To keep your dog happy and healthy, you know that focusing on its physical wellbeing should be a top priority. But did you know that mental agility is also a vital element to remember when it comes to your dog’s overall health?
Your furry friend can get bored with the same old daily routine, just like you do! So keeping your dog’s mind stimulated is essential. But it doesn’t need to be complicated. By implementing simple mental games, exercises, and activities, you can keep your dog mentally sharp.
So to help you keep your dog in tip-top mental shape, we are sharing our favourite tips and activities with you.
Get your dog an interactive puzzle toy
Puzzle toys are a great way to keep your furry friend entertained and mentally stimulated. The interactivity of the puzzle allows your dog to use its natural problem-solving skills and stay engaged and focused on a task. This will help your dog build confidence as well as stay mentally active.
Let your dog work for its food
In the wild, dogs scavenge for their food, using their mind to get their next meals. But your furry friend has it easy and gets its food in a bowl daily. Why not change things up in your dog’s mealtime routine? Try feeding your dog using a food-dispensing toy, which will make your dog work for its food. We suggest using something like the KONG toy, where you place the food in the hole, and your dog has to wobble the toy to get the food out. Because it wants its food, your dog will put in more effort to reach the reward.
Feed your dog a healthy diet and supplements
While we are on the topic of food, a well-balanced diet plays a huge part in keeping your dog mentally sharp. Make sure that you are feeding your dog vet-approved food, with healthy fats to promote brain health and mental wellbeing. Additionally, we recommend giving your dog a good supplement that contains omega fatty acids, like Zesty Paws Omega bites.
Provide your dog with sensory enrichment on walks
Did you know that your dog perceives the world through its sense of smell? So when you take your dog on daily walks, be sure to allow it to stop and sniff around. Allow your furry friend time for exploration without rushing it along. This small thing will give your dog so much joy as it experiences new and exciting smells, providing it with daily sensory and mental stimulation and an understanding of the world around it.
Teach your dog new tricks
Dogs are curious and love to learn! By teaching your dog some fun tricks, you’re providing it with a challenge to work its mental muscles. As an added bonus, the training time can double as bonding time between you and your furry friend. We suggest teaching your dog the names of different toys and objects and then teaching it to retrieve them.
Remember that a happy dog is both physically AND mentally healthy. So provide your dog with fun and interactive puzzles, make sure it is getting those good omegas, allow it to stop and sniff the roses, and spend that quality time teaching your furry friend some new tricks.
Did you find this article helpful? Read our other article for tips on how to boost your dog’s overall health.
Sources
https://www.akc.org/expert-advice/health/how-to-keep-your-dogs-mind-sharp/
https://www.puppyleaks.com/more-mental-stimulation/
https://www.pethonesty.com/blogs/blog/how-to-keep-your-dog-s-mind-sharp