Your puppy’s boundless energy is sometimes hard to keep up with! Not only are they sometimes struck with the zoomies, but you can almost see their brains working to stir up trouble. We’ve discussed how to exercise your pet’s body to cope with boundless energy; now, we’re going to focus on their minds.
Your puppy’s curious mind can sometimes get them into trouble. It can lead them to explore what goodies are in your trash, to chew on your shoes and to attempt escaping for a neighborhood adventure.
Follow these tips to keep your young dog’s inquisitive mind busy:
- Consider puzzle feeders. These interactive feeders require your puppy to use their brain to get the prize—either treats or their food! In some cases, these puzzles can encourage physical activity in addition to working your puppy’s mind.
- Keep up on training. Occasional training refreshers are good for your puppy to keep up on the commands you’ve taught them. You can also work on new skills, such as rolling over, giving high fives and more.
- Join fun classes. Some of these classes, such as agility, will also give your puppy a workout. Learning the new skills taught in these classes is as much a workout for your young dog’s mind as it is their body.
- Make frozen treats. You can freeze treats inside of water or within a Kong toy to encourage your puppy to work harder for the prize.
- Take your puppy on new routes during walks. There are so many sights and smells for your puppy to enjoy. Keep things fresh by varying your routes. Make sure to stop and let your dog get their sniffs in!
- Pull the blinds up. If your young dog enjoys calmly looking out the window, pull up the blinds so they can see what’s happening in the world outside. You may not want to do this if your dog enjoys barking at people passing by.
Speak with your VCA care team for more enrichment or training ideas to stimulate your dog’s mind.
Learn more about the different types of interactive feeders.
