Animal Stimulation in Lockdown
Today I want to tell you about how important animal stimulation or enrichment is.
Now you may not know it, but you are helping to stimulate and enrich your pets lives by playing with them or taking them on walks. During our current lockdown when you can’t take your pets for a walk, you should make sure that you are keeping them stimulated by playing with them as much as possible.
For dogs:
- Make obstacle courses for them (watch my video to see the obstacle course I made for my dog!).
- Play catch if you have the space.
- Walk or run with them around the house or garden.
- Teach your dogs some tricks.
- Play Treat and Seek with them – it’s like Hide and Seek, but with small treats.
- Play Tug of War by simply tying a knot in a piece of rope - just be careful not to pull too hard!
- Give them some chew toys to chew on.
- Groom them to perfection!
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For cats:
- Use pipe cleaners to make a toy for your cat using ribbons and bells.
- If your cat is really clever you can make them an obstacle course too!
- Make sure your cat has space on your windowsill or around your window to stretch out and sunbathe - they love lying in the sun!
- Play Kitten Catch by pulling a small toy that is attached to a ribbon or piece of string.
- If you have a small torch or laser pointer you can play Laser Catch
- And if you are really bored then you can always try to teach your cat some tricks!
For hamsters:
- Build your hamster a maze out of your many used toilet rolls.
- If you have a hamster ball let your hammie run around the house in the ball.
- Play Chase the Cheese (or Cucumber or Apple) by attaching the small piece of food on a string and slowly pulling it for your hamster to catch and eat.
- Let your hamster enjoy some time outside of the cage and spend time in a safe environment with you and your family.
Always remember to love and cuddle your pets in this time of need - as it is good for you and good for them.
Stay Pawsome!
Caragh