Mental stimulation and enrichment are just as important as physical exercise for our pets but are sadly sometimes forgotten about. If, for whatever reason, walking or vigorous play with pets isn’t possible, then mental stimulation and enrichment should play a crucial part in their day! Mental stimulation offers our pets the chance to engage their natural instincts, gives their brains a work out and mentally tires them out – all without having to leave the house! Mental stimulation and enrichment come in a variety of forms - from training exercises to sniffing and searching tasks, climbing, digging and puzzles. Stimulating our pet’s senses is a wonderful way for them to enjoy some ‘me time’ as well as creating bonding and relationship-building opportunities. Enrichment does more than just alleviate our pet’s boredom; it helps them grow in confidence and problem solve. Physically, we can create areas for them to dig, bury things for them to find or make them search for items to help make mealtimes more exciting
Searching for food is something all pets like to do. Dogs, cats, rabbits and hamsters can all be ‘scatter fed’ to encourage natural foraging and stimulate their ability to use their sniffing and hunting techniques. Puzzle feeders can also be used and come in various shapes and sizes; these can be good fun and will encourage scent work, as well as problem solving, and the opportunity to help deal with frustrations.
Mental stimulation gives our pets the chance to do what they do best by keeping their brains busy. If, for whatever reason, your pet is on limited or restricted exercise (or even complete rest), mental stimulation will help to keep their frustration levels down and aid recovery whilst they’re not using up energy by moving around.
With darker, colder and wetter days just around the corner, we can also use these techniques to keep our pets happy if we can’t take them out or they don’t get their usual physical exercise. Bored and frustrated animals can become depressed, destructive and dangerous, so allowing and encouraging mental workouts can prevent or diminish these problematic behaviours. Mental stimulation can be offered by most family members, so even those who aren’t involved with walking or cleaning out pets can get involved and feel more included.
Here at Leading the Way Pet Care, our network of franchisees can offer home visits to assist in mental stimulation as well as walks and toilet breaks to help you meet your pet’s physical needs.
Here at Leading the Way, we offer a range of services including home visits. Most new puppy owners have to return to work (or other commitments) sooner or later, so one of the many services we offer is designed to help you and your puppy settle into your new routine together. We can give you evidence-based advice, offer your puppy a toilet break or some extra training, or simply provide them with some company, together with the chance to learn some life skills. Once old enough, your puppy can join our walking service which can also help them to develop their life skills in the outside world.
If you would like more information on any of the services that Leading the Way Pet Care provides, please contact us via please contact us via email or phone us on 0800 027 9846.