Along with physical exercise, mental exercise is also important for your pet. They can get bored too, playing with the same toys and same surroundings day in and day out. There are a variety of ways to stimulate your pet, and doing so can make them become better companions too. The benefits of stimulating your pet are extensive, and some things work better than others, so here’s some suggestions and reasons why your pet is better off getting challenged each day.

It can make them a better, more disciplined pet:

Teaching and interacting with your pet is one of the best ways to make the ‘man’s best friend’ bond stronger. Teaching them the basic commands of ‘sit’ and ‘stay’ will ensure that they know how to listen and can respond better to new commands. Having a disciplined pet can make life easier and make punishments occur less often.

It gets their brain cells stimulated:

Having them perform challenging task every day can greatly increase your pet’s brain cells. This can pave the way for them to learn more tricks and commands more easily and improve their discipline skills. Doing challenges with them daily will eventually improve their responses to new and old commands. They will also learn other commands faster when practiced each day. When their brain cells are stimulated, they become more attentive and can listen to commands without much resistance.

Buy them interactive toys:

Believe it or not, there are a variety of toys that make your pet interact to sharpen their minds. There are puzzle and domino games that can contain treats as rewards for your pets when solved. Some toys have slots and holes in them that you can stuff treats into. Creating the challenge for your pet to get the treat out can preoccupy them for hours. They also get a reward out of it when they get the treat, making it more likely for them to want to do it again. This is a great way to stimulate your pet when you do not have the time to interact with them in person, although face-to-face interaction is always the best method.

Teach them new tricks:

Can’t teach an old dog new tricks? Give your pet a challenge to stimulate their brain cells. Even the basic stuff gets their brain gears going. But don’t stop there. Teaching them something new will require them to challenge themselves to learn the new trick. If they already know the basic stuff, teach them something more complex. You can even put a different spin on an old trick for fun.

Take them to interact with other pets:

Taking your pet out with you can help them socialize, even if it’s for a short amount of time. Taking your dog to the park can perk up their ears and have them interacting with other dogs. This can teach them social skills and take the boredom away from the usual day to day activities. Just make sure they are up to date on their vaccinations and are on a leash for safety.

Health Life Magazine / South Georgia / July – August 2017

Pets Category Article

Don’t Just Love Your Pets, Challenge Them!

Written by Alex Dunn