The Power Of Toy Rotation For Your Pet
Have you ever had a friend whose house seems to change a little every time you visit? I know someone who loves to change out the art of her walls or move furniture around.
It gives the place a new look and feel. You suddenly notice how tall the ceilings are and wide open her space is. There are so many cool details that go unnoticed when things stay the same.
Psychology calls this tendency to tune out routine stuff, “habituation.” When we see, hear, or smell the same thing day in, day out, it fades into the background. We simply stop noticing it. WHen we first got our new dishwasher, I noticed all of the little sounds it made. Now, almost a year later I have to concentrate to remember if the dishwasher is running. That’s how habituation works. Here’s an interesting article about habituation if you’d like to learn more.
Habituation has its good side. When we aren’t being distracted by every little routine thing, we can focus on what’s important. But if nothing new EVER happens and we’re habituated to most everything around us, it can lead to a big case of BOREDOM – for us AND and our pets.
So, consider THIS ONE SIMPLE BUT EXCITING ACTION to bring more enrichment to you and your pet's life—TOY ROTATION!
What is “rotation” and how do I know my pet will like it?
Rotation is a way of strategically changing things in your pet’s environment like pet toys or your home setup to keep their brains happily busy! Adding new pet-safe decor, rearranging your furniture, or rotating toys on a schedule helps keep things fresh and interesting.
You’ll keep your pets mentally stimulated by helping them bust through habituation, using rotation. A toy becomes new again when they haven’t seen or played with it in a while. Your home becomes an exciting new place to explore when the layout has changed a bit. That patch of carpet that used to be under the couch, now becomes a new place to sniff!
How to rotate your pet’s toys…
Rotating your pet’s toys is an easy way to keep life fun and exciting.
Rotate toys weekly if you can. If you have a big bin of toys, this should be pretty easy! Put the bin away in a closet and grab a few out. If a toy is constantly ignored on every trip to the play pile, maybe it’s time for it to go.
Leave the favorites out. If your pet has a favorite comfort toy they carry about or sleep with, you should probably leave it out for them all the time.
Make sure a variety of toys with different uses are available. For example, some toys my dog lady likes to chase like balls or rubbery things. Others she likes to chew, while others make good tug toys like ropes. My other dog Hannah loves all the stuffed things (to snuggle and tear apart).
Some toys should be interactive, so your pet gets their very special time with YOU. By playing fetch with your dog or helping your cat play chase and leap with a wand toy, your pet can expend energy and get valuable socialization time, too.
Toy rotation keeps everything fresh and fun, but other kinds of rotation might be a little too much for some pets.
Consider this before bigger rotations…
Like most things, there are best practices to follow. Before hitting snooze on your pet’s consistency, consider the following:
Remember that some pets might get anxious over too much sudden change. My dog Hannah is pretty laid back with change. But some dogs might have certain anxieties and like things to stay exactly the same all the time.
Changes in your home could disrupt your pet’s daily routine. Before you change from carpet to bare wood or swap out their old bed for a new one, think a bit about how it will impact your dog’s life.
I know that rotation works for my dog Hannah very well. She tends to get really excited about a new toy, then doesn’t care about it. But, I keep a paper bag in the closet with her older toys. Then, when I bring the paper bag out it’s like Christmas!
And KEEP that fun in rotation…
Rotation of toys and changing up your pet’s environment should add interest and excitement to your pet’s life, so, to sum up:
Add new fun new elements to your pet’s life, but when making big changes, ensure some familiarity remains.
Don’t rotate your dog or cat’s favorite toy, as they may draw comfort from it.
Avoid changes that unnecessarily disrupt your pet’s daily routine like exchanging their beloved bed with a new one, without offering both for a time first, or changing their food gradually etc.
So…do you rotate? Can you rotate? Tell me how your pet reacts to new toys or a new activity! Tag me @belovedpetphoto