How To Add Stimulation To Your Dog’s Life
It is important for your pet to be adequately stimulated - both mentally and physically. Many pet parents are aware of the importance of physical stimulation, however some overlook the need for mental stimulation. Nurturing both physical and mental strength is an important element in keeping your dog healthy and active. Let us understand how you can add physical and mental stimulation to your dog’s life.
Importance of Stimulation: Dogs need excitement and activities to do in their life or they are bound to get bored or detached from their surroundings. It is important to constantly expose them to new things or different environments to ensure that both his body and mind are properly stimulated.
Physical stimulation is needed to keep your dog fit, healthy, and maintain strong bones and joints. Well-exercised dogs not only look good, but they also feel good about themselves and tend to live longer, healthier lives. Exercise works off excess energy so they can focus on exhibiting positive behavior. If you don’t provide an outlet for the energy that your dog has, it might lead him to become destructive, anxious or frustrated. Stimulation also helps him to stay fresh and even stay distracted when you are not home to accompany him. It is also important to know how much exercise your dog needs to ensure that he does not push himself too hard.
Mental stimulation is an equally important aspect in a dog’s life. Dogs are sensitive animals, they have their own emotional experiences, which means that they can feel sad and happy just as we do. Hence, addressing their mental stimulation is a vital component in keeping them healthy. A mentally understimulated dog may exhibit behavioral issues, even with adequate physical activity. Engaging in different types of activities that help with not just physical but mental development too is consequential for their overall growth. Engaging your dog in mental activities improves his cognitive function, learning capacity and attention span. Mentally stimulated dogs have attentive minds, their performance is better during dog training and they are quicker at solving problematic tasks.
How to provide physical stimulation to your dog:
- Swimming - Whether it is pets or humans, swimming has proven to be quite a physical stimulator. It exercises the body and helps to keep it in good shape. Take your dog for swimming, whenever possible, to encourage physical activity and help him stay stronger and healthier. Other activities like playing fetch with water-friendly balls or toys that you can use to play catch can be integrated while swimming to make it more fun.
- Taking a walk - Walking is also a great exercise. Most dogs need a minimum of two exercise walks a day. Depending on the breed, their age and health condition, the duration of these walks can vary. Walking, running and jogging provides an excellent stimulation to their body. You can take them to the park, or along the beach or for walks on the sidewalks etc. A change of scenery each week will add to his enthusiasm and encourage him to explore more as he goes on these walks. Walking at the same place might get boring for him after a while.Therefore, try not to stick to one route when you go for walks. Walking also helps to keep his heart strong and keep the blood flow regular and balanced.
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Playing catch - The classic throw-and-catch game helps keep them entertained and in good physical form. Dogs love to catch a toy and play around with their owners. As this game requires your dog to move his limbs and run to catch the ball, it proves to be a good physical stimulant. It also keeps him happy and able to enjoy himself along with providing his body with good exercise.
How to provide mental stimulation to your dog:
- Interactive toys - Interactive toys such as treat dispensers and toys with movements, sounds and colors, etc, stimulate your dog’s mind. The treat dispensing toys are designed in such a way that your dog needs to apply his brain to figure out how to get the treat out. Interactive toys come in different shapes and colors that catch your dog's eyes, keeping him both intrigued and distracted.
- Toy rotations - It is recommended to rotate between different toys to keep his mind sharp and keep him from getting bored playing with the same toy. If your dog gets bored, he will find ways to entertain himself and may indulge in destructive behavior.
- Accompanying you to run errands - Grocery shopping, going to a friend's house, shopping for dog products, eating out, etc are some of the places where your dog can accompany you provided pets are allowed. Exposure to a new environment every once in a while helps stimulate your dog’s mind. It builds his confidence and adaptability to new environments. Adaptability and agility stimulates the brain.
- Play the shell game - Do you know what a shell game is? It’s where you hide a treat under one of three identical shell-shaped containers like a cup or bowl and you shuffle it around, letting your dog choose the correct one. If he chooses the right one, he gains a treat. This game helps to develop your dog mentally and work on his problem-solving skills.
- Training - Training your dog is an important way of stimulating his mind. Obedience training with commands like, “sit”, “stay”, “lay down”, “come here”, “shake hand”, etc, are some of the easy commands you can use to provide your dog with a mental workout.
Keeping our dog healthy, mentally and physically, is the best way to show that we care for their well being. There are numerous activities you can use to stimulate your dog, some of which we have mentioned in this blog. These activities also allow the bond between your dog and yourself to become stronger and permanent. With positive stimulation, your doggie would become the best version of himself. Therefore, keep an open and creative mind and help your dog beat the numerous life-obstacles, whether physical or mental, to lead a healthy and happy life.
Links for swim toys
- Holy Paws Floating Stick
- Speedy Pet Floating Ring
- Speedy Pet Floating Knob Ball
- Trixie Set Of Floatable Tennis Ball
Links for interactive toys:
