Much attention is paid to maintaining your dog’s physical health. Things like making sure they get regular checkups, keeping them up to date on vaccinations, and helping them maintain ideal body condition are common topics your vet (and Diamond Pet Foods!) will remind you about to help you make sure your dog stays healthy.
But there’s another part of your dog’s body that also needs care: his mind. Just like you would exercise his muscles, your dog’s brain also needs exercise. A whole month (May) is dedicated to raising awareness about the importance of mental health to people, and it’s a good reminder that your dog’s mental health matters too.
The problem of boredom
Being home alone for hours without anything interesting to play with is likely to lead to boredom in a dog. If you’ve ever been stuck alone in an airport waiting for a delayed flight, you know what that feels like. Bored dogs don’t have a phone to scroll on while they wait, so they tend to find their own entertainment – which is fun for them, but not so good for you when you come home covered stuffed animals and toilet paper.
Naughty behaviors from a dog left alone shouldn’t be ignored because in addition to being frustrating for you, it could mean your dog is suffering from separation anxiety, which can lead to destructive and even aggressive behaviors. Providing your dog with environmental enrichment can help keep your dog from becoming bored and can help with separation anxiety.
Enrichment should mimic normal behavior
The Indoor Pet Initiative at Ohio State University tells us that environmental or behavioral enrichment reduces stress and promotes overall health by occupying time and increasing a pet’s perception of control over its environment. In other words, enrichment helps keep dogs from getting bored and gives them a say in what their day looks like.
The Indoor Pet Initiative outlines five categories in which most environmental enrichment falls: food-based, sensory (sight, smell, touch, hearing, taste), novel objects, social and positive training. Enrichment activities should mimic natural dog behaviors such as stalking, chasing, catching prey, sniffing, digging, running, and resting.
Confusing brain exercise
Food puzzles are a great way to get your dog to exercise his brain. They have to use their problem-solving skills, and that takes time out of their day because a short meal turns into a long game. You can also make them “chase” their food by hiding the food puzzle instead of just putting it back. You can choose to put their entire daily food intake into a few different puzzles or you can do a small amount at a time. If your dog is up for the challenge, you can try puzzles that require several steps to complete before the food is dispensed.
It’s best to take a slice of their daily food and use it in the puzzle, so they don’t consume extra calories. If you use treats, make sure you don’t give your dog more than 10% of his daily amount of calories in the form of treats or he may end up putting on a few pounds of weight while exercising his brain.
A change of scenery scratches the enrichment itch
Most people get a little anxious and bored when stuck in the same house or apartment for days on end. It’s the same situation for your dog. Taking them out so they can see new sights, smell new smells, and make new friends is a great way to take care of your dog’s mental health.
But don’t just take them for a walk on the same street every day – mix them up! Take a different route, hike a new trail, or visit your local pet store and pick up a new toy – anything that doesn’t “get out” of the same old routine. You can also organize off-leash games. It is ideal for socialization and allows your dog’s sniffer to practice while he greets old and new friends.
If you’re running out of new places to visit or live in an area that doesn’t have many walking options, you can try using a service like Sniffspot to find a new place to explore. Sniffspot helps you find private spaces to rent that provide off-leash enrichment for your dog and can help minimize distractions or triggers. Sniffspot also facilitates play dates and socializes your dog in a controlled and private location.
Does your dog like his toys?
A variety of toys are essential to keep your dog entertained – the same two or three toys all the time will probably lose their novelty pretty quickly. That’s why it’s a good idea to have a basket full of (hidden) toys that you can rotate every few days. Different types of toys — squeaky, chewy, bouncy, smelly, plush — can help maintain the novelty of playing with toys. Give your dog a few toys at a time, then replace them with a few more from the toy basket after a few days. By the time you go back to the start, the original toys will feel almost new to your dog again.
However, one question to ask yourself is: does your dog play with all of his toys, or are there some that sit on the floor and won’t move until you put them away? There’s no point in having these toys in your toy rotation since your dog is obviously not interested in them. Instead, find the type of toys your dog likes and fill the toy box with them.
Teach your dog new tricks
No matter how old your dog is, you can exercise his mind by teaching him new tricks. From upping their fetch game to learning holiday-themed tricks they can master now to show off later, there are plenty of new skills your dog can learn. Also, every dog would probably need a refresher on basic commands from time to time.
You can also introduce your dog to a new activity like an agility course in your backyard or a water sport. And living in a small space doesn’t mean your dog has to miss a fun activity. For example, you can build an indoor obstacle course with items you have around your apartment.
There are many ways to keep your dog’s mind active and reduce the risk of boredom. Some of them might also be good for your mental health!
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