GAME ON!
Bonding With Your Pet Through Play Time
While your pet’s diet and checkups are important, pets also like to play! Play time has far-reaching benefits, from improved fitness to a deeper bond with you. Here are three ideas for games around the home. ACTIVE PLAY Cats love to chase almost anything — from a laser-pointer light to a piece of string. Try pitching a few fluffy pom-pom balls across the floor and watch your feline pounce. Cats love to bat at paper bags or “disappear” inside fabric tunnels. Or entice your cat into a dry bathtub and toss in a ping pong ball. Presto: Bathtub hockey! For your dog, consider creating a ball pit: Fill a kiddie pool with plastic balls, sprinkle kibble on top, and watch your pet get all kinds of exercise retrieving it. Or try a canine version of hide-and-seek: Teach your dog to “stay” while you slip into a hiding place elsewhere in the house, then call out and reward them with praise or a treat when they find you. And cats and dogs alike might enjoy chasing bubbles you blow outdoors with a bottle of non-toxic bubble liquid. PUZZLES Pet supply makers offer a variety of entertaining puzzles. Drop kibble into an open plastic maze for your cat to dig out, or tuck food among the dividers of one of the many enclosed, box-shaped puzzle feeders on the market.
For dogs, make a DIY “treat burrito” by laying treats across a towel, rolling it up, and serving it to your pooch to unroll and enjoy. Or put kibble in a muffin tin and cover each opening with tennis balls, for your dog to sniff out. For another DIY puzzle, stand several empty toilet paper rolls upright in a shoebox side by side and drop treats into each one for your pooch to sniff out. Another favorite is a snuffle or foraging mat — a soft puzzle that requires your pet to forage for treats hidden in folds or pouches.
BRAIN GAMES Your dog will love the positive attention it receives when you teach it the five top tricks — sit, stay, high-five, spin,
and down. Another cool trick is stop-and-go: Call your pet, but order them to “stop” just before reaching you and offer a treat each time they comply. Also, elevate your pooch’s vocabulary by teaching them to retrieve their favorite toys by name. While every game won’t work for all pets, trying a few can lend enjoyable insights into your dog’s or cat’s personality. Have fun!
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Clients Spreading the Word
Melanie Cooper Derek Udy Ben Capron Louise Beecham Joyce Row Jamie Clinard
Katie Tomei Laurie Conner David Kennedy Keith Kralik Susan Powell
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