How To Relieve Boredom for Pet Dogs & Cats ... it's not just about feeding dogs or cats

Decades ago, zoo animals had little to do but pace and eat, resulting in a host of physical and behavioral problems, including weight disorders, unpredictable aggression, antisocial behavior, poor parenting skills, and even sterility. Kept in barred cages, wolves, lions, bears and apes became listless and troubled.

Today, zoos know better. They create interesting habitats and activities for their animals. Polar bears usually have a pool stocked with live trout, to stimulate their hunting skills. Leopard have tall trees to climb and eat in. Wolves follow invisible scent trails laid down by zookeepers, to stimulate their sense of smell. These additions excite and give purpose

Domestic dogs and cats need to feel that way too. Unfortunately, most of them spend their days in home environments that are lonely and lack stimulation. While left alone, their instincts to hunt, explore, play or socialize are rarely engaged. Instead, most dogs and cats spend their days eating, sleeping, pacing, or getting into trouble. These "latch key" pets often obsess on food, which is sometimes the only stimulus available to them while their owners are at work.... continued below

If zoologists can invent ways to stimulate captive animals, you can do the same for your pet. By encouraging new activities and augmenting the home environment, you can make your dog or cat happier, healthier, and more confident.

The following section offers some easy-to-implement behavioral and environmental enrichments designed to relieve boredom and stimulate your pet's mind, resulting in a happier calmer, healthier dog or cat. Try any or all of the activities, or even create your own.

• Socialize your dog often, to stimulate his instinctive need to interact. Walk him in a busy neighborhood, or let him romp at a dog park. Socialize your cat from kitten-hood on, to provide her with a wide spectrum of experience, and to minimize antisocial behavior later on. Also, have a neighbor visit your pet during the day.

• Provide chew toys for your dog or cat. Chewing on or playing with the appropriate item will help pass the time, and prevent the destruction of your favorite pair of loafers. Just be sure that the toy cannot be swallowed or ripped into pieces small enough to choke on.

• A radio or television can be a real comfort to dogs and cats. Leave one on in a room with the door closed, to give the impression of someone being home. Pet stores and pet websites also sell pet videos, showing life-size images of animals cavorting around. These can be extremely stimulating.

• Food hidden inside of a ball will stimulate most cats and dogs. Zoos smear peanut butter over the inside surface of an old tire, then give it to a bear, who will spend hours licking at it. Do the same with your pet by purchasing a durable rubber ball of appropriate size (one with a hole big enough to insert treats into). Place kibble, cheese, or a small amount of canned food inside, then leave the ball out before leaving for work.

• Food frozen inside ice cubes can provide great stimulation for your pet. Freeze a small piece of cheese or meat inside an ice cube and leave it in your pet's dish. He will lick away until getting to the prize inside, especially if you dissolve a bouillon cube in the water before freezing.

• A raw egg still in the shell can be very stimulating. Left in a pet's dish, many do not at first know what to do, but soon figure it out. Fear not; your pet's powerful digestive system can handle it. Once each week, give a chicken egg to a dog, and a quail or pigeon egg (available at most Asian markets) to a cat.

• Mirrors can be great fun for pets, who often think their reflections are other animals. Changing the time of feeding or the location of your pet's food dish will stimulate his senses and get his mind working. Every so often, move the dish to a different location, and watch what happens at feeding time. Also, feed an hour later or earlier on a random basis.

Dog crates and kitty condos are great additions you can make to your home. The crate, in addition to helping with housetraining, can provide him with his own place to rest. A kitty condo, a carpeted, multi-tiered play structure, can provide your cat with a place to rest, explore, eat, scratch, or perch.

Scent or food trails left in your home can stimulate your pet's sense of smell, and keep him busy for hours. Leave a trail of tiny treats through the home, or simply rub a piece of aromatic cheese onto several non-absorbent places, leading to a small treat. Trick training can expand the minds of dogs and cats alike. Teaching your cat to sit or come for a treat, or training your dog to spin or shake for a cookie gets their minds working, and widens their repertoire of behavior.