we were told there was no easy fix. Although, over time, we tried many different kinds of medications to help Harrison handle his fears, the vet said the only hope for Harrison was to take him to a behavioral specialist. Our dog needed to see a psychiatrist? Was I going to be blamed for somehow causing these fears in my dog? I resisted this form of treatment but the vet made it sound like this was a do or die situation. Not in a million years did I ever think I would even consider bringing my dog to a psychiatrist!

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If your veterinarian said that she had a way to improve your dog's memory, learning ability and physical capabilities without much work on your part and with minimal financial investment, would you do it? You would be crazy not to. This inexpensive, easy addition to your interactions with your dog is called environmental enrichment.

Environmental enrichment is increasing the wealth, quality and value of the animal's environment. In a breakthrough scientific study, van Pragg, Kempermann, et al examined the changes in the brain resulting from environmental enrichment in laboratory rats.   The researchers discovered that the groups that were exposed to an enriched environment displayed significant improvements in memory, learning ability, and motor skills. Perhaps the most astonishing finding was that these changes in the brain were observed even when the enrichment was provided to adult animals as well. How does a research study on rats apply to your Labrador Retriever?

As this study showed, animals, much like you and I, are meant to be active and stimulated all day long. If your entire day was spent in your house without a television, phone or computer, how would you feel? You would probably be bored and frustrated. You might even get into some trouble. Now, you can see how your dog or cat feels. There are lots of ways to enrich your pet's life. Click here to read article>>