Thus, to help mentally stimulate your dog or puppy, opting for some mentally stimulating exercises is, of course, very necessary. In this blog, we will be looking at five mentally stimulating exercises that will help your dog or puppy a great deal. Besides, with the current COVID-19 going around, you have ample time to stay at home and teach your buddy these below-mentioned mentally stimulating exercises.
1. Sniff and Explore
Going for walks with your buddy is always fun. But it does get fairly annoying when your pal stops all of a sudden just to sniff the surrounding areas. You may not encourage or like it, but if you want your buddy to get some more mental stimulation, then allowing them to sniff and explore while walking is crucial. Even if you’ve walked down the same road a gazillion times, your dog will always find something interesting to sniff. And you know what? Let him. Furthermore, since the COVID-19 is keeping most countries on lockdown, make sure you limit your walks to your garden only, as of now.
2. Earn Every Morsel of Food
When it comes to feeding our dog or puppy, we oftentimes just place their bowl of food down and see them gobble up their meal in a jiffy. There’s nothing wrong with that, but if you want to add more mental stimulation to your canines’ feeding habits, then you’ll have to make them earn every morsel. This can be done by using a food-dispensing toy. Stuff it with your buddy’s food, and he will have to roll the toy for the food to come out of it and into its mouth. It sounds a bit tedious, but that’s how you will enhance your pal’s mental stimulation.
3. Interactive Puzzle Toys
Interactive puzzle toys are an excellent way to keep your dog focused and prevent him from biting and chewing unnecessary household items. These kinds of toys go a long way in boosting your furry pal’s confidence as well as provide them with the much-needed mental stimulation. It also helps in alleviating problems relating to behavior.
4. Names of Toys
Getting your pooch to know all the names of their toys can be a very challenging task, but one that is worth it. Initially, it may take a while for your dog to get used to all the name-calling, but dogs are smart, and they pick up things very quickly. Before hiding a certain toy, keep it in front of your pal and make him known the name of that toy. Say it aloud a couple more times, before placing it on the ground and calling out the name of that toy. If your dog responds by grabbing that toy, reward him with his efforts. Learning about the names of your Fido’s toys helps in mental stimulation.
5. Dodging Obstacles
A lovely mental workout for your dog would be to let him dodge through a set of obstacles. You could place some of his toys, a few orange hazard cones, or even a broomstick. After placing them, notice your dog dodging all the obstacles in its way as he nears you. This helps in giving your dog the required mental boost and aids in enhancing his alertness.
As you can see from the above exercises, mental stimulation comes in numerous forms and plays a key role in the overall development of your furry pooch. So make sure you try them all and see how it goes. We’re pretty confident that any of the above if not all of these exercises will catch your pal’s attention.
P.S: With the current coronavirus pandemic going around, it is important to stay and home. Stay indoors and perform these mentally stimulating exercises with your furry pal. No excuses for being busy this time, pet parents.
Playing outdoors can also bring many parasites. Stock up Flea, Tick, and Worms preventatives for your little pal.
