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Mental stimulation is a crucial responsibility on your part as a dog owner, and yet some people don't even walk their dogs. How crazy is that!? But did you know that 20 minutes of mental stimulation equals an hours walk in terms of the enrichment it provides.
In this post, we will explore the importance of mental stimulation, signs your dog isn't getting enough of it and how you can add more to their lives. Sound good? Awesome, let's go!
We bring dogs into our lives and expect them to adapt their entire being to suit our mundane world. Even though they have different DNA, they are descendants of wolves, however distant the connection may be for some dog breeds. Our ancestors were the ones that domesticated them and brought them into our lives, and over time we changed their very DNA to suit our own wants and needs. Most dog breeds we know today were bred for a purpose.
German Shepherds were bred to be herding dogs, Akitas were designed to be guard dogs and hunt bears. Jack Russell Terriers were planned for fox hunting. Labrador Retrievers were bred to retrieve things from water. Even Yorkshire Terriers were bred with a job in mind, ratting.
Yet, now, majority of dogs, no matter the breed, lie on our sofas and wait for us to return from work, they aren't using their brains like they were designed to do. This causes boredom, which shows up in the dogs behaviour. But they are your responsibility. You took on your fury friend, they are yours for life, and its your job to make sure they are stimulated and challenged enough to live happy, fulfilled lives. They are only in our lives for a too short of a time, but we are their entire lives. Spending time with our dogs shouldn't be a chore on our to do list, it should be something we want to do and enjoy doing.
I am guilty of this, too, on days where I am too exhausted or busy to spend the time I need to with Anayah.
I love spending time with her, though. I often sit on the floor whilst having my coffee or watching TV to cuddle or play with her. It gives my ADHD hands something to do and it gives her the attention she needs, it's a win win!
Your dog will give you signs if they are under-stimulated. Here is what you can look out for:
Destructive behaviours
Sleeping a lot because they are bored
Tired but wired - you may have walked your dog the usual amount and played ball with them and yet they just keep on. They might actually be physically tired but not mentally
Annoying behaviours - like nudging you, whining, staring at you
Depression or OCD type behaviours
Excessive panting, lip licking or unusual behaviours
If your dog is showing any of these signs, it could be lack of mental stimulation, but it's best to always get them checked over by your vet just in case there is an underlying health condition that's affecting their behaviour.
Here are a few things you can introduce into your routine to add mental stimulation for your dog. Variety is key! Change it up often to keep your dog interested, swap things in and out.
If you have a dog who is on a diet for any reason, you can avoid the food related suggestions, find low calorie options. You can use your dogs normal kibble for treats, too, allowing you to add enrichment without increasing their calorie intake, just use their meal allowance for an activity.
Make sure you supervise your dog at all times when using stimulation aids or chews etc.
1 . Lick mats
Lick mats are a great way to add stimulation to your fury friends day. Licking can be soothing for dogs, it can calm them down. Perfect for if you want them to settle in the evenings. Most of them are dishwasher friendly, which is a bonus!
I use lick mats with Anayah on an evening when she is still energetic and I want her to settle down for the evening.
Make sure you get a good quality lick mat as cheap ones can break if your dog tries to use their teeth instead of their tongue, speaking from experience! In addition, I suggest getting a lick mat with suction cups on the base, or you can get ‘stations’ that lick mats can sit in so that they don’t skate across the floor and end up lost under the sofa for weeks.
Some fun things to spread on the lick mat are:
- Greek Yogurt and dog safe fruit
- Banana and dog safe peanut butter (This is Anayahs favourite)
- Wet dog food or meat pate
- DIY fruit mash (dog safe fruits and use a blender or a fork to mash it up!)
Pop the lick mat in the freezer for an hour to increase the work your dog has to do to get the reward.
You can even feed your dog their regular meal on a lick mat if you have one with large enough gaps. I spread Anayahs wet food on one and then push her kibble into it before freezing. This way, your dog is having their normal intake of food and calories just in a more enriching way.
2 . Snuffle mats
Snuffle mats, like lick mats, are available widely from pet stores and online. Most are machine washable. It’s a ruffled mat that when dog kibble or treats are sprinkled amongst it encourages your dog to snuffle between the ruffles to find the food. This is another great option for fast eaters, and again you can feed their meal portion in one, but dry food only! Supplements, wet foods and other additions won’t work!
I use this most mornings to encourage Anayah to engage her brain first thing and set her up for the day, almost like us having a coffee!
There are different sizes and styles so you can pick the one that is best suited for you and your dog.
3 . Hide and seek - Treat addition
Calling all nose-orientated dogs and their owners! This one’s for you.
You can get scented pouches for this, DIY some or use treats. I use the latter, and when Anayah finds the treat, the reward is her getting to eat it.
Start off easily with larger treats that are super smelly, like Fish treats. You’ll need your dog in another room for this, so either get them to sit and stay, get someone else to hold them or shut them in a room or their crate. They cannot see where you put the treats, or it would defeat the whole purpose! Let them sniff the treat in your hand first so they know what they are looking for.
Hide the treats in plain sight like on a dinning room chair or on the tv stand. You can start with 1 treat and work your way up, or go straight in. I limit 5 to each round or I forget where I hid them and if they don’t get found… smelly!
Then you can release your dog. I taught Anayah ‘Find it’ as a cue for the game, so she knows. Let your fury friend sniff for a minute or so and watch them to see if they find the treats you put out. If they don’t find them or seem confused, you can guide them in the
general direction of the treat but try to let their nose do the hard work.
Once your dog has the idea, you can make it harder by using less smelly treats and hiding them in better places. If you really want to test your dogs nose, use the garden!
4 . Trick training and obedience
Teaching new tricks and working on obedience can be a great way for you to bond with your dog as well as getting their brain to really work.
There are the basics: Sit, stay, lie down, roll over, high five etc. But how well does your dog perform each one? Do they listen first time every time? If not, you can spend some time on that.
Then there are the harder ones like Play dead, whisper, figure of 8 etc. Teaching new tricks can improve your dogs concentration in all aspects of their life.
If you need some inspiration for tricks to teach, I have another blog post with 5 fun tricks you could try with instructions here!
You can work on your dogs obedience as well. How long will they sit and stay for? Is there recall bomb proof? There is always something you can add or improve on. Even little things like getting them tp sit and stay whilst you prepare their meal and they can't touch it until you say, or getting them to sit whilst you put your shoes on, their lead on and open the door, and they can't go through the door before you. Little changes can make a big difference to their overall obedience.
Dogs have a pack mentality and so treat you as their 'alpha'. You being the one they turn to and trust will improve your relationship and their overall behaviour.
5 . Food enrichment
Chews and bones are a great way to keep your dog entertained, provide stimulation and improve your dogs dental health. Antlers, Yak chews, Marrow filled bones are long lasting chews that your dog can go back to again and again. I always have an Antler or Marrow bone available for Anayah when I am home. Always supervise your dog with a chew or bone!
Animal bones are another great option, so long as your dog can stomach them. Some dogs, Anayah included, can't have bones as they cause digestive issues, but others are okay.
Beef trachea, Bully tubes, Salmon skin rolls, Pork skin rolls and so much more are available from most independent pet stores. The larger ones do sell small varieties, but I have always found them to be greasy and packed in plastic.
If your dog is a chewer, giving them a positive outlet for that urge can help reduce their destruction in the house... sometimes!
6 . Treat dispensing toys
There are a wide range of these on the market now and all of them offer a variety of enrichment for your pets. There are ones that you can fill with either treats or kibble and seal with something like dog friendly peanut butter, wet food or pate or yogurt. You can give them as they are then or freeze them to prolong your dogs engagement. You could feed your dog their meal in one of these, I do it! Kibble inside and seal it with wet dog food, freeze for an hour and boom! Dinner is served (or breakfast!)
There are also balls that you can out treats or kibble in and your dog has to roll it in order to get the food.
There are puzzles and games you can DIY or buy and teach your dog. Personally, the ones I have bought have taken Anayah 20 seconds to figure out, my rabbits have had more use out of them than she did!
7. Sniffari
How often do you let your dog sniff on walks? I don't mean the odd sniff here and there at a lamppost, I mean really sniff.
Sniffing is like a dogs way of reading the newspaper. They can tell what animals have been around and can tell the difference between prey and predator just by scent, they know what dogs have been around and if there is a new fury neighbour, and they can tell if a person or animal is friendly or not before they even get to them by their smell.
A Sniffari is a walk where your dog is in the lead and they can go where they want to. It only has to be 10 to 30 minutes, but let them sniff everything they want to, and let them follow their nose. These walks are best done on a lead where you can keep them walking at a slower pace than normal. This isn't a walk aiming to physically tire your dog, it's to mentally tire them.
8 . Interactions with other dogs
Dogs are sociable animals, so let them spend time with other dogs. If you have a reactive or aggressive dog, this is one to avoid, but in that case they will require more interaction with you.
It doesn't have to be playing and running, sometimes interactions can mean going for a walk with someone and their dog. If your into it, take your dog to the dog park and let them meet other dogs, or let them say hi to other dogs you meet on walks. Socialization from a young age is crucial, and its just as important to keep it going!
9 . A dog sport
Three popular dog sports are Agility, Flyball and Disc.
Sports like these would supply your dog with a large variety of stimulation from meeting other dogs and people to learning new commands, physical exercise and then the possibility of crowds and shows. They also allow you to get involved in a community and can improve your own mental health, too.
This option is not for everyone and everydog, and that's okay! But if it is, go for it!
10. A dog job
Many breeds of dog will require a job to be fully satisfied due to their brain wiring. Do your research on the breed of dog you have and find out what kind of work they may best be suited too. Some dogs are therapy dogs, service dogs, guarding and livestock dogs. You can even give them jobs at home like helping with the laundry and getting you a can from the fridge. You just have to work with your dogs personality and their strengths.
Not all of these options will work for you, but some will, I hope! Every dog is different and they all need different things to be happy. I hope this has given you a few ideas on how to add more enrichment to your dogs life. The more you engage with them, the stronger your bond will be and the healthier they will be.
Have you tried any of the things listed? Let me know how you get on! Is there something you think is missing off this list? comment below or connect with me on social media.
I always love a good chat, so please get in touch! And follow my social media so you never miss a new blog post.
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