Provision of enrichment is important for all companion animals. Enrichment falls into five categories; social (e.g. social play with humans or other animals), physical (e.g. toys), nutritional (e.g. food puzzles or scatter feeding), sensory (e.g. opportunities to explore new smells), and occupational (e.g. training).

Providing companion animals with enrichment promotes normal development, provides opportunities for positive mental experiences, agency (choice, control and challenge), and reduces the risk of developing abnormal or unwanted behaviours.

Animals vary in what they find enriching, and this may be influenced by their genetics, socialisation and life experiences. Enrichment items and activities should be rotated to avoid them becoming boring. It is important to monitor behaviour to ensure enrichment is appropriate for the individual and so that enrichment can be removed or changed if the animal has lost interest or no longer enjoys the activity.

SPCA encourages human-animal interactions as social enrichment.

Interacting with companion animals through playing, training, walking, and spending time together is one of the most effective types of enrichment.

SPCA opposes keeping companion animals in barren environments permanently.

Animal welfare is most at risk in barren environments. Chronic inescapable boredom due to inappropriate living conditions or a lack of suitable companionship can be extremely aversive for animals and can contribute to unwanted behaviours such as aggression or destructive behaviours.

In some cases, companion animals may need to be restricted to an area temporarily, for example for human safety or to promote recovery from injury (e.g. impounded dogs classified as ‘dangerous’ or animals restricted to crate rest following surgery). In these situations, enrichment needs to be adapted to meet these restrictions. For example, scatter feeding for ‘dangerous’ dogs housed in council pounds provides enrichment without compromising human safety.