With our love for our pets, we are usually concerned about how to feed them, give them good water, and groom them properly, as it should be, but there is something significant we are not paying close attention to when it comes to our pets, and that is what I have come to share with you.
Enrichment for pets involves engaging in activities that mentally and physically stimulate the animal's mind, body, and senses. This helps to prevent boredom, promotes overall well-being, and reduces stress altogether. The issue of enrichment takes several forms: physical exercise, creating opportunities for social interaction, and providing puzzle toys. On the other hand, activities like hunting, sniffing, playing, jumping around, and climbing are also a part of the enrichment process.
Enrichment in pets has been classified into different categories. This classification will help us better understand which activities we should treat our pets and incorporate these activities into their daily, weekly, or monthly routine.
Behavioral/cognitive enrichment has to do with problem-solving task, memory tasks, and activities that has to do with mental stimulation. An enrichment like this helps a pet feel calm and less stressed, and overall behavior can help receive improvement as well with this type of enrichment.
Environmental enrichment has to do with exposing an animal to environmental complexities like toys and trips to the park. This nature of enrichment increases activity level, encourages exploratory behavior, and limits undesirable and behavioral issues.
Musical enrichment is another form of enrichment that dogs respond to. Scent enrichment has helped to increase the level of engagement of dogs too; stress is reduced, and the time spent resting will be reduced greatly.
Feeding enrichment entails pet owners making feeding time fun time; dogs love to feel challenged and engaged. When we add a layer of problem-solving scheme to feeding time, they are not just going through the motions, but they are working for and tasting their food.
As good as enrichment is to the health of our pet, we have to be careful not to handle it poorly, as it can create a case of serious harm. For instance, if we use toys for enrichment, they could swallow them if they are not properly monitored, and food enrichment could also result in a case of obesity.
A pet who is not going through the scheme of enrichment will show signs of boredom, so we will most likely find such pets acting restlessly or pacing around. A pet that lacks enrichment will also act out, engage in destructive behaviors either towards their own possessions or general household belongings, and they will also be found barking for no reason.
Dog owners need to bear in mind that they were not made to just lie on the lounge all day receiving treats and belly pats. While this is a good treat, their default mode is for them to be active, and we must always remember what their default instinct is.
For all the numerous benefits we enjoy from our pets, we should also make efforts to ensure they are living a great life, by concentrating not just on their feeding but on their mental health and overall lifestyle.
