This post may contain affiliate links. This means if you click through and make a purchase I may receive a small commission at no cost to you. All opinions are my own and I never recommend a product or service I don’t personally use.
Sheila is the first high-energy, high drive dog in my life and boy has she been a learning experience! Since day one she has been incredibly athletic with endless amounts of energy and also super smart. In my quest to find appropriate exercises for her a lot of people online reminded me of the importance of mental exercise in addition to physical. As a former gifted child who was often fidgety and disruptive because I was so bored in class, this made SO much sense to me! So I naturally became obsessed with canine enrichment and mental stimulation.
It turns out, a lot of nuisance behaviors are often telling us more than we realize. We need to be challenging our dogs, providing them opportunities to problem solve, and making their lives interesting. So here are 4 signs your dog may need mental stimulation
Anxiety
Anxiety can be caused by many things but oftentimes mild anxiety can be alleviated with proper mental stimulation. Sheila is a pretty anxious dog but once I started including daily enrichment into her life I noticed a HUGE change in her behavior. She’s generally very high alert, sensitive to sudden environmental changes (SEC), and not a big fan of loud noises.
Physical exercise is, of course, a stress reliever but for her, it wasn’t enough. But a 15-minute sniff walk first thing in the morning almost always puts her in a zen state for the day. She’s able to relax and is noticeably less sensitive to her regular stressors
Chewing
Nuisance chewing is the bane of many pet parents’ lives. Coming home to your favorite shoes chewed up is not want you want. Again, the root cause could be many things. Chewing is a natural behavior for dogs and is a stress reliever. It’s also great for dealing with boredom.
A bored dog is in desperate need of mental stimulation! And that can still include chewing, just on appropriate items. I like to use edible chews. They’re a tasty snack, great for dental health, and provide a natural outlet for the urge to chew.
Unable to Settle
This is a big one for Sheila and kind of what got me started on the enrichment train. She would pace around, lay down, get up and lay somewhere else, and toss and turn when she was laying down. I assumed this meant she needed more exercise but someone pointed out that without mental stimulation I was just creating a bored dog with extremely high endurance. And that sounded terrifying!
Again, after a 15-minute sniff walk or breakfast in a puzzle feeder, Sheila is ready for a nap!
Begging for Attention
This is another surefire sign Sheila is bored. She will stare at me, I’m talking an intense stare into my soul. She also nose bumps me repeatedly. And if that doesn’t work, she sometimes even whines at me.
Sure, I can throw a ball for her and tire her out for a bit, but she will be back and bored in probably 30 minutes.
Not all dogs are created equal and some simply don’t need as much mental stimulation as others. But every dog needs and deserves regular enrichment. Here are a couple of easy ways you can give your dog a more entertaining day!
Easy Mental Stimulation for Dogs
Shredding – Ripping, tearing, and shredding are awesome enrichment for dogs! Cardboard boxes and old paper towel rolls are typically readily available and provide tons of fun. I like to mix a few treats with paper towel and toilet paper rolls in a box so Sheila can snuffle around for them. Just received a package? Use the packing paper and box to make a fun game.
HIde and Seek – You can do this a couple of different ways. Put your dog in a stay somewhere and then hide! Have them search the house/yard to find you and when they do have a big celebration! You can also put them in a stay and then scatter treats around the house. Once you release them they get to search the house and find their rewards!
Sniff Walks – Sometimes called a “sniffari” this is one of the easiest ways to enrich your dog. When we were still in the apartment I made Sheila’s morning walk a sniff walk every day. Basically, they are allowed to sniff anything they want as long as they want (within reason). If she wants to stand at one bush for 5 minutes great! Following a scent trail until she finds the source? Perfect! Typically, we took 15-20 minutes and she would be completely ready to have breakfast and settle for her first nap of the day,
Remember, every dog is different story out lots of activities to see what works best inyour house. And as always, be sure to supervise your dog during any activity!