Enrichment Activities

This one is simple for your feline fur baby to figure out but also still get in some brain work. For added difficulty only place wet food in a few of the cups in the muffin tin so your cat really has to use their nose to find the prize.

DIY Puzzle Toy

This activity is a fun way to recycle all of those busted up balls and old t-shirts you don’t wear anymore! Simply take a tennis ball and cut a hole in it. Then fill the ball with some treats. Next, cut up an old t-shirt into strips (shown in the picture above) and then tie it up! You can make this toy as easy or as hard as you like with how you tie up the ball!

The Ping-Pong Game

If your cat is one that likes to chase, pounce, and swat then they are going to love the ping pong game. All you will need are some small rubber bouncing balls….and a bath tub wink. Make sure that your bathtub is dry. Then simply place your cat in side of the tub and drop in a the ball or multiple for endless bouncing, pouncing, and play.

101 Things to Do with A Box

Take an ordinary cardboard box, any size. Cut the sides down to about three inches, and put the box on the floor. Click the dog for looking at the box. Treat. If the dog goes near or past the box, even by accident, click. Next, after you click, toss the treat near or in the box. If the dog steps toward the box to get the treat, click the step and toss another treat. If your dog then steps into the box, great, click again, even if they are still eating the previous treats, and offer your dog another treat in your hand. Sometimes you can cook up a lot of “box action” in a hurry this way: click for stepping toward or into the box. Alternately toss the treat in the box and hold the treat out in your hand so the dog has to come back to you. If the dog is reluctant to step into the box, its not a big deal, the treat is there for them if and when they decide to try the step. If you decide to stop the session before that happens, fine. Pick up the treats in the box, and put them away for a later session. Remember, never treat without clicking first, and always click for a reason: for some action of the dog’s. If you need more behavior to click, you can move yourself to different parts of the room so the box is between you and the dog, increasing the likelihood of steps in the direction of the box. Don't call the dog, don't pat the box, don't chat, don't encourage the dog, and don't “help”. All of that stuff may just make the dog more anxious, and again this activity is all about reinforcing the “try”. What behavior can your dog offer you. Click foot movements toward the box, never mind from how far away, and then treat. If you get in five or six good clicks, for moving in the direction or near or past the box, and then the dog “loses interest” and goes away, fine. You can always play “box” again later. In between sessions, the reinforcements you did get in will do their work for you; each little session will make things livelier the next time.

Another simple enrichment activity for your feline fur baby. Speaking of babies, this activity involves baby socks.

Take a pair of baby socks and fill one with treats or loose catnip. Then, take the other sock and fold it over the first sock with the goodies inside; creating a easy toy your cat can bat around, carry around, or break apart for the goodies inside.

Now that summer is coming to a close stock up on pool noodles to create your very own agility course! you can create hurdles for your dog to jump over, or go under. You can even make weave poles! All you need are the pool noodles, sturdy pliable wire, and a little creativity and you are all set!

Snuffle Ball

This one is so simple but so interactive for your pup! Purchase the Holee-Roller toy and some felt fabric. Cut the fabric into strips. Then cut a slit in the top of the felt strip for easy tying. Tie the felt strips to the ball until you have created the perfect snuffle ball!

Climbing wall

Create a climbing wall/ scratching surface for your cat using rugs and carpet! I mean when you think about it it is so simple. Buy a cheap rug or carpet and secure it to the wall. You can even frame it out if you wanted to give it a more decor friendly look…wink.

Tip: place the climbing wall close to some floating shelves to give your cat a landing perch and another way to survey the land.

This is a simple one folks! hide treats, kibble or even toys in the egg carton and close it up! Your dog can rip, toss and chew to get the goodies inside!

Creating a Sensory Garden for your Pup

A sensory garden is a place where your pup can decompress, explore and work their brain. Not to mention any garden is pretty to look at, big or small!

You can create a sensory garden in a spot in your yard or even in containers on a porch or balcony. Drop a few treats in the plants to encourage your pet to explore and sniff!

Dog friendly plants:

• Chamomile

• Thyme

• Rosemary

• Mint (invasive, grow in a container!)

• Lavender

• Yarrow

• Catnip

Cat Play Gym

Supplies:

• 8 feet of 1” x 2” wood

• 3/4” and 5/8” drill bit

• 2ft long 3/4” dowel

• 4ft of white rope

• Ribbons of your choice

• Scissors

Directions:

1. Cut 4 2ft long pieces from the 1x2 with a 15 degree mitered angle on one end of each piece.

2. Drill a 3/4” hole about 2inches down from the flat side of each board and a 5/8” hole about 1-2 inches from the end of the mitered side of each board.

3. Slide the dowel through the 3/4” holes with two boards on each side. Make sure that the mitered edges are facing away from each other so that they can make a A-frame.

4. Finally thread rope through the holes on each side to keep the legs from sliding away from each other. Tie knots on the inside of the holes and string it to the other board and repeat.

5. Tie your ribbons of choice and your done!

Sorry for the fuzzy picture, but I could not not put this simple cup activity in the portal! Now you have a use for all the plastic cups that go on clearance!!

DIY cat scratch board! Simply take cardboard boxes, cut them in thin strips, line them up, and place them in a box and Voilà you made a scratch board that you cat will love! Sprinkle in some catnip or mint for added enrichment!

Supplies:

• bins with holes. (the Dollar Tree typically have these in stock).

• Fabric (felt, but you can use what you like) cut into strips

• Treats

Directions: Cut your fabric into strips and tie it in-between the holes in the bin with the extra fabric facing the inside of the bin. Repeat until you have tied all the holes, or the inside of the bin is full and fluffy with fabric. Lastly, drop in treats, kibble or even hide your dogs favorite toy!

Supplies: T-Paper rolls, a towel, and treats!

Directions: Pull the towel through the roller, then stuff the treats inside!

Take a bowl, any bowl add a little water and then add in wiffle balls or just things that float for your cat to bat around and move through the water!

Make your own sweet potato chew toy!

Supplies:

• 1 sweet potato

• Freeze dried dog treats (easy to crumble or make into a powder) Pure Bites has a great selection of freeze dried meats to choose from!

• Thick sturdy rope that you don’t mid your dog to chew on.

Directions:

1. Pre-heat oven to 215 degrees.

2. Wash sweet potato and cut unto rings

3. remove the center of your sweet potato rings with an apple corer.

4. Lay sweet potato pieces on parchment paper-covered baking sheet.

5. sprinkle the crushed/powdered freeze dried treats over the sweet potatoes

6. Bake for 5 hours.

7. Once the sweet potato pieces are dried and cooled, string them onto the rope and tie a knot at both ends of the rope!

Create a fancy scratching surface for you kitty!

Supplies: A sturdy frame or mirror (glass removed) of your choice and size, plywood cut to fit the back, adhesive, and scratching surface of your choice (examples: carpet, jute, turf).

On those hot days give your dog a way to cool down and enrich their brain by making an ice cake! All you need to do is take a cake pan or muffin pan (for minis) and fill it with water or broth, drop in toys, kibble, stuffed Kongs and Freeze it! Then pop it out in the yard and watch your dog work!

What a stylish way to add a vertical resting place for you cat! Choose any sturdy basket, secure it to the wall, and add a soft blanket! Brilliant!

Follow the Scent trail

This is a simple enrichment activity that you can do with your dog outside! Buy a pack of Vienna Weenies (as an example) and drain the juice in a line or pattern across your yard leaving a small weenie at the end of the trail. Then point your dog in the direction of the starting point and watch them work their nose!

Tip: you can also boil hotdogs or chicken and use the water in a open tip squeeze bottle for longer more intricate scent trails.

Ice Try Fun

Start with an ice tray then fill it with a variety of different cat treats ( commercially made treats, turkey, shredded chicken), and treat textures (hard, soft, and wet)! Then top with fun things to bat around such as feathers, toy mice, a paper ball or even ribbon curls! This is another activity where you can mix it up and make it different every time you use it! The best part is that it cost under $5.00!

This a different version on how to play “find-it”. place some prizes under a few of the cups and let your dog sniff and explore. You can use treats, ball, even a nylon bone as one of the prizes under the cups!

DIY Grooming Stations

You can purchase nail scrubbers and/or dish brushes and attach them throughout the house on corners, or on chairs, using Velcro tabs to create the purrfect grooming stations around the house!

It’s that Simple

I honestly, can’t believe I didn’t think of this activity sooner, it is that simple. Take a large paper bag and place a blanket inside, loose catnip, toys, cut a peek-a-boo hole, the possibilities are endless!

The Find-It Game

Click the link below for step-by step instructions on how teach your dog the find-it game! you can play this game indoors and outdoors. You can make it easy or challenging. I mean the possibilities are endless!!

Click HERE to instructions.

Box adventure for you cat!

Take a box and fill it with shredded paper! This creates a comfy bed, a place to burrow, they can toss paper around and play. You can even hid toys ad treats inside for them to find!

Your dog is going to love this activity, and it is easy for you!

Take a box, any box, and fill it up with leaves!! then toss in some of your pups favorite treats, or perhaps some of their meal and let them go to town. Not only does this activity help with their searching skills, all of the scents from the leaves add an extra level of exploration!

This is a simple but effective way to get your cats hunting and creative thinking skills flowing!

Take a small bottle and cut a hole in the middle of it. Be sure to remove the plastic lid and the plastic ring. Then fill with some treats or kibble and your good to go.

Do you have a kitty that likes to rub up against things? Add a little texture to those areas to help with tactile enrichment!

Who doesn’t love bubbles? Especially FLAVORED BUBBLES! this is a fun and simple enrichment activity for your pup. Blow flavored bubbles in the yard, on a walk or even get a bubble machine for an explosion of bubbles! either way you can’t go wrong.

Side Note: make sure the bubbles are pet friendly as your dog may consume.

Grass Box

Bring the outdoors inside for a simple multi-stimulating enrichment activity. By creating a grass box for your cat you are providing tactile, olfactory, and environmental enrichment!

Supplies:

• pick a box! You can use a litter box, a sweater box or any box of your choice!

• Buy a piece of sod, and lay if in the box, water lightly.

• place toys, or treats inside or place by your cat’s favorite sun spot and your done!

Take a plastic Easter egg and cut a hole in the top. Place treats inside and attach it back together, and you just made your kitty and treat bat around toy!

Simply take a towel fold it in half place treats inside and roll it up!

This activity has endless possibilities! take a box, any box and fill it with paper towel or T-paper rolls, balls and toss in some treats like the picture shown! You can even fill up with all of your dogs toys and toss in food, toss in other small boxes or paper towels. You can cut holes in the side of the box for your dog to pull things through. Like I said the the possibilities are ENDLESS!!! Have fun!!

Supplies:

• T-Paper rolls

• Tape

• Treats

Directions: Build your tower by taping each roll together. then once you have your tower shape wrap tape around the entire exterior for more stability. Then, place the treats or kibble inside.

It is recommended to observe your cat with this activity to ensure that they don’t ingest any of the tape.

Use a PVC ratchet cutter or hacksaw to trim a 12in length PVC pip, then drill holes throughout the exterior. Cap both ends of the pipe with a female adapter and a cleanout plug. Ta-Da! your toy is complete. Just load up with your dogs kibble and watch them roll it around!

Note: When you are making your holes make sure they are big enough for your dogs kibble to fall through.

Supplies: A large box, box cutter, painter’s tape, tape measure, 1 yard of adorable fabric, scissors, non-toxic craft paint

Directions: Pull the towel through the roller, then stuff the treats inside!

Supplies: Box, hand towels, and treats!

Directions: Roll the treats up in the towels and place them in the box. Then, give to your dog and watch the magic happen!

Dollar Store craft time! This is a simple toy you can make for your curious feline! There are so many different ways you can make this toy, but we will stick with the supplies what are in the picture.

Supplies: yarn, paper towel roll or toilet paper roll (for smaller versions), and feathers.

Directions: Simply cut two holes at the top of the roller and string the yarn through to make your hanging mechanism. Tie knots at both ends to hold it in place. Then make small holes to push the tips of the feathers through, and that’s it! you can hot glue the feathers in if you don’t want your cat to be able to pull them out. You can also tie the tip of the feather to a piece of yarn and create various lengths of the feathers hanging down for more interactive play and movement.

Does your dog like to dig? Well then do I have the perfect enrichment activity for you! Build or make your dog their very own DIG PIT! you can build one like the picture shown, or you can buy a Wal-Mart kiddie plastic pool. Then, fill it with dirt (NOT SAND) hide balls, treats, toys and more! Your dog will love it!

Create an herb garden for your cat! You can do this in potted plants around your house or in one big pot in a sunny location!

Cat friendly herbs:.

• Catmint: causes excitement

• Catnip: relieves stress

• Rosemary: natural flea repellant

• Thyme: soothing effects

• Lavender: calming effects

Does your dog love crinkle toys? Do you have a bunch of old socks that you can’t find the matches to? Well, your in luck because now you can make your dog a crinkle toy for no more than the cost of a bottle of water!

Tip: cut a slit in the top of the sock so that you can tie it at the top! You can also turn this into a feeder toy by cutting a hole in the water bottle and in the sock. Then, add treats!

An aquatic Paradise

This is a great craft project for the pet owner; but this is an even better enrichment activity for your feline companions. Not only does this aquatic paradise provide visual stimulation, it also provides tactile and olfactory stimulation as well.

Supplies: one small fish bowl and one large fish bowl, aquatic glass pebbles (make sure your cat is unable to access them), cat grass, catnip, or mint plant, battery operated fish (can be found on amazon).

Tip: mist your cat safe plant so that over watering doesn’t occur since it will be potted in a bowl and not in a pot.

Your Dog is an Artist

This is a fun activity for you and for your pet! Plus you get a one of kind painting made by your fur baby. I got all of these supplies from my local dollar/discount store total cost was under $10.00!

Supplies: Canvas, gallon Ziploc bags, paint, lickable treat (Peanut Butter, Yogurt or baby food: bananas, peaches, meat)

A simple Puzzle Game

This enrichment activity is so simple and so diverse! You can choose different treats for each cup, or just have a treat or two in the entire pan! Play with the toys in-between the snacks, and have a fun time with your best friend. This activity cost under $5.00. I already had a muffin pan, I just had to buy the balls at my local dollar/discount store. Worth it!

Tip: If you need to purchase a muffin pan try your local dollar/discount store or even a consignment shop!

Creating a designer friendly cat space

There are so many creative ways to create vertical designer friendly “territory” in your home. First, choose your shelving. Then your cat friendly plants, such as cat-grass, mint, and parsley.

Tip: place Velcro under the plants to prevent your feline friends from knocking them off the shelves. You can then add comfortable padding, toys, a scratching surface even a water source or food bowl! The possibilities are endless with this type of project!