Dogs and cats require both physical and mental exercise in order to fully tire them out, this is especially so for working breeds and puppies. Animals who also encounter a lot of stress can use enrichment to relax as sniffing, chewing and licking are all destressing activities.

There are many types of enrichment and it doesn’t have to be expensive! When it comes to making your dogs brain work, the more inventive the better.

Kongs, Tough toys and Licki matts

These are readily available in most pet shops and online. They often work by stuffing or spreading food onto the toy so that the animal must work their brain in order to receive the food. You can use a variety of foods in these including the cat or dog’s breakfast/dinner, tinned meats/loaf or more high value foods e.g. fish paste (cats), spreadable cheese (dogs), treats. If your dog or cat is new at using something like this, start by making the rewards easy to get to and then, as the animal gets used to the enrichment, increase the difficulty e.g. freezing the kong/licki matt. They are particularly good for animals that need to chew or lick to relieve stress.

Puzzle Feeder

These are a brilliant way to make mealtimes last a little longer whilst allowing your dog or cat to build confidence and learn new skills. If you have a highly intelligent breed, it is recommended to get a few different ideas/types of puzzle feeders so that the animal doesn’t solve the same puzzle everyday – quickly becoming a pro! Puzzle feeders can be brought, or home made, and the possibilities are endless! Consider making a hole in a plastic bottle, pulling a string through it and tying it up so that the dog must learn to spin the bottle to get treats from it. Another puzzle could be to use an old muffin tray as a base with treats in and tennis balls on the top of the treats, so the animal has to sniff out the treats. If your dog or cat shows signs of struggling or not interested, it may be that the puzzle is too hard to begin with. Demonstrate to your pet how to get the reward at first so that the animal starts to understand the requirements needed to get the treat.

Destruction Box

This one can be messy but, your cat or dog will have LOADS of fun figuring out how to get to the rewards inside. You can use most things lying around your house which means it’s a cheap and easy idea that will keep your pets entertained for as long as you need, depending on how hard or easy you make it! You get to have lots of fun with this one too as you can create and be inventive. Old egg boxes, delivery boxes, toilet roll tubes and even old fabrics can be used. The idea is that you place treats inside a container, fill it with tissue paper/shredded paper or anything else that will increase the snuffle ability and fill the box with treats, making sure that the treats are covered by the paper but, not all sat at the bottom or top. Then give to your dog or cat and watch the fun begin! This is particularly fun for puppies or high energy dogs. Cats also enjoy this as is enables them to use their natural behaviours.

Frozen Enrichment

This is fantastic for the summer but, doesn’t stop there! Frozen enrichment can be given to your dog or cat at any time of the year and has the benefit of lasting a lot longer than usual. Another one you get to be inventive with! The key is to make the frozen food tasty, so the animal keeps coming back for more. You can do this by using a paste like food or, when using water add some doggy gravy (human gravy has too much salt) or small amount of meat from a pouch. For cats, use fish paste or ensure flakes of the fish are poking out of the top. Use a cup or plastic tub to hold the water and treats in and freeze overnight. The ice block should slip out or, use a little bit of warm water to heat the outside of the tub. Fill it with whatever treats you want and you can make it as small or big as you want. It’s best to make ice blocks comparable to the animal size e.g. cats would need a smaller block due to delicate teeth whereas a large breed dog would enjoy licking and biting a larger block.

Long Lasting Chews

These are readily available in most pet shops, online shops and supermarkets. They range from small chews to large chews made of animal parts. There are also some cat chews available, however, they are few and best found online. The market predominantly targets dogs and a quick search of “long lasting chew” will show 100s of choices for dogs. Pig ears, pizzle sticks, yakers milk chews and even tracheas some of the many choices.

Never leave your dog unsupervised while using a long-lasting chew as they can be a choking hazard, especially for dogs that tend to eat too quickly. Always buy a chew suitable to the size of your dog and the type of teeth they have. A lot of chews are not suitable for puppies as their teeth are not as strong so, always buy appropriately. If you are not a fan of animal part chews, there are chews available that do not have this look.

Training

Training is the best way to mentally enrich and tire your dog or cat, build a great bond with your pet and reduce any unwanted behaviours – all at the same time! Learning new training methods will be a confidence building technique for both you and your pet and, by using positive reward training, your dog or cat gets the benefit of spending lots of fun and engaging time with you.

Even the most well-trained dogs can learn new skills. Try setting up a small agility course in the garden and train them to complete it, trying to achieve a quicker time with each go. Teach your dog a “find it” so that they have to find treats spread around the house or look into trick training e.g. crawl and spin. Your dog may have training needs already and this is the perfect chance to work on them too!

Cats love to train too and both dogs and cats can often be trained in very similar ways, although their treats and rewards will often be different. Cats are very intelligent and love to learn when given the opportunity. Try teaching them a sit, down, recall or even to complete a small obstacle course! Use rewards such as small bits of tuna or play to encourage them to continue trying.

Pittville pets are always happy to assist with any training needs you may have with your dogs or cats

Exciting the Senses

This is an often overlooked form of enrichment but, a very important one! This where we get the opportunity to put ourselves into the mind of our dog or cat to try and think like them and how they perceive the world. Outdoor cats get to explore the world as they please but, indoor cats and dogs may be restricted when it comes to allowing their senses to do the talking.

Cats and dogs use all 5 senses to explore the world - hearing, smell, sight, taste and touch. We can use different methods to allow our animals to use their senses to their full potential. For hearing we can use a radio or even windchimes. We can play different outdoor sounds paired with treats to build their confidence.

Smell can be enriched by planting cat and dog friendly herbs in the house or garden, making scent trails in the house or garden that the animal must follow to find a hidden reward. Sight can be enriched by playing with toys, putting a bee box in the garden, blowing bubbles or even having a pinwheel in the garden. We have covered taste a lot but, introduce your pet to new flavours and research what is safe for them to eat. For touch you can make a small obstacle course for your cat or dog to walk over with difference surfaces e.g. carpet, woolly bath matt, rubber matt, bubble wrap etc.

This part is all about being more aware of the way your dog or cat explores the world. It is a great activity to enrich your pets life but, it also gives you a greater understanding of how your dog or cat learns about the world!

The most important thing is that both your cat, your dog and you are all having fun and building a stronger bond than ever before! Get out there and start creating fun for the whole family, furry and all!

Enrichment for Cats and Dogs