Enrichment is a buzzword tossed around the pet world, but what does it mean? And, more importantly, how can you ensure your beloved companion lives a life brimming with stimulating, fulfilling activities?
Well, pet parents, pet lovers and curious critters, we created this Ultimate Guide to Enrichment to unlock some secrets to happy, healthy, and endlessly entertained furballs! Enrichment is an ever-changing landscape in pet ownership so do check back regularly to see updates and new ideas.
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What is enrichment?
Everything is enrichment, from the nice evening cuddle to an intensive walk/play session. It’s all about adding variety, challenge and mental stimulation to your pet’s daily routine. It can be a change in toy rotation for parrots, a new puzzle toy for dogs, a taller cat tree for (surprise) cats, or anything that changes the daily routine.
People have been paying more attention to enrichment these days, which is fantastic, but just like overwhelming your pet with too much, for us humans enrichment can be an overwhelming experience trying to ensure we’re giving our little ones the best life possible. We’re here to help with that and give you some best tips and tricks from our experience in keeping pets.
Let’s explore some options for different types of pets:
Agile Adventurers (Dogs):
- Scent games: Dogs have incredible noses, with over 300 million receptors they can sniff way better than you can! It stands to reason that one of the best ways to improve your pup’s enrichment is by providing scent games. By hiding treats around your home or garden is a fantastic way to achieve this.
There are many ways to activate your dog’s scent habits, using a KONG Classic filled with tasty treats you can hide the toy somewhere in your house or garden, with a trail of treats leading up to it. This ensures your dog won’t get frustrated and give up before they have found their prize. - Agility courses: This may seem expensive, but it doesn’t have to be. You can of course buy agility equipment from Amazon but you can also use anything around your house or garden. Using old boxes, hula-hoops, rope or anything that might look like an obstacle will work. As you set the course up, be sure not to make your dog do the course until you say as this will improve their enjoyment. This is also a great way to improve training and bonding between you and your best mate!
- Interactive toys: There are so many interactive dog toys on the market and they are brilliant for increasing your dog’s enrichment, especially on rainy days! Puzzle feeders and treat dispensing toys are self-explanatory, but if you aren’t aware of them they are usually small trays or balls that your dog has to work out how to retrieve their treats. They come in various levels of difficulty, with our Pip, however, we usually go for level 5 (the hardest). Using these types of toys is the perfect way to mentally stimulate your dog. Have a look at Nina Ottosson toys as these are generally the best on the market right now.
Curious Climbers (Cats):
- Cat Trees/posts: Cats naturally want to be up high and if you’ve ever owned a cat you know this to be true. What you might not know is that giving cats a high place to perch actually increases their enrichment. Allowing your cat an area to be up high by using cat posts/cat trees can reduce stress and minimise destructive behaviour. Read our blog about cat trees/post here to find out more about the benefits.
- Food foraging fun: Cats are hunters and that is really all they want to do, by leaning into this drive can have amazing benefits. Using your cat’s toys by hiding treats inside them or rewarding your cat after a mad play session saves your little one from getting frustrated. This leads to our next point.
- Cat Toys: There are many toys on the market for cats, from wand toys to laser pointers (used responsibly) that can ignite your cat’s inner predator can provide endless entertainment. The trick for stopping your cat from being bored quickly (if you know, you know) from their toys is to ensure your cat catches and attacks the toy. When you watch your cat play you will see their back legs kicking, this isn’t a weird, random act, but a vital tool in your cat’s survival toolkit. They do this to ensure quick and easy access to their food. (We won’t go into the gory details here)
Hopping Hipster (Rabbits and other small mammals):
- Tunnels and burrows: Rabbits and other small mammals feel safest being underground away from predators, being prey animals after all. By crafting tunnels made from cardboard boxes, PVC pipes or even blankets can make your small bunny feel warm and safe. Having dried willow branches readily available is also a great way to keep your small pet happy. See our third point regarding this.
- Foraging frenzy: Small mammals like Rabbits and Guinea Pigs, are natural grazers and adore (need) hay to stay healthy and being herbivores require veg and herbage to keep their gut in check. A cool way to improve your little mammal is by crafting or purchasing a hay box and attaching it to their hutch or cage for easy easy access. During the change out to fresh hay, why not stick a few bits of leftover veg (cabbage, carrots, broccoli) so that your rabbit can have a surprise treat?
- Chew, chew, chew: Rodents teeth never stop growing! If you have a hamster you know the annoyance of waking up in the middle of the night to an ambitious little critter gnawing away at some part of their cage. So providing ample pieces of wood and toys is imperative to keeping your loved one healthy. By providing dried willow branches, wooden blocks and chew treats (Johnson does some really good ones) you can keep the cage gnawing to a minimum (you won’t stop it altogether no matter how hard you try) and your fluffy pet happy!
Things to Remember:
- Tailor your enrichment to your pet’s individual needs and personality. Every pet is different and has their joys, needs and wants! By observing what works, what makes them tick, and what makes them go nuts at the cupboard door is not only fun for you but can help you tailor playtime around them. Additionally, it helps with bonding so you know… Win-win.
- Rotate activities regularly: There is nothing worse than the same monotonous routine where there is no spice of life, a rut basically, the same goes for playtime for your pet. Rotate their toys, move around their cage (within reason, keep an eye that this doesn’t cause unnecessary stress) move the tree, and do what works within your home but make sure it doesn’t get stale for your pet.
- Start slow and build complexity. Introducing new routines can be really fun, and you will want to do it immediately but be mindful of your pet. If you have a dog that hasn’t had any enrichment, a parrot that has lived its life with no toys or a cat that has grown up not knowing how to claw at a cat post adding too much can be a little overwhelming. So start small, work with your pet, learn what they want and act accordingly it will only benefit you both.
- Most importantly, have fun! Remember enrichment should be fun for you and your pet. That thrill of discovering a new toy, or spending time crafting a new thing for your pet and they absolutely adore it is the best feeling in the world. Building enrichment for your loved one is enrichment for you and will help grow a loving and powerful bond between you both!
This is a long blog post so if you made it this far, well done. This ultimate guide is just a small part of the world of enrichment, we have lots of advice regarding pet-keeping as we’ve been doing it for many years and have learnt a thing or two. Just remember, happy pets make happy homes, and adding joy to your pet’s life with create a world of joy, madness and laughter!
Now go forth and enrich! Your pet’s purrs of gratitude await.
P.S. Don’t forget to share your enrichment adventures with us! Tag us in your photos and videos and let us see how you’re keeping your furry (or feathered) friends thriving!