The Power of Pet Enrichment
Do you ever get the feeling someone is staring at you? The back of your neck tingles, the tiny hairs stand up, and you just know someone’s eyes are boring into you. That’s happening to me right now as I write this. I try to resist, but curiosity wins. I peek over the top of my screen.
Busted! Eye contact has been made — my writing time is doomed. Three more pairs of eyes join the first. Four dogs, staring like a furry jury, silently chanting: “We’re bored. We’re bored.” I hold out one more second before the smallest, a self-appointed speaker of the group, lets out a sharp yip that says, “Motion to adjourn this writing session.” I know better than to reward demand barking, so I’ll ask her for a trick, reward her, and then launch into a group enrichment activity before my living room is turned into a den of chaos.
When we think about caring for dogs, we usually picture the basics — food, walks, grooming — but we often overlook one of their most important needs: mental exercise. Just like us, dogs need to work their brains as much as their bodies.
You may have heard that 15 minutes of mental work can be as tiring as an hour of running. While that statement is probably exaggerated, it highlights an important truth: Mental work can tire a dog far more efficiently than physical activity alone.
Most dogs need 30 minutes to two hours of daily exercise — less for puppies and seniors, more for working breeds — but even a good walk twice a day isn’t always enough.
Dogs used to have jobs — herding, guarding, retrieving. Now many spend the day waiting for us to come home. Left without anything to do, they can go stir-crazy, barking at imaginary squirrels, digging craters in the yard, or redecorating the couch cushions.
When left tied up or kenneled too long, some dogs can even become destructive, mentally unstable or even aggressive. The good news? Mental enrichment is cheap, easy, and fun. Puzzle feeders, Kongs, scent games, and quick training sessions turn that restless energy into problem-solving and tail wags.
And cats? Don’t let their 16-hour nap schedule fool you — under that fluffy exterior is a predator who wants to stalk, pounce, and solve problems. Without a job to do, cats may overgroom, wake you up at 2 a.m. with hallway zoomies, shred furniture, or, yes, even pee in protest. In the wild, cats would spend most of their day “earning” their food. Inside, we need to give them safe ways to hunt and explore. Just 10–15 minutes of play twice a day can prevent bad habits and turn your living room into a mini safari.
But where to start?
For the dogs
• Try the classic muffin tin puzzle — drop kibble in the cups, cover with tennis balls, and watch them problem-solve.
• A DIY snuffle mat or rolled-up towel can turn dinner into a nose-powered treasure hunt.
• Fill a cardboard box with crumpled paper and hide paper-wrapped treats for dogs who love to dig.
• Scent trails — drag a treat along the floor, hide it, and let them track it.
• Hide-and-seek — have one person hold your pup while you hide, then call him to find you.
For the cats
• Build a cardboard “tower” or open-top maze out of boxes and cut peek-holes for spying and pouncing and hiding treats.
• Or try a paper-cup puzzle: cut six holes in a bottoms-up shoebox, pop in cups with a few treats, and watch them fish like tiny paw-powered crane machines.
My favorite for both cats and dogs when time is short? Scatter feeding. Toss a handful of their kibble onto the grass, rug, or under a blanket and let them hunt it down. And when you’re ready to really impress your friends, spend just 10 minutes a day teaching a fun trick — YouTube is full of easy tutorials. And don’t forget your horses and other pets — there are plenty of DIY enrichment ideas for them online too.
Rotate activities every few days to keep them fresh. Use part of their regular meal for rewards so they don’t gain weight, or teach them to enjoy veggies (we’ll cover that in a future article!). You don’t need fancy equipment or hours of time — just a little creativity and a couple of Google searches.
Enrichment isn’t a luxury — it’s how we help our pets live their best lives. A few minutes of mental play a day can turn boredom into joy, save your furniture, and bring more peace (and laughter) into your home.
Julie Bjorland is a Licensed Veterinary Technician (LVT) and has been working alongside Goutam Mukherjee, DVM, MS, Ph.D. (known as Dr. G) for the past 20 years. To suggest a topic for discussion, email [email protected]
