Why is mental stimulation important for dogs?
Doggy Day Care at the Willows
Did you know that mental stimulation is important for dogs? A bored dog is an unhappy dog. In fact, it’s as essential as ensuring they have plenty of physical exercise. Many people forget about the need to keep their furry companion’s brain active. There are many reasons why this is crucial to your dog’s wellbeing, and it can help to reduce negative behaviours.
Mental and physical stimulation for dogs
Mental stimulation has several benefits for your dog. It helps to improve their cognitive function, as well as reducing stress and destructive behaviours. As older dogs can suffer from human conditions like dementia, it’s important to keep them mentally engaged.
Providing different stimulating activities also helps to build a dog’s confidence and it will strengthen your bond. Sniffing and chewing are natural, comforting behaviours. So, it’s important to give your dog plenty of opportunities to enjoy activities that offer this type of sensory engagement.
Chewing can become problematic for owners when they don’t provide enough items for dogs to safely chew. Particularly in puppies and young dogs, a lack of chewable items will increase the temptation to chew slippers or furniture.
Similar to physical exercise, mental stimulus can reduce hyperactivity in dogs. It helps to tire them out and calm them down. Most importantly of all, you will be keeping your four-legged friend happy by improving their mental health.
How to mentally stimulate your dog at home
There are various ways to provide mental enrichment for your dog and these may vary depending on the breed. We have listed a few ideas below:
- Snuffle mats – stimulating the foraging instinct, foodstuffs are hidden within the mat to provide a sensory puzzle, making doggy mealtimes fun and engaging. It can be a useful distraction if your dog suffers with separation anxiety.
- Kongs – these rubber toys are stuffed with food to create an enriching puzzle. It’s also a helpful way to clean your dog’s teeth.
- Find It – this game enables your dog to seek out treats or toys hidden around their surroundings. Handle the food or item, let them smell your hand to get the scent, hide the object, then tell them to “Go find it!”
Why you shouldn’t leave dogs home alone for long
The RSPCA recommends never leaving a dog alone for more than 4 hours a day. It’s also essential to provide adequate activities for dogs when they are left alone.
To conclude, it’s important that your dog has a good balance of mental stimulation and physical exercise to keep them happy. This will also ensure fewer objects or areas around the home are chewed, especially if you have a puppy.
At Doggy Daycare at the Willows, we provide various ways to enrich the lives of our day care dogs. Many of our clients bring their dogs to us because they are worried about the impact of leaving them alone. Our experienced and friendly team are trained to provide your dog with mental stimulation and the daily exercise they need to stay healthy.
If you would like to improve your dog’s wellbeing, why not get in touch for a chat about our doggy day care service?
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Sources:
https://www.petmd.com/dog/general-health/ways-to-keep-dog-mentally-stimulated