Recent research on companion animal behavioral enrichment provides updated evidence for what types of enrichment are most beneficial for different species and individuals.
Enrichment research has moved from demonstrating that enrichment matters to identifying what enrichment works best for whom. The finding that nose work provides mental fatigue equivalent to much more physical exercise has practical implications: dogs that cannot be exercised extensively due to age or injury can still receive meaningful cognitive stimulation. The research on environmental novelty supporting engagement better than permanent items changes recommendations toward rotation rather than accumulation of enrichment objects. Individual preference assessment recognizing that enrichment is most effective when tailored to the individual animal rather than applied generically represents an increasingly important welfare refinement. The practical implication is that enrichment provision requires observation and adaptation rather than one-time installation.