There’s nothing quite like burning off some of your dog’s energy on walkies, or the enjoyment your cat gets out of zooming around the living room and tearing up her scratching post; and have you ever sat and watched a hamster in their wheel? Pet birds also need the opportunity to fly and let their wings do what they were meant to do.
We all – pets included – need physical exercise to keep our hearts and muscles healthy, maintain balance and flexibility, and benefit from the euphoric endorphin rush afterwards. And, just like humans do, pets also need mental stimulation. They also need to exercise their problem-solving abilities, build new neural pathways, and have novel experiences that give their brains some mental gymnastics.
Let’s explore in detail what mental stimulation for pets entails, and how you can help your pet to get enough mental stimulation in their day-to-day lives.
What is mental stimulation for pets?
Mental stimulation – also called ‘enrichment’ – is one of your pet’s essential needs. The fact that they have a brain, are conscious, have social needs, and experience emotions like joy and sadness, excitement and fear, means that they need to engage in activities that provide them with mental stimulation. Any activity that requires participation, problem-solving, interaction, a positive outcome, and some kind of contribution from your pet, offers them a lot of enrichment.
Mental stimulation for dogs
Some examples of activities for dogs that can provide mental stimulation include:
- obedience/positive reinforcement training
- learning new commands and tricks
- puzzle toys/interactive toys and games – engage their problem-solving faculties
- scenting – let your dog find treats and toys hidden around the house and yard
- novel experiences – even if you only have time for a daily walk, walking your dog in a new area or on a new route will give them an enriching experience
- socialising with other dogs and humans (in a controlled or permitted environment of course)
Mental stimulation for cats
Some examples of activities for cats that can provide mental stimulation include:
- teaching your cat tricks/obedience training
- interactive games like hide-and-seek or even retrieval games
- puzzle toys
- interactive feeders
- a variety of toys – have plenty of toys for your cat to enjoy, but only give her access to one or two at a time; switch them up to keep boredom at bay
Mental stimulation for rodents
Some examples of activities for rodents that can provide mental stimulation include:
- tricks and training – rats are highly sociable and excellent learners
- puzzle toys
- snuffle mats
- obstacle courses that engage their natural behaviours
- giving them the opportunity to explore
Mental stimulation for birds
Some examples of activities for parrots and birds that can provide mental stimulation include:
- learning a whole range of commands and tricks
- interactive toys and games – expose their idiosyncrasies through how they interact with objects
- novel experiences – from a young age, socialise your bird with other people; take them to new places; and especially – get them out of the cage often and for long periods
The benefits of mental stimulation
A lot of the activities that pets engage in for mental stimulation are physically rewarding as well. This helps to:
- relieve stress
- reduce boredom
- promote a sense of calm (improved mental health)
- practise the animal’s natural instincts
- improve cognitive function (which protects their brains from age-related decline)
- increase their ‘good’ behaviour
- build their bond with you – the more you satisfy your pet’s needs, the more they associate you with a rewarding, enjoyable, happy life and the closer your bond will grow
The domestication of pets has taken place over many thousands of years, yet some of their instincts are still hardwired. Their natural behaviours involved activities like hunting and foraging, conflict resolution and socialisation, and those parts of their brains are still activated by behaviours that mimic them. We’ve brought pets into our world, but they still need to be mentally stimulated in a way that satisfies their primal brains. Focused activities that meet their need for daily enrichment simply allow them to be themselves and feel good about it.
How to mentally stimulate your pet
From the outset, if you can teach your pet how to play on their own, this offers a crucial shortcut to mental stimulation. Firstly, it offers them independence and self-confidence. They will not need to constantly know where you are and what you’re doing, out of fear. Secondly, when a pet learns how to play and are given an interactive toy, it increases their capacity for independence while triggering the reward centres in their brain.
This doesn’t mean that a dog can be left outside to be alone day in and day out; or a cat, rodent or pet bird should be left to their own devices. It means that when you leave the house for an hour or two, you can rest assured that your pet has built the self-confidence to spend some time on their own without panic and separation anxiety. Teaching your pet how to play and be independent is the foundation for all other mental stimulation activities.
Make sure your pet has a routine. Give them their breakfast, do some training, engage in playtime, groom your pet, take your dog for a walk – do all these activities at around the same time, in the same sequence every day. This is to ensure that your pet knows what to expect and when, which reduces their anxiety about the unknown in their day. Removing fear increases their capacity for calm and independence.
Use a puzzle feeder. Whether your pet guzzles their food or if they are really food-oriented, you can give them a slow feeder or a puzzle feeder. This engages the problem-solving part of their brain, which naturally rewards them with food when they figure things out. A puzzle feeder rewards a pet like foraging in the wild would do. Activity = food reward = happy brain.
What happens if a dog isn't mentally stimulated?
What happens if you don’t stimulate your dog…? Hoh, boy.
Boredom leads to all sorts of behaviours that are no fault of your dog’s. His natural need to be kept busy (mentally and physically stimulated) as well as his natural pent-up energy create an animal that is just bursting at the seams with a desire for stimulation. So he problem-solves to meet that need for mental stimulation by:
- barking and barking
- digging
- chewing
- humping
While there may be other causes for each specific case of these problem behaviours, one of the main common denominators is boredom, or under-stimulation. If you keep your dog well-exercised and meet his need for mental stimulation, he will be tired and satisfied with life, which means peace and calm in the household.
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How much mental stimulation does a dog need every day? It always depends on the dog. A border collie is the most intelligent dog breed and therefore needs way more physical and mental gymnastics than the less intense, more homely basset hound or Pekingese (we’re not saying they’re not intelligent… just less intelligent than the high-intensity working breed).
You’ll need to spend a lot of interactive time with your dog to figure out how much mental stimulation they need, and be sure to meet that need on a daily basis.
Why do cats need mental stimulation?
Like dogs, different cat breeds have different requirements for mental stimulation (the exciting Bengal cat is busy-busy and always looking for things to do, while the Persian is far calmer and simply happy to embody a furry couch accessory). However, since cats still exhibit more primal behaviour than dogs do, they express their need for mental stimulation by roaming, clawing trees, hunting birds, rodents and little reptiles, and taking huge risks to find mates or protect their territory.
Understand your cat’s instincts and offer them the mental stimulation and physical activities that will substitute potentially dangerous and destructive behaviour. And please spay and neuter your purry friends to prevent unwanted kitten litters. Keep a variety of toys on hand, but only give her access to a few at a time to retain the novelty of play and engagement with each toy.
A very important part of mental stimulation for cats is to mimic the satisfaction she would usually experience from hunting. A feather toy is great, but when she catches the feathers or bunny-kicks her mouse toy, reward her with a treat or something to eat to complete the hunting experience.
Do birds need mental stimulation?
Our feathered friends absolutely need mental stimulation, especially because they are in a captive environment. Their natural behaviours would include flying from tree to tree, foraging, area mapping, socialising with other flock mates, bathing and preening, nesting and raising chicks. They therefore require a plethora of mentally stimulating activities to compensate for the absence of their flock.
What makes birds happy? Birds are exceptionally intelligent creatures, with some parrots having the learning capacity and comprehension of a four-year-old child (now imagine a four-year-old child in your home for 70 years…). In the wild, their main problem to solve would be foraging for a rich variety of nutritious foods. In captivity, their food is laid out in front of them, leaving their need for stimulation and problem-solving somewhat lacking.
An under-stimulated bird can become bored and anxious, which could result in behaviours like feather-pulling, depression, destructive chewing, simply sitting on the same perch doing nothing, or becoming aggressive.
Birds need engaging toys, obstacles to climb in, over and around, and somewhere to fly freely. Birds need talking and noise and sociability. They need the mental gymnastics of mimicry and games and feeling accomplished and rewarded. They need the physical exertion of tricks and climbing and engaging with objects. And they need to bond, which they usually do with one person.
Keep your pets engaged
Gone are the days when pets were merely possessions. They are family members who have physical, mental and emotional needs, just like our children do. Be a pet hero and ensure you meet those needs, giving them an enriching and rewarding experience just for being alive! The love and loyalty you’ll get in return is priceless.
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