Enhancing the Quality of Life

Enrichment provides targeted training and play, allowing each species to express its specific type of natural behaviors in an unnatural setting, while providing mental and physical stimulation.

When developing your enrichment approach keep in mind the type of breed you have so that you can tailor your enrichment activities to suite that specific breed. Dog and cat breeds have been bred to "express" certain behaviors as described by the AKC breed by group. for dogs and by the ACFA by breed for cats.

Providing enriching activities can be creative and fun without having to depend only on specialty products although plenty exist in the marketplace. We have compiled ideas that will challenge your dog's instinct for problem solving, licking and chewing and cat's instincts for hunting and problem solving.

With all enrichment activities, start out basic with simple and easy activities. Once your furry kid has mastered this stage then move onto more difficult activities. Many ideas will be presented that can be modified and built upon for greater difficulty. If you start out with a difficult level first, many animals become frustrated and will either not want to engage in the activity or become destructive.

Every toy or food item discussed has the potential to become hazardous if misused or swallowed in large chunks causing blockages or an upset stomach. We always recommend supervising every activity.

Interactive Canine Enrichment

There are all types of games you can play with your dog. Many you can find from obedience, agility and hunting training references. Dogs learn these games quickly when positive reinforcement and praise is given. Here are a few to get you started.

Fetch: this classic is an all time favorite for most dogs. For those that have a hard time bringing the item back, consider using a rubber or tennis ball style toy with a squeaker in it.
Find: hide a favorite object such as a treat, bone or toy. Say "where's the item". Start out easy by walking over to the object and pointing at it. Once your dog gets the idea of finding the object then create a more difficult challenge by hiding it in an easy area. Once your dog gets the idea of finding the hidden object start hiding it in more difficult areas. I was able to train my labrador retriever to find a ball after throwing it off a balcony into the back yard. I would give the signal "find the ball". He would watch me throw the ball, and then run down the stairs to the back yard to find it. I decided to use the commands "hot" or "cold" to indicate if he was close to the ball or not. He would then sniff out the ball and bring it back. This game would take several "hot" and "cold" calls with quite a few positive "good boy" when he got close to it. Please note that this took weeks to learn after starting the find game. It was worth it.
Chase: laser pointers or feather chase cat toys are great to get your dog chasing an item.
Over sized balls are another interesting game to play. Your dog will push it around trying to pick it up. You can progress to a more difficult level by teaching your dog to push the over sized ball to a specific point for a treat or praise.

Independent Canine Enrichment

We tend to forget that dogs have extremely powerful jaws. So lets bust a chewing myth - There is no such thing as an indestructible toy or extremely long lasting chew. Most marketing claims are "hype" and not reality. We have owners tell us all the time that their dog (size does not matter) has eaten through and shredded Kongs, Nylabones, stones, bones, and solid furniture. We even know of one Jack Russell that ate through plaster leaving giant size holes in a few walls.

Since our pets sometimes eat non-food items, it is good to distinguish between what is edible versus what is digestible. Edible treats such as nylabones or rawhide are not considered toxic but are not digested either. They pass through the system without nutrient absorption. On the flip side, digestible treats such as bully sticks are digested and nutrients absorbed.

Described below are a few tips and tricks for the different types of independent enrichment categories:

Chew Treats

Rawhide - long lasting but harder on the digestion. many veterinarians recommend it be introduced after 6-8 months. Because this is the under-hide of a cow, products shipped over water need to be kept dried by adding chemical drying agents.
Cartilage and connective tissue such as bully sticks come in all sorts of forms; twisted, pretzel, round, straight, spiral.
Fish skins - actual skin dehydrated into bone or roll shapes
Bones - either the really hard processed bones or raw (please note that raw tend not to splinter as easily as cooked since they are not dried out).
Antlers - these chews are a bone structure that is shed seasonally by males of the Cervidae family including deer, moose, and elk.
Horns and hooves- these chews come from the Bovidae family including cows, sheep and and water buffalo. They are not bone but made of keratin (just like your hair and finger nails).
Alternative digestible items include non-bone products such as “n0-hides”, hardened milk products such as “Himalayan chews” or hard vegetable treats such as “Paragon” products.

Durable Toys

Rubber or nylon toys such as Kong brands work well. These toys should be washed once a week in warm water with mild soap or they will retain old odors and tastes that will not be appealing.

Durable plush/canvas toy brands should be well stitched, thick and usually utilize canvas or fire hose. Each year newer materials and construction techniques enter the market to make some of these soft toys extremely long lasting.
Interactive puzzle toys are newer to the industry. and come in plush, plastic or wood. They start out easy such as placing a ball inside a cube part way and teaching your furry kid to pull the ball out of the cube making it harder once each stage is mastered. These toys will be really appealing to hunting and working dog breeds.
Boiled Wool toys are tightly woven, dried naturally and pull like taffy when chewed. A really good technique to aid in the "chewing stage" during the puppy period is to dip the toy in water until completely soaked and then freeze. The cold feels good on sore gums.

Combo

There are some great methods to combine treats and toys to create a more interactive experience and also stimulate your dog's cognitive development skills. Hollow rubber toys and plastic interactive toys can be filled with items or dry food, Filling idea examples include:

Fill toy such as a Kong or Tibia Bone with dog's current kibble and cap off the end with natural/organic peanut butter, light cream cheese, pureed pumpkin or canned dog food.
Chilled Fillings can be used such as blending one jar of all natural or organic sugar free peanut butter with 1-2 tbs. of honey. Store in the refrigerator for later use. Spread with your finger 1/4 inch of the blend into the toy. Variations on this recipe include: freezing or by blending into the mixture chopped carrots, sweet potatoes, apples or small biscuit treats.
Using Knox gelatin (this is a baking gelatin and does not contain sugar or sugar substitutes which may be toxic), create a gelatin using low sodium bone broth instead of water. Use the rubber toy or bone as a mold. Variations on this recipe include: mixing in chopped carrots, green beans, apples or small biscuit treats.

Feline Enrichment

Most people find keeping cats entertained easy but every now and then we run into a few owners that want some different ideas. Since cats are born hunters and love to chase, the sky is the limit to the types of toys and play time available. For enrichment, there are a few methods to develop natural behaviors. The Walt Disney Enrichment Program describes their enrichment program for their tigers which is easily replicated with your domestic cats as follows: "self maintenance - rubbing, scratching", "Sensory - smelling, scent marking, investigation", "Hunting behaviors - run, jump, pounce, chase, capture, stalk"

We recommend that you rotate toys so that the toys stay fresh and interesting. A variety of toys work best by having some chasing toys (such as strings or poles with feathers or laser pointers) and traditional toys for your cat to bat around (such as furry mice and balls). Its important to set time aside and play with your cat so that it chases an object. This creates a good bond with your cat and allows your cat to get exercise. Below are some ideas to get you started. We broke each approach based on the "tiger model".

Self-Maintenance

Grooming is a large part of cat behavior. Brushing regularly not only helps keeps your cat's coat healthy but fulfills the need for self maintenance.
Scratching posts promotes scratching and rubbing. We recommend avoiding carpeted items and try sisal or cardboard scratchers.. Once cats associate scratching with carpet, they will scratch all carpets available.

Sensory

Smells can be applied to toys to make the more interesting. The most popular smell is catnip. Take a zip lock bag and shake the toys in it and leave it overnight so that the catnip smell will become infused. Another alternative is fresh/dried honeysuckle.

Scent marking is not only applied with urine but also scent glands secreted by the cheek. When your cat rubs his face against you he is "marking" you as his territory. There are some scratching products that promote face rubbing or extra vertical scratching posts also work.

Hunting

Investigation toys allow your cat to try and find a toy within a box. You can also make your own investigation toys by cutting holes in a box and putting fun toys in it for your cat to dig out. Leave a large paper bag or box out every now and then for your cat to climb into and investigate.

Hanging a string so that it falls about 1 foot before the floor from a doorway with a toy attached is a great way to promote jumping. Or, use a chasing toy to get your cat to chase it, and then lift it in the air to see how high your cat will jump.
Put your hand underneath a heavy blanket and make a scratching sound underneath it. Your cat will follow the sound and pounce. For variety, once your cat hears the sound start running your hand in different patterns so that your cat will have to chase it and then pounce.