Just like people, dogs are living, breathing, thinking and feeling animals. Their thoughts and emotions may not be as complex as ours, but they still need to exercise their minds. Putting effort toward your dog’s physical health through exercise is great and necessary but channeling your dog’s mind is just as important.
Urbanpaws now offers the amazing K9 Connectable range of chew toys. The range of toys aims to stimulate the mind, engage the senses and satisfy the dog’s desire to tear and break things apart. K9 Connectables are great for keeping your dog occupied by making them use their brain to work for rewards – stuff the toys with treats, connect them together, let your dog break connections for rewards.
Why do dogs need mental stimulation?
Remember that all dog breeds were developed for a purpose, and even mixed breeds are subject to their genetics. Hunting, herding and working dogs were all created to help get jobs done for their owners. This means they require a lot of physical and mental exercise. Doing too little of either is a recipe for disaster.
If your dog is bored you’re going to find out very quickly. Dogs that lack mental stimulation are often ill-behaved. Dogs need an outlet for their minds and if they aren’t provided an appropriate resource, they’re going to come up with their own. This often means chewing on items like shoes and furniture, excessive barking and howling, digging and other destructive behavior. This usually isn’t from a lack of training per se, but from a lack of mental exercise.
How to stimulate your pup’s mind
There are many different ways to employ your dog’s mind. Training of any kind, from basic obedience to fancy tricks, will make your pup put his thinking cap on. Training is an excellent way to tire out your dog’s mind, it’s a great bonding activity for the two of you and you’ll see some neat results! If you or your dog get bored or run out of things to learn, consider taking agility, nose work or obedience classes to get the two of you learning together.
Certain toys and games are made specifically for dogs with active minds, such as treat stuff -able toys or long-lasting chew toys. These are perfect for any time your dog needs something to do but you’re unable to work with him. Many are recommended for very active puppies or for use when you’re out of the house for an extended period. These are an excellent choice when you are going to have people over but need to keep your dog occupied and out of the way of company.
Physical exercise can include mental stimulation as well. Even just changing up your walking location can let your dog experience a whole new world than he’s used to. The newer the place, the more mentally exciting it is for your pooch. Play at new parks or at different times than you normally go, so your dog can see something new. You might be surprised how differently your dog reacts to new scenarios.
Mental stimulation is important. A bored dog is an unhappy dog that is usually in some sort of trouble. This isn’t good for anyone in the home, including the dog! Take the time to make sure your dog has enough mental exercise and be sure to switch up the mind games you play to keep everything feeling new and fresh. Remember that health comes in both body and mind, and the right amount of exercise is going to make a world of difference in both of your lives.
Try K9 Connectables today
Using 3D printing technology to help develop and test out the designs, over 100 different prototypes were tested on hundreds of dogs of all shapes and sizes in consultation with dog behavior experts and trainers to fine tune and perfect the toys. The first toys in the range of K9 Connectables help alleviate common problems for dog owners such as boredom and lack of mental stimulation.
K9 Connectables are made from a soft but durable material called TPE (Thermoplastic Elastomer - essentially a soft plastic) that is satisfyingly squeezy for dogs to bite down on! The material is soft enough so K9 Connectables can connect together! The toys have a great bounce and are very safe for fetch and best of all they float on water.
Engage and Entertain!
Source: Katie Finlay