Dog toys that encourage mental activity
Dogs need to think. Its brain demands new challenges every day. Playing with mental stimulation dog toys
is a good way to keep your dogs busy and entertained , but only if appropriate toys are used for it. We’ll explain it in this post.
Dogs need challenges.
Dogs are intelligent animals and they need to be mentally stimulated to be happy.
A dog is happy, among other things, when his brain is active and trained to solve challenges on a daily basis.
As responsible for the well-being of our dogs, we should consider this and offer them new cognitive challenges every day. Just as we take them out for physical exercise, we should offer them games that provide them with the necessary mental exercise. Some dog toys are geared toward that goal. And, beyond that, they are useful, too, to help solve certain behavioral problems.
Dog toys that go beyond
There are hundreds of dog toys on the market, from classic balls and teethers to much more sophisticated games such as well-known interactive toys.
Interactive toys for dogs are those that propose a mental challenge that the dog must solve: the dog must find a way to get the edible prizes that the toy hides inside, using its paws, mouth, etc. to manipulate it.
How is an interactive toy?
- Hide prizes inside to challenge your dog’s instincts.
- The dog must figure out on its own how to access the treats: lifting a lever with its nose, turning the toy over with its paw, pulling on a string with its mouth, etc. It depends on each toy and the way to solve the problem that each dog has. Some will use their paws, others their mouth, etc.
- There are several levels of difficulty: you have to choose the appropriate level so that the dog neither gets frustrated for not knowing how to solve the problem nor solves it in two seconds.
- Improves the bond between dog and owner: the dog appreciates that its owner offers interesting and fun challenges.
- Interactive toys for dogs that are sold in specialized stores are a good proposal.
However, buying a toy at the store is not the only option.
Based on the same idea of mental stimulation as the axis, but taking it much further, in Italy the canine trainer Paolo Villani (1933-2016) developed a protocol for working with dogs, focused on Canine Mental Activation, using adapted toys. To the cognitive and emotional needs of each dog.
The truth is that Villani's proposal is very interesting and I think it can help many people to stimulate their dogs more and better.
Canine Mental Activation
Canine Mental Activation © is a discipline promoted by the Italian trainer Paolo Villani and his work team, which consists of proposing to the dog various games, that the animal has to solve by itself, with total autonomy and without the help of the its owner.
The difficulties that the dog encounters when solving the games teach him to manage moments of stress and frustration, to overcome fears and difficulties, something that will later help him in his daily life.
How does it work?
The toys are presented to the dog according to different levels of difficulty so that the animal always ends up successfully solving them. In this way, its cognitive activity is stimulated but not only that: the dog's initiative is also encouraged, self-confidence is enhanced (the dog realizes that it is capable of solving problems on its own), and its self-control against to situations that require concentration and resolution.
It is scientifically proven that 20 minutes of Canine Mental Activation is equivalent to three and a half hours of walking in the woods.
Each toy is built for a specific purpose, to teach the dog something specific. Once that purpose has been achieved, the toy is no longer used in the same way.