If you are a dog person, and more specifically, if you have one as a pet, then you must be aware of the fact that a dog requires proper and adequate training and exercise to maintain its physical and mental well-being as a whole. But they should be given “mental exercise” also to make their minds active. Dogs that get bored and have very little environmental and mental encouragement may develop behavioral issues which can be mild or severe. So, providing your dog with some mental exercises or get enrolled for dog training Mumbai services is an easier way to make them happy. We will discuss some of the significant ideas of brain exercises that you can try out.
Five Great Ways for Stimulating Your Dog’s Mind
Following are the five important ways in which you can challenge your pet dog’s mind:
Behavior training for dogs:
Obedience training is an important part of your dog’s life as it is not about only teaching a dog to sit, down, and other behaviors and manners. When you train your dog’s mind to learn a new behavior, it forces his mind to think and engage his brain in learning. The training process can be creative if you teach him tricks with some activities that can be fun for both of you. Clicker training can be an excellent way to train your dogs and teach complex behaviors. It can also be used to “shape” behaviors. “Free shaping” is another kind of training where you can “shape” his behavior based on his activities in a specific situation.
Dog sniffing and using other senses
While taking to your dog for a walk, make sure to take him to a place that is widely varied in the sense of lights, odors, sights, textures, and more. As the sense of smell of the dogs is much more powerful than ours, that lets him “see” the world around via aromatic senses, which can extend his mind. Instead of taking your dog to the same place daily for a walk, find a place with new smells where you usually do not go. You can even make the training more effective by adding “parkour” elements to your walks, such as making your dog walk up onto obstacles like benches, curbs, steps, and equipment on the playground. However, it is to be remembered that doing creative things does not mean doing anything unsafe or too high for your dog.
“Outside the box” training classes
Regular “obedience” class at pet grooming services helps your dog to be socializing and make you both learn to communicate with each other. It is considered an amazing mind exercise for your dog as it includes the learning process as well as handling a new environment. There are several options available for continuing classes with your dog, like classes on therapy dog training, teaching tricks, and a wide variety of dog sports, including rally, agility, barn hunt, scent work, canine freestyle, and many more.
Games, toys, and puzzles for dogs
Games are an incredibly fun way to activate the mind of your dog along with developing a beautiful relationship together and teach your dog that spending time with his owner is the best reward. Here, you can get another chance to be creative by playing a variety of children’s games together, like hiding and seek and any other new games based on the availability of toys and the interests of your dog. For example, you can mix up obedience training with playing balls. Sometimes, it is not necessary to involve yourself in the games, but you can be engaging mentally to encourage your dog. Furthermore, your dog can be engaged in a game where he needs to “hunt” for scattered kibbles around the room or garden. However, there are several interactive puzzles and food toys that can be used for the same purpose.
Bringing your dog out
Another essential way of stimulating your dog’s mind is to bring him outside along with you during your regular chores. Visiting new places, seeing new people, riding a car, etc., can be extremely mentally challenging for your dog and can also help in reinforcing socialization. You can try various dog-friendly places nearby, such as restaurant patios, coffee shops, nursery stores, home décor shops, pet supply stores, etc. Always make sure that your dog can handle the crowd by showing good behavior to strangers before taking him out in a crowded place. You can also go for monthly dog walking services if you have time constraints.
Summing up
Finally, it can be concluded that providing mental exercise is equally important for a dog along with physical activities. If you want your dog to be happy, cheerful, and contented, then do not forget to go through the above-mentioned ways. You may also search for the best dog trainer in Mumbai to train your dog in a proper way.
