Enrichment: Indoor Activities
Pets greatly benefit from enrichment, which is defined as an opportunity to engage in species-specific behaviors that meet an animal’s needs in the wild. To learn more about the importance of enrichment, watch this presentation: Enrichment For Your Dogs & Cats.
Allowing your pet to do natural activities like digging, chewing, chasing and searching in a safe and appropriate way is incredibly beneficial! When animals don’t have an outlet for these natural behaviors, they often resort to undesirable behaviors like being destructive or hyperactive. Enrichment increases confidence, decreases anxiety and helps you and your pet forge a stronger relationship.
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When planning enrichment activities, aim for a mix of interactive and independent activities for the best results. Don’t be afraid to mix and match and try new things!
Here are a few indoor activities we recommend to keep your pet’s body and brain engaged. If you’re looking for activities you can do outside, check out our list of outdoor activities.
Interactive activities for you and your pet to enjoy together:
The Indoor Workout: Playing fetch, tug or with a wand toy can be a great way to mentally and physically exercise your pet, especially if you ask for a trick every time you start up the game again.
For example, before throwing a toy during fetch, you could ask your pet to sit or shake. Or, if you have a hallway, ask your pet to do a trick and then throw a piece of kibble down the hall after each repetition to keep them running back and forth. This way, you are brushing up on skills while building impulse control and using the toy or the kibble as a reward.
Hide-and-Seek: A good game of hide-and-seek will not only entertain your pet but can also help build reliable recall skills. If your pet knows “wait,” instruct them to wait in another room while you go hide. If your pet hasn’t learned this cue yet, have someone hold them while you hide. When you call your pet to you, they will experience fun mental stimulation while they search for you. Don’t forget to reward your pet with a treat for finding you!
You can also play this game by hiding their favorite toy or a treat and allowing them to sniff around to find it.
Training New Tricks: A day spent indoors is the perfect time to brush up on known skills or teach your pet some new tricks. Make time for several short training sessions throughout the day (5-10 minutes) to help strengthen behaviors and work your pet’s mind.
There are several ways to teach your pet tricks using positive reinforcement. You can be as creative as you’d like by coming up with your own tricks, but if you need some ideas for new tricks or activities, check out these resources:
- Enrichment Resources (playlist developed by San Diego Humane Society)
- The Big Book of Tricks for the Best Dog Ever by Larry Kay and Chris Perondi
- Enrichment Games for High-Energy Dogs by Barbara Buchmayer
- How to Clicker Train Your Cat by Stephanie Mantilla
- The Trainable Cat by John Bradshaw & Sarah Ellis
- Canine Enrichment (Facebook Group)
- Feline Enrichment (Facebook Group)
Scent or Nose Work: Both dogs and cats have a strong sense of smell and enjoy foraging and hunting using the power of their nose. Not only is it fun for your pet, but it also burns energy and promotes calmness. To learn more, check out our K9 Nose Work classes or this Feline Nose Work Class.
Group Training Classes: Taking your pet to formal classes (or taking a class from home), will strengthen your relationship and build new skills. San Diego Humane Society offers over 35 types of classes for dogs and cats, taught in person and online.
Independent activities to keep your pet occupied:
Puzzle Toys: These toys, also called puzzle feeders, provide enrichment and can sometimes help with behavior concerns such as destructive chewing, puppy chewing and barking.
Any pet who spends time alone could benefit from having a mentally stimulating activity like puzzle feeders to help pass the time. You will likely have to teach your pet how the puzzle works, but after they get the hang of it, you can adjust the difficulty level to occupy your pet for longer periods of time. Here are some examples of toys and slow feeders that will keep your pet’s nose and mind busy:
Stuffed Rubber Toys: Kong toys (for example) are thick rubber toys designed to be stuffed with food. Add dry food first and then top off with peanut butter or pureed sweet potato. Freeze this for an extra challenge. We’ve created an easy guide for upping the difficulty level for your pet: Kong Stuffing Pointers and also a demonstration video: Kong Stuffing 101.
Scent Games: Treat-hunting games can provide great mental enrichment for your pet. Make it easy at first by tossing treats and asking your pet to “find it.” Once they learn this cue, start making it more difficult to find the treats, bones or treat-dispensing toys. Get creative and hide them under furniture, on windowsills and on top of chairs.
You can also use their meal to play this game. Either make a trail of kibbles to their bowl or hide their kibble around the bottom of furniture in one room and release them to search for their food.
Steer clear of tables, electrical cords or other areas where you don’t want your pet. This type of mental activity requires a lot of energy and is sure to keep your pet busy and happy. Learn more by signing up for one of our K9 Nose Work classes!
Chew Bones: There are many options available, but not all are healthy. Chewing on natural bones will wear down your pet’s teeth and can eventually break them. The best options are semi-soft chews.
Examples of safer chew items are bully sticks, Himalayan yak chews, Nylabones (toss out as soon as you see any plastic pieces being “shredded” off), dehydrated sweet potato and collagen chews. Always supervise chewing sessions and throw the bone away when it is small enough to be swallowed.
Ball Pits: All sorts of pets can enjoy searching through a ball pit! You can use a kiddie pool and ball pit balls, as shown in this video, or you can be creative and use any container your pet can climb at least halfway into and fill it with pet-safe items, such as treats, their kibble or toys.