Best Brain Exercises For Dogs - Highly Recommended!
As we bring our new furry friend home, it immediately becomes time to begin training your pet for his new life with your family. Most people never think in terms of beneficial brain exercises for their dog, but when dogs lived in packs and had to catch their own prey, this is exactly what occurred. As your dog’s ancestors were scavenging predators – the behavior is still ingrained into them.
To keep your dog happy and well behaved we work on predatory behavior through mental exercise.
If your dog is exhibiting any of these behaviors, he may benefit from mental stimulation.
- Digs holes in the garden
- Chews on shoes or other clothing items
- Swings on the clothes attached to the clothesline
- Barks constantly
- Tears things apart
- Leash pulling
- You say no to him and he ignores you
You want your dog to be happy, and to be content he has to have enough beneficial brain exercise specific to dogs.
Beneficial Brain Exercises For Your Dog
Once your puppy is immunized, it’s crucial to start walking him on a leash and taking him to the park to meet and socialize with other dogs, as the more dogs he is exposed to the better. It’s also helpful to have friends and family over to your house to meet your new puppy; and this way he also learns who are friends and who are intruders.
You are the Boss
To teach the dog that you are the head of the family, feed him after you have had your dinner; teaching him to learn to wait until it is his turn. If you have children, he may need to wait outside while the whole family has dinner, as you don’t want the children feeding him under the table.
This teaches the dog that you are the dominant dog and the head of the pack.
The Tug Rope
Most dogs love the Tug Rope, and he will grab it and shake it, tug it; and this is your chance to teach the dog a drop command. This will help the dog learn self-control, and when he drops the tug on the command, you can give him a small dog treat, reinforcing positive behavior. You can also teach your dog to sit using the tug,
You can also play a form of hide -and-seek with your dog, leaving a few treats hidden around the garden.
Hands Off Mental Exercises for the Dog
Purchase Treat Balls
Buy some treat balls, put the treats in the balls, and your dog will work to get them out. They come in different shapes and sizes, giving your dog mental exercise in removing them. You usually unscrew them to fill them up, dropping the treats inside.
Dog Training
If you are having difficulty training your dog, book dog training classes in your area. They go for 6-8 weeks, and this way you will learn the steps in a supportive group environment, and meet other dog owners with similar problems. Often the training includes an app you can watch and practice at home.
If you have adopted an adult dog that is untrained you may need to take him along for some training, as both you and the dog have a few things to learn.
Group obedience lessons are better for dog owners, and they will help you to remember the commands and training methods, this method is very hands-on for the pet owner.
Dog Boot Camp
Beneficial brain exercises for your dog can be taught at doggy boot day camp. If you are busy at work it might be the only way you can get the training done. It does, of course, cost more, but your dog will get customized training usually based on disobedience issues.
Evolution of the Dog
Dogs have evolved over 11,000 years, and have thrived ever since. In the wild, they will hunt together in packs to bring down their prey.
This is intelligent teamwork involving a level of cooperation, and you see this same level of cooperation when you watch sheepdogs work together to round up the sheep. These sheepdogs are carefully trained, usually by the farmer who often uses a whistle.
