How to Mentally Stimulate Your Dog For a Happier Life

posted byShotaro Nabeya23/12/2020

Most pet owners think physically stimulating your dog is enough to keep them happy, but what they don’t understand is that if a dog lacks mental stimulation, they will find ways to amuse themselves which oftentimes may seem as a bad behavior.

Physical exercise is great and necessary for dogs but without mental stimulation for their intelligent minds, they will start acting out in ways such as chewing and destroying furniture, excessive barking, and even eating your socks. Here are some of the best ways to stimulate your dog’s mind!

Go Outside and Explore

Although walking with your dog is a good exercise for both of you, it can get pretty repetitive and boring if you stick to the same route every day. Try and let your dog experience new environments to stimulate their brain. Exploring new routes around the neighborhood, going to the dog park, or even taking your dog on simple errands during your day. This will help your dog exercise their senses of smell, sight, touch, and sound.

Never Too Late To Pick Up A New Trick

Train your dog to perform simple tricks like sit or rollover. Spending 15-30 minutes every day is great mental stimulation for your dog and you’ll be surprised at how much your dog can learn. This is also a great bonding moment where you’ll learn more about your dog’s personality. There is great information online on different tricks and how to teach them to your furry friend. Consider looking into agility training for energetic canines, figuring out which obstacles to go through while running adds both physical and mental stimulation into one activity!

Provide a Variety of Toys

Our canine friends love to chew and it is in their nature to do so. Provide a variety of toys each with different textures and sizes. Your dog will less likely become bored as chewing on different things will help stimulate their brain. Some dogs also have short attention spans so make sure to have plenty of toys for them or they will find something new to amuse themselves, AKA your couch.

Puzzle Food Toys and Gadgets

Puzzle food toys are another great way to stimulate your dog’s mind and keep them away from boredom. Food toys such as the KONG and other food puzzle toys are very useful to keep your dog busy for hours. Stuff the toy with tasty treats such as peanut butter or sardines and let it freeze. When you leave the house, you can give them one of these puzzles and it will take hours for them to get to the frozen reward. Ifetch is a another fun gadget where your dogs play fetch by themselves. Grabbing the ball and putting it in the rightful place to activate the gadget is a great way for your dogs to mentally stimulate themselves.

Hide and Treat

Just like their ancestors, hunting is in a dog’s nature. Hiding treats around the house to create a treasure hunt atmosphere is a great way to help expand your dog’s mind. Using their senses of smell and instincts to track, this activity is surely fun for your canine friend.

Play Dates

Dogs are social animals. Socializing with others of the same kind is very important to keep your dog’s mind stimulated. Playdates will boost your dog’s emotional and mental state, making them more confident in social situations. Arranging a playdate at your friend’s house will also expose your dog to a different environment with different smells.

Maintain

Maintaining a consistent and healthy schedule every day is ultimately what will bring happiness to your dog’s life. Keeping your house clean and fresh is another factor to overall mental stability. Consider putting Healing Crystals around the house or near your dog’s resting area to provide calming energy in your home.

Crystal Healing for Dogs

Crystal Healing is a pseudoscientific technique that utilizes the different healing properties of different crystals. This technique has been used by ancient humans of many cultures and is still being used today. Crystals such as the Black Obsidian is known to help dogs suffering from separation anxiety. Consider taking this Crystal Quiz and find out what could help your dog maintain their emotional levels.


Remember, a mentally stimulated dog is a happy dog!

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