Hi I'm Adele I'm a canine behaviorist and training advisor here at Battersea and today we're going to teach you different ways to engage your dog's brain
Just like it's important to keep your dogs physically stimulated with walks and playtime it's also important to exercise their brain
This should be a part of every dog's daily routine especially if they can't do as much physical exercise for example if they're a little bit older or recovering from an operation
It also helps with self-confidence and puppies as they learn to play by themselves a lack of stimulation can lead to unwanted behaviors developing due to boredom or frustration or simply as your dog has no outlet for that energy
We recommend using a portion of your dog's daily food for this to avoid over feeding
It's also fine to use treats but just don't give them too many
One of the simplest things you can start with is scatter feeding or encouraging your dog to search for food as this encourages natural foraging behaviors
You can scatter your dog's food on the floor this can be in the house or in the garden
As your dog grows in confidence you can make the hiding-places a little more difficult by hiding food underneath or behind things
If your dog is finding it too hard and getting frustrated then give them a helping hand
Always be considerate of where you hide the food as you don't want to encourage your dog to rummage anywhere you don't want them to
Next we're going to be looking at the different toys and interactive feeders that you can use with your dog
There are lots of toys on the market that are designed just for this purpose you can always get creative with items laying around the house
Whatever you use make sure you keep things easy to start off
Activity toys like this one can be filled with food and encourage your dog to move around in order to get the reward
Puzzle feeders are similar but they require your dog to do some problem solving
These can be a little trickier so you might have to show your dog what to do if they are struggling
An example of something you can quickly make yourself is a destruction box simply fill an old cardboard box with scrunched up paper toilet roll tubes or anything safe for your dog's to tear
You can then scatter their food in the box but be prepared they're going to make a mess of this one
Toy stuffing is another method to make mealtimes more engaging
These toys are usually made from rubber and come in different sizes to suit your dog
Filling the toy with dry food is a nice easy way to start if you want to make things more challenging for your dog
There are lots of different things you can try you can take their food first or cap the ends with something soft such as tinned meat so it's harder for them to get out
You can even try putting the stuffed toy in the freezer
This will help to make it last longer and will be a nice treat on a hot day
Remember the tighter you pack the food the more challenging it will be for your dog
If your dog shows unwanted behaviors around food such as becoming possessive and we recommend seeking advice from an expert first as you don't want to encourage this
If you have more than one dog you might want to separate them to allow them to enjoy their food on their own
We recommend you supervise your dog while using food toys to make sure that they don't swallow it or chew anything that they're not supposed to
If you'd like to learn more about how to teach your dog The Battersea Way and visit our website or follow our channels.
