If your dogs are anything like mine, they need plenty of enriching activities. While physical activity like walks are important to a dog’s well being, mental stimulation is equally important. Dogs can become bored just like humans can, so it’s important to provide stimulating activities for them to avoid unwanted behavior from boredom. Boredom not only causes negative behavior such as barking or chewing, but also affects your dog’s overall well being. Fortunately, it is easy to come up with simple games to keep your dog entertained. Fifteen minutes of mental stimulation is supposed to be equivalent to an hour long walk! Check out these top enriching games for dogs to keep any dog entertained!
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Snuffle Mats
These interactive mats are typically made of soft fabric or fleece and engage your dog’s natural foraging instincts. You can buy a mat in fun colors and themes or you could even make your own at home. To use it, sprinkle your dog’s favorite treats (or kibble) throughout the mat, allowing them to sniff out the treats for a rewarding experience.
Treat Puzzle Games
Similar to above, puzzle games are an interactive toy that provide a tasty treat reward. These come in a variety of shapes and skill levels. While it might take a few tries for your dog to catch on, these provide significant mental stimulation while working on the puzzle.
Automatic Fetcher
Perfect for energetic dogs who are obsessed with fetch, automatic fetchers provide plenty of activity for your dog while allowing you to take a break from throwing. These can be used indoors or outdoors, you just need to make sure you have a big enough space for the ball to shoot out. It can take some training for your dog to learn how to drop the ball back in the machine, but once they learn, they will be able to play for hours. You do want to make your dog take breaks, though, as they might be having so much fun they don’t realize how tired they are while still trying to play.
Treat Chew Toys and Lick Mats
Woof Pupsicle chew toys are a great way to provide your dog mental stimulation while getting a treat. See my review article on this toy for a more indepth look. You can place a frozen premade or homemade treat into the toy for over 15 minutes of playtime. There are other common brands as well including Kong toys. Another fun food activity is a lick mat, a silicone, textured mat that you can spread a variety of foods like dog-safe peanut butter, yogurt, or pumpkin puree. These can be made room temperature or frozen.
Scatter Feeding
A simple, cheap activity that provides plenty of mental stimulation to your dog. All it takes is to scatter kibble or treats in a designated area, encouraging your dog to sniff out the food. Not only does it provide stimulation, but it also slows down fast eaters.
Frozen Treats
Another easy, cheap activity for mental stimulation is to freeze dog-safe ingredients into an icy snack for your dog to lick or chew. You could freeze these into ice cube trays that you already have at home or you could buy fun silicone molds. You could even freeze a whole, large carrot as a treat by itself for your dog to chew. Frozen treats are perfect for hot, summer days to cool down your pup!
Hide and Seek
While this might sound like an odd game, hide and seek is a fun way to play with your dog, helping to create a bond between you two. All you have to do is hide somewhere in your house or yard and call for your dog to find you. You can change up your hiding spot to challenge your dog to use their sense of smell to find you.
Training Sessions
Training is essential for your dog’s well being and can be a great source of mental stimulation. Quick 15 minute training sessions with positive reinforcement will not only entertain your dog, but help your dog learn basic and even advanced commands. It helps create trust and respect between you and your dog as well.
Enrichment activities are important to your dog’s overall health and happiness. Whether it is a puzzle, game of fetch, or edible treat toy, these top enriching games for dogs will help create a happy, balanced pup! Happy playtime!
Have another exciting game to keep your dog entertained? Drop it in the comments below to help other dog moms!
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