Over the years, as I have written this blog, I have often talked about the necessity of mental stimulation for a canine in addition to physical exercise. As dog owners, giving our dogs physical exercise is top on our priority list for canine health. But often, dog owners neglect the mental stimulation a dog needs on a daily basis-- and they need a lot. A domestic dog's wild relative-- a coyote, a wolf, etc. -- will spend the day hunting, scavenging and foraging for food. Our domestic dogs need the same sort of stimulation on a daily basis. Otherwise, we pay the price in unwanted behaviors that cause stress to the human- dog relationship.
When a dog is mentally bored, unwanted behaviors pop up: excessive barking, digging, escaping, inappropriate chewing and other destructive behaviors. The dog is bored. This can also lead to a mental decline in happiness, aka canine depression. Mental enrichment on a daily basis stimulates and assists a dog's brain growth, improves problem solving skills, builds confidence, builds social skills and engages a dog in their natural, instinctive behavior.
There are quite a few ways you can mentally stimulate your dog. I suggest your rotate through a variety to keep monotony at bay. Here are some examples of mental enrichment:
- Social-- Dogs need to play with other dogs! Whether it's a scheduled play date with your neighbor's dog or at a doggy daycare, rotating in dog-dog interaction is essential. Unless, of course, your dog is aggressive towards other dogs.
- Cognitive-- These enrichment games provide thinking and problem solving for your dog. There is a wide variety of interactive toys on the market. You can also play games that provide nose work like hide-and-seek or treasure hunts. In addition, it's never to late to teach an old dog new tricks! Give your dog opportunities learn new commands and tricks.
- Environmental-- Try giving your dog a digging pit by placing a kiddie pool filled with sand in the back yard. Then, bury toys in it! Or, give your dog an obstacle course that has tunnels and objects to jump over or climb under. We have a favorite at the daycare that involves old tires!
- Feeding enrichment-- This one is more of a subcategory of cognitive. Instead of giving your dog their food in a bowl, give them an opportunity to work on their hunting and foraging skills. Their is quite a few canine puzzle food dispensing toys out there that make your dog work for their food. Or, you can hide food under rugs or blankets. Other ideas include: Kongs, lick pads and sniff mats.
- Toys-- These include remote or wind-up toys, flirt poles and chew toys. Chewing is an excellent way dogs relieve stress!
- Sensory-- Chasing Bubbles! Or, try a hide-and-seek game of spreading peanut butter in different places around the outside of the house (alternative: splashing low-sodium chicken or beef broth).
