Question:

After seeing your post about mental stimulation, what kind of games would you suggest to keep a dog mentally active?

ANSWER:

Hi Marty,

Great question! I am so glad you asked!

Dogs require mental stimulation to remain happy, content, and well adjusted. How much they require is dependent on intelligence, energy levels, temperament, age, and overall health and mental stimulation mixed with exercise is the ultimate combination in wearing a dog out. I could not believe how the first agility class completely exhausted my friend’s Toller that I ‘borrow’ in order to learn the sport – she just laid in her crate the entire way home with a dazed, almost meditative look on her face.

All dogs, no matter what the breed, should not only be exercised daily but also given mental stimulation each and every day. Often owners neglect this in small or toy dogs believing that they do not require the same amount of activity as larger dogs but this is not true. Exercise and mental stimulation is more breed dependent then size dependent i.e. a Jack Russell needs more of both then a Mastiff to satiate their high-energy drive.

More formal activities your dog will love include:

- Obedience training is one such activity. Join a class that focuses on positive training techniques
- Trick training is fun for you and your dog. Some trainers offer trick classes or buy a book on training your dog to do a variety of tricks.
- Tracking is a wonderful way to mentally stimulate your dog. Whether it is done outside in the traditional sense or around the house, simple tracking exercises done once or twice a day are great fun and handy too – you never know when you may want some help finding your keys!
- Agility, flyball, rally-O, field and Frisbee are all great dog sports and are often easy to adjust to even small dogs.
- Working dog breeds are at their best doing what they were bred to do. Search and rescue training and protection training for German shpeherds, earth dog trials for terriers, lure coursing for sighthounds, weight pull for Malamutes, and field trials for hunting dogs are all wonderful activities that enrich your dog’s life, and your own!

Less formal ways to keep your dog mentally stimulated:

- Keep your dogs toys in a ‘toy box’ and rotate which toys they are allowed to play with each day. Every evening pick up the toys in front of your dog and each morning give them three or four other ones to play with will help keep the toys new and fresh to your dog.
- Teach them the ‘go see!’ command as well as the names for other people in your house. Then, when your dog is looking bored, say ‘go see Marvin!’ in a happy voice and your dog will run to Marvin (works well if Marvin gives the dog a treat or a toy and a huge welcome – everyone in the house must be onboard for this game to work). Then Marvin says ‘go find Sadie!’ and the dog runs off to find Sadie wherever she may be in the house.
- Teach your dog the ‘go find!’ command and the names of their toys. Then, hide the toys around the house and, again when they are looking bored, say ‘go find mousie!’. The reward is finding the toy and usually after a good search, your dog’s excitement in finding ‘mousie’ will make them want to play with the toy for a few minutes before moving on to finding the next toy.
- Kibble balls are great for dogs that spend time home alone each day. Instead of treats, put their breakfast in the ball and they can spend an hour or so pushing the ball around in order to get their breakfast. This is a great way to combat separation anxiety as well!
- Buy a beginner’s backyard agility course (usually about $70) and teach your dog to run the obstacles!
- When you take your dog for a walk, go a different route each time. Add in fun stuff like visiting coffee shops, banks, and open air malls to add interest.

That is enough for now I think. I will keep adding to the list as I come up with things. As for how to teach your dog these tricks or games, everyone let me know if you are interested and I will make each one into a future blog entry!

Happy playing,

Ann