If you think about it, we don't really give our dogs a lot of choices. We feed them what we choose to feed them, walk them where we want to walk, and when we want to walk. Even the toys they have available are the ones we've picked out. While some might argue that the freedom from having to make any decisions at all is liberating, I think it is actually quite stressful. Dogs are thinking beings. While it may appear that the only decisions they are making are those that involve whether to lay on this dog bed or that one, they are actually capable of making quite a few decisions about their care if given the chance to do so. Something as simple as asking them, "do you want canned pumpkin or green beans" and showing them those options so that they may choose, has long term psychological benefits. If you are giving them puzzle toys for feeding or slow feeder bowls, show them a couple of options and ask which one they want to eat from. When you go for a walk, let them choose the direction and while walking, if they want to explore a new area, let them. Take them with you to shop for toys, dog beds, etc. (when possible), so that they can pick what they like or find interesting at that time.
Really look at your dog when you give them the choices. At first, they may appear confused or overwhelmed. They aren't used to making those decisions and all of the choices look good at first when you are talking about food and toys! There are certain situations, however, where those choices they make for themselves may actually lead to obvious relief of tension and stress. For example, if you have a tendency to walk your dog on autopilot, focused on walking a certain distance or route everyday, you might be missing cues from your dog that his lack of choice with regard to this arrangement is stressful. Look at your dog on your walks! Do they look happy, or frustrated that you don't stop so they can sniff. Do they look like they are enjoying the pace, or really having a hard time keeping up. Watch your dog's body language as that will tell you very clearly when your dog is having a good time and when he's not. For older or infirm dogs, maybe a walk is not their choice. Maybe they would prefer a nosework game in the yard or in the house where it's cooler. Perhaps they'd get better exercise with a modified agility course in your backyard where they can choose where they want to go next and earn treats for stepping through hula hoops, moving around soccer cones, rolling an exercise ball, etc.
Sure, it may take a bit longer to walk the dog if he's choosing the route and yes, it may take longer to let your dog choose which food topping he wants and which bowl he wants to eat from. Taking that extra time, however, shows your dog that you care about him and the way his mind works. You are demonstrating your capacity for compassion and understanding. You will be making most of your dog's big decisions for him. Letting him have a say in some of those decisions that are part of daily life, however, will result in happier, less anxious, more engaged dogs. The power of choice is something we humans often take for granted. Our dogs most certainly don't.
As many of you have pointed out, we have a lot of toys to choose from at our house, three toy boxes full in fact! I love watching Westley choose what he wants to play with. He'll root around in all three boxes, throwing toys hither and yon until he finds the one he wants. He will often choose something that hasn't seen the light of day in months. He gets really excited when he finds one of these gems and will toss it around proudly which usually results in interest from Ozzie and Desi as well. He is definitely a dog who enjoys different textures as you can see in this picture of him with two toys he found to play with, from the bottom of the toy boxes, the last time he was home for a visit.
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