Brain Games to Mentally Stimulate Your Dog

Did you know that behavior can sometimes directly be correlated to a dog’s cognition/mental state? One of the hardest things about having dogs is the clear lack of verbal communication. As dog parents, although we develop a good sense of what our dogs want or how they’re feeling over time, we can never be 100% sure as to why our dog acts the way it does and/or what its trying to tell us. Much like you and I, our dogs can get bored if they’re not stimulated or challenged enough, which can lead to a multitude of negative behaviors such as aggression, restlessness, sadness, anxiousness, and/or distress. To top that off, some dogs more than others are very active and need ways to release energy due to the nature of their breed and predisposition, such as Sheepdogs, Labs, Golden Retrievers, and German Shepherds, to name a few. 

All that said, life tends to get in the way – we have 9-to-5 jobs, deadlines to meet, vacations and family gatherings to attend, etc. all of which makes it hard to dedicate a minimum of 2-3 hours every day to exercise/engage our dog to adequately meet its high energy needs. In addition to that, now that most of us have been working from home, some dogs are experiencing separation anxiety with those returning to the office or restlessness during the day for those still working at home. 

Here are some creative, hands-off Brain Games that we typically tell our clients to help distract and stimulate your dog throughout the day when you’re working or pressed for time:

Now that we’ve discussed all the different brain games you can engage your dog in, we also wanted to make an important note on how these can also positively impact injured dogs. These methods (with the exception of hide & seek) are imperative for post-operative dogs who just had surgery and are required to be on “Crate Rest”. These games will help stimulate and challenge your dog while adhering to strict [physical] activity restrictions, therefore these serve as great outlets of energy release for them when they’re not yet able to return to their normal exercise/play routine due to healing, pain, weight-bearing status, etc. 

Another key point is that typical, non-injured dogs still require physical activity and exercise! So although these methods are great ways for your dog to keep busy during the day, these should be used as adjuncts, or alongside their regular exercise/activity routine. It is still just as crucial to take them to the dog park, playing fetch, going on walks/runs, etc. Therefore, a good balance of both mental and physical stimulation are important to their overall well-being and happiness for years & years to come!