Give your dog mental stimulation
Well the nights are definitely starting to draw in quick and the weather is pretty grim. We will soon be getting used to the smell of wet dog again and cleaning off all the mud before entering your home.
In this less desirable weather, walks are probably brisker and your dog may not be getting the same mental stimulation as it was when we were enjoying strolling through the woods enjoying the warm sunshine.
So how do we keep our dogs mentally stimulated without it costing a fortune on expensive enrichment toys? Easy, use a portion of your dog’s daily kibble amount to do some activities so your dog doesn't gain weight with all the extra treats.
Next time a box arrives from a delivery firm, use the packing paper or any scrunched up paper to fill the box and place bits of the dog’s kibble in among the paper. Give the dog a command such as ‘find it’ and let it root out the treats.
Most people have an old tea towel. Lay it flat and put a few pieces of kibble along the edge and roll the edge over once. Add a few more pieces in a line and again roll it over. Continue this, sometimes missing pieces of kibble and just rolling the tea towel over.
Once you have rolled it all the way over and have your tea towel as a sausage, tie the tea towel in a knot and give it to your dog. Don't be tempted to help them, let them use that brain and work it out for themselves.
Another thing to do is to hide the kibble either around the house or around the garden, put a couple in obvious places so the dog gets the idea and then tell them to ‘find it’.
Mental exercise is much more tiring for a dog. How many times have you heard an owner say I can walk them for hours and then are still ready for more? That's because what you are doing is creating an athlete by building up their stamina.
Giving your dog ways to use its brain and earn its food will wear it out more, make the dog look to you more for direction and keep it calm and occupied. A dog with a tired brain is less likely to develop behavioural issues due to boredom and a lack of stimulation.
Last week, we had the adoption of Bjorn the caucasian x; little Diego went out on trial and Frankie the pug had another walk with his prospective adopters. Sadly, Captain's trial didn't work out and he's back in our care.
Rescue Dog of the Week: Kaiya
Kaiya is either a kangol x or an Akbash. Both are Turkish flock guardian dogs. Kaiya is three years old, spayed and fully vaccinated. She is a very large and strong girl. She is extremely loving and calm in the home. She likes to play and will be your very best friend. At the kennels Kaiya doesn't really react to other dogs unless they are aggressive towards her however when out she takes her job seriously and prefers space.
We are looking for a home with an experienced owner who can continue to train Kaiya to ignore what is around her when out. She does have a prey drive so they will need to be aware of this. She needs to be an only dog in the home as she will guard food around other dogs. Kaiya would be ok with older children/teenagers..
To apply for Kaiya contact [email protected]