What breed(s) are they? What do they typically enjoy doing? Do they have any special needs or concerns? What is their energy level? What trained behaviors do they have that I can help keep consistent? Do they have any individual quirks?

I find it crucial to stimulate both dogs and cats physically AND mentally- something often overlooked when pet wellbeing is concerned. Especially with working breeds/breeds developed for a specific job such as doodles of all kinds, terriers, hounds, retrievers. and in general smart breeds etc. which can get neurotic, and act out for attention. This is why for dogs I aim to exercise their whole body until they get all their energy out (so they are less likely to act out); and do it in ways that get them to do tasks as similar as possible to the ones they were bred to do- with retriever mixes I emphasize fetch, same with other hunting breeds. For most hounds I emphasize tracking games-except for sight hounds who I mainly aim to get them sprinting at full speed for however long they want. For herding dogs I have herding balls that fulfill that herding itch without livestock. There are countless variations for specific breeds but I won’t list them all here. With cats it can be a bit trickier but I try to find out what they in particular enjoy doing and going with their lead more than with dogs whom I’ve found mostly enjoy being given a task.