Denenberg Veterinary PsychiatryEnrichment · An owner resource

Everyday opportunities. Individual choices.

Enrichment gives your animal opportunities to explore, learn, move, use their senses, and interact in ways they find meaningful or rewarding.

It is more than keeping an animal busy or tiring them out. What matters is their experience: choice, control, and a challenge they can enjoy.

A dog using its nose to search a snuffle mat for food.

Enrichment for dogs

From food searches and sniffaris to learning, play, and shared time.

Explore enrichment for dogs
A cat investigating an easy, shallow food puzzle.

Enrichment for cats

Opportunities to forage, stalk, climb, investigate, and withdraw.

Explore enrichment for cats

Follow their preferences

Watch what your animal chooses. An activity is only useful if that individual finds it rewarding.

Make success achievable

Match mental, sensory, and physical challenges to their abilities, confidence, and emotional state.

Leave room for choice

Offer opportunities to join in, pause, or walk away. Safety and comfortable rest come first.

A good place to start

Rewards →

Find out what your animal values.

Choosing the Right Enrichment →

Adapt activities and recognize success.

Safety →

Choose, supervise, and clean equipment.

Follow the individualized recommendations from your veterinary behaviour team whenever they differ from this general guidance. Enrichment supports wellbeing; it does not replace treatment for a medical or behavioural disorder.