When families reach out to dog trainers, they often start with the same request: “We need our dog to be more obedient.” They want their dog to sit on command, walk perfectly on leash, come when called, and stop doing all those annoying dog things—the jumping, the barking, the counter surfing, the midnight zoomies.
But here’s what I’ve come to understand through my work with families and their dogs, informed by the science of dog cognition and behavior: obedience and enrichment are fundamentally different approaches to living with dogs, and only one of them actually addresses what your dog needs.
Let me explain why understanding this difference might completely transform your relationship with your dog.
What Obedience Really Is (And What It Isn’t)
Obedience training focuses on teaching dogs to perform specific behaviors on cue—sit, stay, down, come, heel. It’s about compliance, control, and getting your dog to do what you want, when you want it. Traditional obedience asks dogs to suppress their natural behaviors and respond to human commands regardless of what they’re feeling or needing in that moment.
Don’t get me wrong—having a dog who understands basic cues can be helpful for safety and household harmony. Knowing “wait” at doorways or “leave it” when they spot something potentially dangerous on a walk serves a practical purpose.
But obedience training alone doesn’t ask the most important question: Why is your dog doing the behavior you’re trying to stop?
When we focus exclusively on obedience, we’re treating dogs like machines that need programming rather than sentient beings with complex emotional lives, genetic predispositions, environmental needs, and individual learning histories. We’re asking them to perform without considering what they’re trying to communicate through their behavior.
Understanding Enrichment: Meeting Needs, Not Demanding Compliance
Enrichment takes a completely different approach. Instead of asking “How do I make my dog stop doing that?”, enrichment asks “What does my dog need that they’re not getting?”
Enrichment is about providing opportunities for dogs to engage in species-appropriate behaviors that fulfill their genetic, environmental, emotional, and cognitive needs. It’s grounded in understanding the L.E.G.S.® framework—Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self—which recognizes that behavior isn’t random or a training failure. It’s information about what’s working and what’s missing in a dog’s life.
When I work with families, enrichment means:
- Giving a Scent Hound nose work opportunities instead of demanding they ignore every smell on a walk
- Providing a Terrier with appropriate digging and shredding outlets instead of punishing their genetic drive to hunt small prey
- Offering a Herding Dog movement-based games and jobs instead of expecting them to be calm and still all day
- Understanding that a Livestock Guardian needs to patrol and observe rather than training them out of their vigilance
- Recognizing that a Sight Hound might need to chase something (like a flirt pole) instead of punishing them for taking off after squirrels
Enrichment acknowledges that there are no problem behaviors, only unmet needs waiting to be understood.
The Science Behind Why Enrichment Works
Research in dog cognition, particularly the work of scientists like Brian Hare, shows us that dogs are sophisticated social learners who experience complex emotions and make decisions based on their environment, past experiences, and genetic predispositions. They’re not blank slates waiting for training—they’re individuals with histories, personalities, and needs.
When we understand behavior through the L.E.G.S.® framework, we see that:
Learning (L): Every dog has a unique learning history. A dog who’s been punished for barking hasn’t learned not to bark—they’ve learned that expressing their needs leads to conflict. Enrichment provides positive learning opportunities that teach dogs what to do, not just what not to do.
Environment (E): A dog’s physical and social environment profoundly impacts their behavior. A dog who’s understimulated, over-aroused, or living in environmental chaos isn’t being disobedient—they’re responding to their circumstances. Enrichment addresses environmental factors that create behavioral challenges.
Genetics (G): This is where breed-specific needs become crucial. A Border Collie’s need to herd isn’t a training problem—it’s genetic purpose seeking an outlet. A Beagle’s nose-to-ground focus isn’t disobedience—it’s what Scent Hounds were literally bred to do for centuries. When we provide breed-appropriate enrichment, we honor dogs’ genetic heritage instead of fighting against it.
Self (S): Each dog is an individual with their own personality, preferences, fears, and joys. What enriches one dog might stress another. True enrichment requires getting to know your specific dog—not following a one-size-fits-all training program.
What This Looks Like in Real Life
Let me give you a real example that illustrates the difference.
This is the kind of situation families often face: a young Labrador Retriever is ‘destructive’ and ‘won’t listen.’ The family has tried obedience training. Their dog knows ‘sit’ and ‘down,’ but continues to destroy shoes, dig in the backyard, and pull on leash during walks.
The obedience approach would focus on more training—stronger corrections for pulling, more consistent punishment for destructive behavior, perhaps a crate for longer periods when they can’t supervise.
The enrichment approach asks different questions:
- How much retrieval opportunity does this Gun Dog get daily? (Genetics)
- What does their daily routine look like? Are they getting enough physical and mental stimulation? (Environment)
- What happens right before the destructive behavior? Is the dog bored, anxious, or understimulated? (Learning)
- What is this specific dog’s personality and energy level? Do they prefer water retrieves? Food puzzles? Sniffing games? (Self)
When we shift to enrichment, we might discover this Lab needs:
- Multiple daily opportunities to carry things (Labradors were bred to retrieve!)
- Water play or swimming several times a week
- Sniff walks where pulling is expected and encouraged
- Food puzzles and scatter feeding instead of bowl meals
- Appropriate chewing outlets like frozen Kongs or bully sticks
- A digging pit in the backyard with buried treasures
Suddenly, the “disobedient” dog isn’t destroying shoes because they’re getting appropriate outlets for their need to mouth, carry, and work. They’re not pulling on walks because they’re getting dedicated sniff time where pulling is the whole point. They’re not digging up the garden because they have a designated digging zone.
The behavior changed not because the dog learned to be more obedient, but because their needs were finally being met.
Why Obedience Often Fails (And What Happens Instead)
Here’s the uncomfortable truth: obedience training often “works” temporarily by suppressing behavior through pressure, corrections, or punishment—not by addressing underlying needs.
A dog might stop barking when punished with a shock collar, but they haven’t stopped feeling anxious, bored, or alert to perceived threats. They’ve just learned that expressing those feelings leads to pain. The anxiety remains; the communication has been silenced.
A dog might stop pulling on leash after enough leash corrections, but they haven’t stopped needing to sniff or move at their own pace. They’ve just learned that following their nose leads to discomfort. The need remains; the outlet has been removed.
This is why behavior “problems” so often return or morph into new issues. We’ve addressed the symptom without treating the cause.
Enrichment, on the other hand, provides appropriate outlets for natural behaviors. It says “Yes, you can dig—but here in this designated spot” instead of “No, never dig anywhere.” It says “Yes, you can sniff obsessively on these decompression walks” instead of “No, heeling only.”
Enrichment Isn’t Just About Toys and Puzzles
When families hear “enrichment,” they often think it means buying more toys or fancy puzzle feeders. While those can be part of enrichment, the concept is much deeper.
True enrichment includes:
Sensory Enrichment: Opportunities to use all five senses—sniffing walks, listening to nature sounds, watching the world from a window perch, exploring different textures underfoot
Physical Enrichment: Movement that matches genetic purpose—retrieval games for Gun Dogs, chase games for Sight Hounds, digging opportunities for Terriers, free running for Natural breeds
Social Enrichment: Appropriate interaction with humans and other dogs based on each dog’s social needs and preferences
Cognitive Enrichment: Problem-solving opportunities like food puzzles, scent work, learning new tricks they actually enjoy
Environmental Enrichment: Variety in daily life—new walking routes, novel experiences, safe exploration opportunities
Rest and Decompression: Yes, enrichment includes adequate sleep and downtime! Many “disobedient” dogs are actually overtired and overstimulated.
The Role of Choice in Enrichment
Here’s something that makes enrichment fundamentally different from obedience: agency and choice.
Obedience training typically removes choice. The dog must sit when told, regardless of whether they want to or feel safe doing so in that moment. They must walk at the handler’s pace, focusing on the human rather than their environment.
Enrichment provides choice. On a sniff walk, your dog chooses where to smell and for how long. During scatter feeding, they choose which path to take finding food. With multiple enrichment options available, they choose which activity meets their needs right now.
Research shows that having control over their environment reduces stress in dogs and increases their ability to cope with challenges. When dogs have opportunities to make choices throughout their day, they’re more resilient, confident, and emotionally balanced.
This doesn’t mean chaos or no boundaries. It means structuring your dog’s life so they have appropriate outlets and agency within safe parameters.
Enrichment Changes the Relationship
When I talk with families about shifting from an obedience mindset to an enrichment mindset, something profound happens in the human-dog relationship.
Instead of seeing their dog as something to be controlled and corrected, families start seeing their dog as an individual to be understood and supported. Instead of frustration over “disobedience,” there’s curiosity about unmet needs. Instead of demanding compliance, there’s collaboration toward meeting everyone’s needs—human and canine.
Dogs aren’t barometers for family emotional health because they’re perfectly obedient. They’re barometers because they’re authentic—they show us when something’s off, when needs aren’t being met, when the household system needs adjustment.
When we meet our dogs’ enrichment needs, we’re not just changing their behavior—we’re honoring who they are.
Finding the Balance
Does this mean basic cues and boundaries don’t matter? Of course not. There’s a place for teaching dogs practical skills that keep them safe and make coexistence easier.
But those cues work better when taught and practiced within a framework of met needs. A well-enriched dog has better impulse control, more resilience, improved focus, and stronger emotional regulation. They’re more capable of learning because they’re not in a constant state of stress from unmet needs.
The question isn’t “obedience OR enrichment”—it’s understanding that enrichment must come first. When your dog’s genetic needs, environmental needs, emotional needs, and individual preferences are being addressed through thoughtful enrichment, any practical skills you want to teach become exponentially easier.
What This Means for Your Family
If you’re reading this and recognizing that you’ve been focusing on obedience while your dog’s enrichment needs have been neglected, I want you to know: this isn’t about guilt. It’s about new information opening new possibilities.
The beauty of the enrichment approach is that it’s individualized. There’s no one-size-fits-all program to follow, no perfect training protocol to execute. There’s just your specific dog, with their unique combination of Learning, Environment, Genetics, and Self, waiting for you to see their behavior as communication rather than defiance.
Start by getting curious:
- What breed or breed mix is your dog, and what were those breeds originally bred to do?
- What does a typical day look like for your dog? Where might needs be going unmet?
- What does your dog do when given complete freedom to choose? (This tells you what they’re intrinsically motivated to do!)
- What environments or activities seem to bring your dog joy and satisfaction versus stress or frustration?
Your dog isn’t broken and doesn’t need fixing through obedience. They need understanding, appropriate outlets, and a life that honors who they are.
Moving Forward: From Commands to Connection
The shift from obedience to enrichment isn’t just a different training method—it’s a different philosophy of living with dogs. It’s the difference between seeing dogs as subordinates who need discipline versus seeing them as family members who deserve to have their needs met with the same consideration we’d give any loved one.
As a Family Dog Mediator, my work isn’t about teaching dogs to be more obedient. It’s about helping families understand their dogs well enough to create environments where both species can thrive together. It’s about recognizing that behavioral challenges are almost always communication about unmet needs.
When we provide true enrichment—when we honor our dogs’ genetics, support their learning, optimize their environment, and celebrate their individual selves—we don’t need to demand obedience. We get cooperation, partnership, and a relationship built on mutual respect and understanding.
That’s not just a better way to live with dogs. It’s the only way that truly honors who they are.
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