Happy New Year Green Spotters! It's chilly and cold in the Midwest right now, so how do you exercise your pet if you or your pet don't enjoy the cold weather? That's what today's blog is all about!                    

Did you know that enrichment activities and mental exercise can often tire your dog or cat out more than physical exercise? Yep, it's true! So what does "enrichment" mean? Enrichment refers to engaging your dog or cat in activities designed to stimulate their mind (and sometimes their body). Some forms of enrichment give your pet an outlet for their instincts too. Let's jump into talking about different forms of mental exercise and enrichment that can chase away the winter blues. At the end of this blog post we've compiled a shopping list of our favorite products to help you enrich your pet's life further.               

Sniffing
A natural instinct and activity for dogs especially, we can use sniffing as an enriching activity. As a bonus, sniffing is self-soothing and calming for dogs. Cats (especially treat motivated felines) may also enjoy sniffing activities, as sniffing is part of hunting behaviors.

Snuffle Mat
A pre-made and easy peasy way to exercise your dog or cat's sniffing instincts is with a snuffle mat. Sniffle mats are made of soft materials that you can hide treats in for your pet to find and eat. Some people use a snuffle mat to feed their dog or cat's kibble food meal even! We always recommend introducing the sniffle mat with smelly, high-value treats to hold your pet's interest. Be sure to pick up the snuffle mat when your pet is done with the activity - snuffle mats do not make good chew toys!                

Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys are a great enrichment activity for both cats and dogs. Grab those high-value, smelly treats again and a puzzle toy. Fill the toy with treats, set it up, and then watch as your pet works to figure out how to get to the tasty treats! There are puzzle toys for beginners all the way up to complicated expert-level toys. Stop by the store and ask a The Green Spot team member to assist picking out the perfect puzzle for your pet. Or shop our website with the list at the end of this post.

Treats in Boxes
Got a bunch of boxes from your latest shopping? Re-use those boxes by placing them around the room and putting high-value, smelly treats inside for your pet to sniff out and eat. Start with low to the ground boxes, then bigger boxes. When your pet gets really good at this activity and searching out the treats, start closing the box flaps to make the game last longer.                

Treat Toys
Treat toys that roll, bounce, and tumble can engage your dog's nose and their prey drive too! Just fill a treat toy with dry food or yummy treats and let your dog or cat play, bat, roll, and toss the toy to try to get the treats out. Treats/food will tumble out piece by piece as your pet moves the toy around.

Nosework for Dogs
Nosework for dogs is an activity where dogs learn to search for and find specific essential oils. It's amazing what dogs can do with their noses and amazing how much mental energy searching and sniffing takes! Search "Canine Nosework" on YouTube or take a class locally. In Omaha you can learn nosework with your dog at GoDogs! or Companion Dog Club. As a bonus to exercising your dog's mind, it is SO much fun watching your dog sniff out specific scents! When learning a new activity such as nosework, you'll want to have high-value treats - see our favorite high value treat in the shopping list below!          

Licki Mats and Food-Stuffable Toys
Licki mats are silicone or plastic mats or bowls that have interesting textures. You spread and smush different treats, wet foods, peanut butter (no xylitol!), pumpkin, goat milk, bone broth, and so much more on the mat. Then present the mat to your dog or cat to lick. Licking is self-calming, just like sniffing is, so this activity is extra nice for anxious pets. Food-stuffable toys are a wonderful licking activity as well, and can be filled with many of the same foods a and treats as licki mats can. For an extra challenge (especially for dogs), try freezing the filled licki mat or food stuffable toy before giving it to your dog! For both dogs and cats, a licki mat or food-stuffable toy can slow eating as well, and many people feed full meals on a mat or in a toy.               

Chewing 
Chewing is self-calming and a natural instinct for dogs and cats. A great form of enrichment that we highly recommend. As an added benefit, chewing helps clean teeth and keep them clean. For dogs, check out our blog guide to picking out chews here: https://greenspotomaha.com/blog/how-to-choose-chews/

Here are some of our favorite chews to try for your cat:                 

  • Dried Sprat (fish) for a crunchy treat
  • Freeze-dried chews (found in our dog chew section), we recommend trying a freeze dried chicken neck, shrimp, or chicken heart first!
  • Some of our staff cats enjoy gullet stick chews.
  • (Frozen) Raw chicken necksor duck necks chopped in half, thawed to room temperature.

Learning a New Trick
Learning a new trick or behavior is a wonderful way to exercise your pet's brain. Just a few short 5-10 minute sessions a day can tucker your pet out. We recommend positive reinforcement, force-free training for learning new tricks. There are several great books about trick training, including "101 Dog Tricks" by Kyra Sundance. For cats (yes cats can learn tricks too!) "How to Clicker Train Your Cat" by Stephanie Mantilla will get you started! Taking a tricks class locally with your dog is also a fun way to tech new tricks (and learn how to teach your dog). We carry super tasty, natural, limited ingredient, and high-value treats perfect for any dog or cat, to make learning easier!          

Playing with Toys        
At The Green Spot, we have toys for every play style. Lean into your pet's favorite play styles this year! Is your dog a chaser, a pounder, a shredder, or a shaker of toys? Chat with a Green Spot Team Member to help pick the perfect toys for your dog or cat's play style.         

Our Favorite Sniffing, Licking, Treats, and Toy Products Shopping List:               

Thanks for joining us for another blog Green Spotters. We hope you have fun trying out some of these enrichment activities with your dog or cat. If you enjoyed this blog, please share it with your dog or cat loving friends. Your support of our small business means the world!               

The Green Spot is a family-owned, independent pet supply shop. We've been helping pet parents like you aid their pets to a better life via nutrition since 2012. We're glad you found us and hope you'll come into our store for a visit! Our inclusive events, supportive pet-parent community, and certified pet nutrition pros are what set us apart - thanks for supporting local!