Your adorable pet needs exercise for his body and mind. We bet you have a routine at home where you take him out to the park every day at the same time.
Are you doing a similar exercise for his brain too?
Wait! What did we just ask you?
Exercising the brain? Come on man, like really?
Yeah!
Why do Dogs Need Brain Play
Just like humans, who need both physical exercise and mental stimulation, dogs need them too.
In humans, it is a well-known fact that not using any senses can ultimately loosen them up and you may perhaps end up forgetting the very skill you were earlier so proud of.
Exercising your brain, practising your skills are the best way of maintaining and sharpening them. So, let’s exercise your beloved pooch’s brain and help him stay mentally sharp.
Playing dog puzzles and learning new tricks help to cope up with dog’s behavioural issues and reducing their destructive behaviour as well.
Control separation anxiety and restlessness of your pet with the brain play, puzzles and maintain your pet’s mental strength.
It’s Play Time
Obstacle Game
Pick up fun stuff like cardboard boxes of different sizes, include balls, bones and make the most fun obstacle course ever!
Make it exciting by using different things, newer locales and reward him with a treat or two once he successfully completes the obstacles.
Brain Chew Puzzle
Ha! This puzzle game is fun and yummy! Pick up a treat or kibble and insert it into a chew toy.
Make a hole in the chew toy if one is not present. You can cut many shapes like a curve, straight line or even a star shape.
Your cute dog will keep wondering where his treat is as he will be able to smell it but not open until he understands where it is hidden.
To open it, your dog will need to think a lot. Whether to open, bite or chew it or even use his paws, this game will make him exercise his brain so much!
Memory Game
Why buy a dog game when making one is so damn easy!
Just pick up a 6 or 12 cup muffin tin and put some tennis balls within. Now hide a few pieces of his treats below the tennis balls.
He may sniff all he can but getting those treats out will not be so easy.
He may even start playing with the tennis balls and then find his treats. Play and eat; this game may soon become his favourite game!
Google Dinner Game
This game is super exciting and fun for you and your dog. Train him to search for his food and eat it too!
Break his dinner into small portions and place them in small food bowls around the house. If you choose, you can also leave them on the floor. You can even decide to make a trail of it which will make it super fun and playful for your dog.
He will need to use his smelling sense to figure out where his food is and then he would be able to eat it. Gradually increase the complexity of the game as your dog starts getting the hang of it.
Word Search
Hey after teaching your pet number games, logical games and even analytical reasoning, its grammar’s turn next!
Boost his vocabulary by training him to fetch and get his favourite toys.
Teach him, the names of his different toys and then ask him to fetch them one by one.
Talk to him by repeating the name of the toy until he understands which toy it is and fetches it correctly. Once your friend fetches a toy correctly, remove it from the pile and use new toys.
Toys on the Market
Whew, that was a fresh list of do-it-yourself games which are so much fun to prepare and then play with your furry friend! Isn’t it.
Sometimes, you can even choose to buy cool dog games and puzzles off the shelves. Just remember to get safe, durable and non-toxic material for your dogs which will be healthy and safe for him. Small and soft toys suit smaller dogs while more durable toys are great for the larger dogs.
Rules of Playtime:
- Love, affection, lots of cuddles, dog talkand food treats are great to use as rewards. Make your dog learn and play at the same time.
- Do make sure that playtime is safe and your pup is not swallowing or chewing anything.
- Patience is the key, so take the time to make him learn the ropes of the game.
- Teach him everything step by step – going slow and allowing him to discover things himself. Remember the way you trained him when you got him home as a little pup!
- Use treats and cuddles as rewards if he understands the toy correctly and brings it.
- Patience and continuous practice will be great for training your dog.
Keep aside time on a consistent basis devoted to playing.
Small sessions spread out during the week are preferred as compared to one longer session in a week.
Train your dog to sharpen his mind and enable him to learn at the same time.
Happy playing!