5 Activities to Challenge Your Dog’s Brain
You know why adequate exercise is important to your dog's health. But did you know they need brain exercise too? Challenge your pup's intellect with these brain-stimulating activities.
1. Give Them Challenging Toys
Puzzle toys and other activities that require patience and strategy are a great way to attract your dog's attention and get them thinking. Food-dispensing toys combine the two things your dog loves most — food and play. These brainteasers come in several size-appropriate options and allow dogs to chew, bounce, paw and nudge at them to get at the yummy morsels inside.
2. Engage Their Mind with Automation
You may not be able to play fetch with your pooch every minute of the day, but automated toys can play with them for you. Fetch is a great way to engage all of your dog's five senses to keep their brain active, and an automated fetch thrower challenges your dog to not only retrieve the ball, but return it to the thrower correctly in order to get the next pitch.
3. Play Hide-and-Seek
Hide-and-seek is a fun game that stimulates your dog's intellect. Hide their favorite toys, treats or clothing you've recently worn in different spots of your home. Let Fido find them using his sense of smell and his reasoning skills.
4. Brush Up on Obedience Training
Training is a wonderful way to keep your dog's mind sharp. After all, learning new things stimulates brain activity. Don't forget to use tasty treats to reward them for performing a desired behavior on command so they’ll want to continue learning.
5. Have a Playdate
Just like for us humans, social situations can be mentally challenging for dogs, especially when they're meeting someone new. Invite a fellow pet parent and their pooch over for a doggie playdate. Let the dogs interact with some supervision but let them sort out the dynamics of their new relationship as independently as possible. This way, your pup can improve their social skills and get a brain workout at the same time.
