Proper exercise and mental well-being is very important for your dog’s overall health. Nonetheless mental health’ is often ignored when fulfilling our dog’s needs. And dogs that have little mental stimulation can easily develop behavioral and health problems. Here are some ideas on how to stimulate your pet’s mind so that they don’t misbehave or get bored.
1. Adjust your Daily Walking Route
Although a walk every day is very important for the both of you, if you stick to the same route and the same routine daily, it can become boring. So try mixing it a little bit every day. New sights and smells are an amazing way to enliven your pet mentally and give him or her something to look up to every time you go for a walk.
2. Find an energizing Outdoor Activity
Different activities like agility training or hiking are great ways to keep your Fido in top shape. For example agility training will teach him to move through a course of barriers and jump over or run through. Training centers are also available in most cities and they can introduce your friend to new and exciting challenges!
3. Puzzle Toy
Puzzle toys are another excellent way to keep your friend entertained and busy. Engaging toys like puzzle games help your dog concentrate on a specific task and that additional mental stimulation is very important. A game of 10 to 20 minutes every day can have a very huge impact on your dog’s well-being. It gives him a task to concentrate on and that is very essential when it comes to countering behavioral issues.
4. Make Mealtime Stimulating
Your Fido is a hunter naturally. This basically means that they are designed to spend most their time searching for what to eat. As a caring dog owner you can use this to your advantage. Get him to hunt for his meals! Yes. Instead of a bowl, feed your pet out of a puzzle bowl. This is usually a toy with spaces for kibble to drop. You can also toss of piece meat around the room
and then tell him to find it.
5. Engage in Engaging Play with Your Dog
Dogs love to play and engaging in active play can go a long way in keeping them mentally stimulated. Though this seems too obvious, it is very important to your dog. Try playing games such as fetch or tug.
6. Try New Tricks Indoors
There are hundreds of tricks you can try from the comfort of your house. You can start with simple tricks like shake or stay and then work up to other more sophisticated ones like roll over. These indoor tricks will not only stimulate your pet mentally, but will also help both you and your friend bond. Try to limit the sessions to about 20 minutes. This will ensure everyone
enjoys it.
Wrapping it up
The six tips mentioned in this guide are just a few of the thousands of mentally enlivening activities you can try with your dog. You just have to open minded because once you start, you will find yourself looking for other better ways to engage your Fido’s mind. In addition, the more you do this, the healthier and happier your dog he will be .