A Tired Dog is a Good Dog

This old adage definitely has some truth to it!  However, it’s not just about physical exercise.  Dogs, like any other animal (including humans!) need daily mental stimulation and exercise to be truly content.  The good news is that it’s pretty easy for any dog owner to do and doesn’t have to be expensive or time consuming.

The true benefit of providing appropriate mental exercise for your dog is that he learns how to calm himself down.  He may only show interest in a “thinking” activity for short periods at first.  However, if you stick with it, before long he should learn to enjoy the feeling of calming down and settling into an activity that is mentally challenging.  He will soon learn to look forward to and enjoy the satisfaction of the challenge.

If you send us fun video or photos (with a brief story or description) of your dog working on one of our exercises or games, we’ll post it on our website to share with everyone!  If you have a good idea for a fun, safe mental game, let us know and we’ll post it here!

Easy Mental Exercises and Games:

All of these activities require little or no additional equipment.  Anything you might need are things you can find around the house.

1. •Kibble Scramble
   

2. This one couldn’t be easier - and fun for us too!  Pour a glass of wine, go out on the deck, and . . .
   

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7. •Treat Toss
   

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9. Excellent practice for your Recall!
   

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11. Even in the snow . . .
    

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1. •Find It
   

2. A great beginning scenting game that’s played on leash.
   

1. •Buried Treasure
   

2. This game encourages your dog to dig, so ensure that you create a very specific digging spot and prevent (NOT punish) your dog from digging elsewhere.
   

1. •Towel Diving
   

2. A great way to re-use those old towels that no longer match your newly renovated bathroom!
   

1. •Mental Muffins
   

2. A good solution to a boring dinner party . . . !
   

1. •Wait For It
   

2. With a little obedience mixed in for good measure.
   

1. •Walk and Toss
   

2. Liven up your daily leash walks.
   

1. •Bobbing for Hot Dogs
   

2. Do you really need an explanation?!
   

1. •Bait and Switch
   

2. Ah - the old Bait and Switch - our version for dogs!

Mentally Stimulating Toys for Meal and Treat Dispensing - “Destuffers!”

(Video clip of Dante playing with his Kong Wobbler)

Ideally, you want to try and get your dog “addicted” to some of the toys below so you have some entertaining and challenging things to leave your dog with when he is alone during the day.  Of course you always need to monitor your dog’s use of any toy until you’re comfortable that he can safely be left alone with each one.  The best way to develop your dog’s “addiction” is to feed him meals in one or more of the toys listed below. 

Make it very simple at first - his food should fall very easily out so he doesn’t get discouraged.  If it’s really easy but your dog gives up before finishing his meal, just put the toy with the food in it away and let him try again next mealtime.  If the toy is the only way to get his meals, he will quickly begin working hard to get his food out.  It won’t be long before your dog realizes the enjoyment in working for his dinner through the use of these toys and eagerly anticipate getting another.  Dante, one of our test subjects, takes almost 2 hours to eat his raw, frozen food out of Kongs - and he’s exhausted afterwards!

In order to keep the value of the treat dispensing toys high, we recommend keeping them put away when your dog isn’t eating his meal or having it for entertainment.  He shouldn’t be able to just grab and play with one whenever he wants - keep it special by putting it away between uses.

All of these toys have been tested on our own dogs and many of the dogs in Lisa’s daycare.  We have found these to be the best in their category and highly recommend them.  As always, you should monitor your dog with any toy to ensure he plays safely.

Kongs!  www.kongcompany.com

The Kong Company makes some fantastic products for dogs (and cats) and we highly recommend many of their toys.  The make chew and treat dispensing products for all ages and bite strengths of dogs - from puppies to seniors.  These are just a few of our ultimate favorites specifically for treat dispensing or food de-stuffing toys:

1. •Kong Wobbler (#1 Pick!)
   

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   The Wobbler is a large treat dispensing toy that you can fill with kibble or similar-sized treats.  It has a weighted bottom so it “wobbles” when you play with it.  Treats come out through a keyhole on one side when your dog pushes it over.  Treats fall out randomly and it does take quite awhile to empty, which makes it fairly long lasting - always a good thing!  A great feature is that the top screws off so the whole thing can be washed out, which means it can be used indoors or out.  The cavity is large enough to fit an entire meal portion for most dogs.  Kong recommends it for dogs over 20 pounds - they will be coming out with a version for smaller dogs soon.
   

1. •Kong Genius (formerly Canine Genius)
   

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   The Genius is one of the best destuffing toys around!  We put treats, cheese, or bits of fruit and meat in ours and top it off with peanut butter or cream cheese and then freeze for maximum entertainment value.  It is a brightly colored, bowling pin shaped toy with 3 openings to get food out.  The openings are not very large, so it can be fairly challenging and last awhile if you’re creative with your treat choices.  The Genius can also be linked to other Genius’ so the treats can fall from one to another and add to the challenge.
   

1. •The Classic Kong
   

2. Hard to beat the Classic Kong!  The original cone-shaped, rubber Kong continues to be a great entertainment toy and a good place to start to get your dog used to eating meals out of toys.  The cone shape with it’s one, round opening is not quite as challenging as the Genius but you can get it in many different sizes and strengths of rubber, so it’s ideal for any type of chewer or size of dog.  We use ours with dry kibble and treats as well as raw food and just throw it in the dishwasher when it’s done.  To make them more challenging, look for treats that don’t easily fit into the round opening - we step on ours to flatten it out so we can jam treats in that don’t fall out when it bounces back into shape!  As with the Genius, you can add peanut butter or other nut butters, yogurt, cheeses, etc. and freeze for maximum challenge.
   

Omega Paw  www.omegapaw.com

1. •Tricky Treat Ball
   

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   The bright orange Tricky Treat Ball is one of our favorite kibble dispensing toys.  It has a kibble-sized opening that dispenses kibble or small treats as it’s rolled around on the floor.  Because you can’t open it up for cleaning, we don’t recommend you use it outside.  It’s a fairly soft plastic, so not the best choice for big chewers - although some of these dogs do seem to respect toys that give them food and refrain from chewing them apart!  The kibble falls out fairly quickly but you can fit an entire meal in them for most dogs - so it’s a fun way to eat dinner, or just to get some stimulating entertainment.  Casey, one of our test subjects is almost 15 years old and it’s her favorite morning treat toy!
   

Aikiou  www.aikiou.com

1. •Aikiou Food Bowl
   

2. The Aikiou Food Bowl is a very cool way to feed your dog!  It’s a large plastic, paw shaped “bowl” that has sliding doors on each of 4 “toes” and a round disk that turns to uncover one slot at a time in the centre area.  Between the slots on the “toes” and the centre area, there is enough room to hold about 3 cups of kibble and it can be used with raw food too because it’s dishwasher safe.  Your dog has to figure out how to uncover each section to get at the food underneath.  Great for slowing down dogs who tend to gulp their food too fast and fun for any dog as an extra challenge at mealtime.
   

Nina Ottosson www.interactivedoggames.com

1. •Nina Ottosson’s Puzzle Games for Dogs
   

2. All of these toys are great mental challenges for dogs!  There are many different varieties of games - each of which has different doors that need to be slid, spun or lifted to find the treat hidden underneath.  They aren’t really a treat or meal dispensing toy but they are definitely mentally challenging and fun to watch as each dog tries different things to get their treats.  The toys are available in both a wooden and plastic version.