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There are hundreds of dog toys on the market, so trying to find the right one that will stimulate your dog's mind can be tricky. Even when you have boxes filled to the brim with toys your dog can run into the trap of boredom.
Thankfully, there are many ways to stimulate your dog’s mind for free. Using regular household items, you can breathe fresh new life into your dog and make their tails wag.
1, Toilet roll Treat Parcels -
Instead of throwing the inner tubes of toilet rolls away (kitchen rolls work too) you can create fun little parcels for your dog to chew, throw and destroy. Once the roll has been used up, take a few of your dog’s favourite treats or daily food and place it inside, then close each end by either folding or using cello tape. You can then hide these about the house, making it into a fun game for them. This is a great way of reusing something destined for the recycled bin as well, so it’s a win win.
2, Shoebox treat boxes
Same idea as the treat parcels but using a larger box. By placing either your dog’s favourite toys or treat inside, your dog will love destroying the box trying to retrieve whatever’s inside. If you have any old wrapping paper from Christmas or Birthdays and have the time, wrap the box up giving your dog a longer destroying session.
3, Bringing the outside in
This is great for anyone that needs to keep their little ones indoors. Dogs are natural sniffers, using their little noses to discover the big wide world. BY grabbing a few handfuls of leaves, sticks or anything else from outside, you can give your dog hours of fun and mental enrichment discovering what’s happening in the neighbourhood.
4, Hide and seek
This is Pippi, our dog’s, favourite! Having dogs use their noggings to find things can be hilarious for us and engaging for them. Hiding treats in areas for your dog to discover is great and makes them have to think and follow their nose. If you don’t want to use treats, make them find you! Having them do this helps with training and helps them learn your name. Just make sure to praise them loads once they find you!
5, Socks!
Another Pippi fave, old socks get holey and a bit manky, they lose their elasticity and basically are useless. But not for a dog! Take either a full pair or just one and tie a knot around the middle then watch your dog go nuts. What makes this an ideal boredom buster is your dog can either play by themselves or play tug o’ war with you, building a loving bond for you both!
Conclusion
In conclusion, providing your dog with mentally stimulating toys and treats can help reduce stress and anxiety as well as reduce boredom which can lead to destructive behaviour and/or health issues down the line.
