Our dogs need physical exercise, we all know that. You hear all the time about how you should be taking your dog on walks every day to meet their exercise needs. Do you know though, that you need to meet their mental stimulation needs as well?
A lot of our dogs stay home while we are at work or school during the day. When we do not meet our dog's energy outlet needs, they tend to find a way to get rid of that energy. Usually, it's by doing something we won't like, such as playing tug with the curtains, playing with the oversized stuffed toys on the sofa, (throw pillows) or scavenging for super yummy treats that were hidden in that tall can thing in the kitchen (trash can).
There are ways that we can help our dogs burn energy mentally just like we do physically. A lot of the time mental exercise can be even more exhausting than physical exercise.
The following are interactive food toys that you can get on Amazon.
Sniffle Mat: https://amzn.to/3hrceD9
These are used to feed your dog their meals, or just scatter a few treats inside. Your dog then has to sniff and search all through it to find their treat. For most dogs, using their nose is one of the most fun things they can do. I like this one because the drawstring allows you to change the level of difficulty your dog has.
Food Puzzle Toy https://amzn.to/3G8fyNW
These toys allow you to put your dog's meals into the toy and then let them roll it around and play with it to get their food out of it. These are good toys for feeding when you are going to be gone at work for the day. Make them work their brain to problem solve for how to get their food. They figure it out quickly. Yadi has mastered and found tricks to beat most of his puzzle toys.
There are also ways of using things you have laying around the house to help your dog burn some mental energy.
This is not one of my videos, however she does a good job at showing several things you can do at home with your dog.
As with anything you see on the internet. Remember to look out for your dog's safety first! Now in this video she does show you how to use an old cardboard box to put treats or food in. I have to caution you here. If you receive a lot of Amazon or online shopping orders that come in boxes.
If you do allow your dog to destroy the box to get the treats out of it. You CANNOT get mad at your dog when they tear up your packages before you can open them if the box is within their reach. Remember this is something you are teaching them to do if you play that game with them.