Brain Games

Dogs need a healthy balance of both physical and mental stimulation to feel fulfilled. Oftentimes, mental stimulation activities wear a dog out much faster than physical activities. For a dog, 15 minutes of scent work can be equivalent to 1 hour of walking around the neighborhood!

Stimulating Ideas

These are just a small variety of mental stimulation activities that we encourage you to try with your dog:

• Snuffle mats

• Use the attached fabric to hide food or treats

• Slow-feeding bowls

• Add water or broth to food

• Can be frozen for a longer activity

• Fillable toys

• Layer different ingredients to keep your pup's interest

• Can be frozen for a longer activity

• Scatter feeding

• Toss a handful of dog food or treats onto the ground

• This works very well in grassy areas but can be done in various rooms of your home.

• Lure course

• Puzzles

• There are varying levels of difficulty- beginner to expert

• Sniffari's

• Different from your typical walk as with this activity, you let them sniff all the smells.

• Shredding safe and appropriate items while supervised

• Heads of lettuce, paper towel rolls, and toilet paper rolls can all be great options.

Be sure to check out Filling Ideas and Safe & Non-Safe Foods for information about the importance of stimulation and to learn more about fun and safe foods for your dog.

Galaxy loves to spend her downtime with a filled Kong!

Galaxy is available for adoption through FLUFF Animal Rescue.