Why is Mental Stimulation Important for Your Dog?
Most people realize that dogs require regular physical exercise for overall health and well-being. But they may not be aware that mental stimulation is equally important to a dog’s health. Just like humans, dogs are living, thinking, feeling, social beings who need to exercise their minds as well as their bodies. They need this outlet for their minds and if it isn’t provided, they’ll come up with their own ideas, often resulting in behaviors you don’t want.
If you think about it, most dogs were originally bred to do a job. Today, most dogs no longer have a job other than being the family pet. Because of that, we need to provide the stimulation. When you’re thinking of what type of mental stimulation you dog may need, you may want to look at your dog’s breed (or predominant breed) and come up with activities that will be best suited to provide the necessary mental stimulation your dog may need.
How Does Mental Stimulation Help Your Dog?
Providing dogs with adequate mental stimulation enriches their lives in a number of ways. Among other things, the right amount and type of mental stimulation:
- Gives them something meaningful to do
- Increases blood flow, oxygen and nutrients to the brain
- Alleviates boredom
- Tires them out, often more so than physical exercise
- Helps them learn
- Lowers blood pressure, aggression, anxiety, depression, and stress
- Lowers aggression, hyperactivity, and destructive behavior
- Helps keep them happy
8 Ways to Give Your Dog More Mental Stimulation
So now you know why it’s important to give your dog mental stimulation, the next question is what you should do to provide this stimulation? Here are 8 suggestions.
Training
Training of any kind is an excellent way to give you dog lots of mental stimulation. From basic obedience commands to various tricks, training will give your dog’s mind a great workout throughout their lifetime. Plus it’s a great way to strengthen the bond with your dog.
Try Various Sports
Sports, such as agility, flyball, disc dogs, herding, lure coursing, tracking, and more are an excellent way to provide additional physical exercise and mental stimulation for those more high strung, high energy breeds. You don’t have to participate competitively in these sports; there are many opportunities to do it just for fun.
Vary Your Walks
Just like with humans, dogs get bored going on the same walk around the block every day. One way to add mental stimulation is to vary your daily walks, and let your dog sniff as you go. You can even teach your dog a “go sniff” cue to let them know they’re free to explore the area.
Get Some Puzzle Toys
Interactive puzzle toys are a great way to keep your dog occupied, entertained and focused, all providing great mental stimulation. Puzzle toys challenge dogs, giving them the chance to use their natural problem solving skills. Treat dispensing toys are most common, and are a perfect way to keep your dog occupied when you’re not home.
Play Games with Your Dog
Games such as fetch, find it, hide and seek, tug, and more provide enrichment and help your dog stay both physically and mentally healthy. These types of games can be played either indoors or outdoors.
Teach Your Dog the Name of Their Toys
Research shows that the average dog can learn up to 165 words and some dogs can learn up to 250 words. So why not take advantage of this and teach your dog the name of their toys? Make a game out of bringing you the toy you ask for. Start with one toy and repeat the name of the toy until your dog learns it. After some time, ask your dog to go get that toy, and see if they can pick it out.
Create an Obstacle Course for Your Dog
You can easily use household furniture and other items to create an obstacle course for your dog. Teaching them how to navigate the course provides a nice mental workout. Use tables, chairs, boxes, blankets, brooms and more, spread these items around and teach your dog to go over, under and around them. You’ll both have fun!
Give Your Dog a Job
Dogs love having a job, even simple ones. You can teach your dog to do a wide variety of things around the house, from retrieving your shoes, opening the refrigerator, turning lights on and off, bringing in the grocery bags, and more.
Proper mental stimulation prevents problems such as boredom, anxiety, stress, depression and other negative behaviors. If you haven’t already, start incorporating some of these things listed above in your daily or weekly activities. Your dog will be healthier and happier, and your relationship will flourish!
