Creative Ways To Keep Your Dog Mentally Stimulated
Are you looking for creative ways to keep your dog mentally stimulated? Bored dogs tend to display destructive behavior. Our beloved fur babies need more than a quick walk around the block. They need tricks and enrichment to keep them from chewing on our shoes and furniture.
Keep Teaching It Tricks
Every time you engage in a training session, you are mentally challenging your dog. Don’t just stop teaching your dog tricks. Keep searching for new ones to advance its learning process. Use the internet, books, or even a dog trainer to teach your pup new ideas and tricks.
Use Interactive Games or Toys
Involve your dog in a game of doggy dominos or dog memory. Purchase a toy that lets you hide treats and objects inside—your dog will have fun figuring out how to get out the treat or object. There are some excellent dog board games and puppy puzzles on the market as well. Your pup will have so much fun with these, and the best part is you can reuse them.
Bring Your Dog To Run Errands
Involve your dog during your walk to the mailbox. Let your pup tag along with you as you run a delivery over to a friend’s house. Bring your furry friend for a drive through the car wash. These are a few ideas to get your pup excited and stimulated, and you’ll have some great company.
Give Your Pup a Job
Most dogs breeds have ingrained jobs, such as herding and hunting. When you don’t allow your pup to complete these tasks, it can get restless. Play a game of frisbee with your dog. Sign it up for agility or other dog sport classes. Take it along on a long walk, run, or hike—anything to give it a purpose.
Introduce It to New People or Dogs
Whenever you introduce your dog to new people or other dogs, this also introduces it to new smells, sights, and sounds. Take your dog to a dog park to let it explore ample opportunities to engage its senses. Or enroll it in doggy daycare. This creative way to keep your dog mentally stimulated offers a controlled environment where you get peace of mind knowing your dog is having fun exploring. It also means you get a little break from dog parent duty.
Rotate Toys and Buy New Ones
Ever find yourself at the pet store unable to control how many new toys you purchase? There are tons of wonderful options out there, and it’s hard to choose only a couple. Give your dog one toy at a time and, after a few days, trade out that toy for a new one. Then, keep rotating the toys every couple of days to avoid boredom and keep your dog mentally stimulated.
Make It Work for Its Food
It’s easy to watch a dog scarf down a bowl of food and then beg for more. Help your dog slow down and mentally stimulate it at the same time by making it work for its dog food. There are food-dispensing toys on the market ideal for this.
A bored dog can be a mischievous dog, so keep its mind sharp with mental stimulation. That can take more than a quick walk around the block, so refer back to these creative ideas if you need a nudge in the right direction.
