Brain Games for Dogs-Mental Enrichment
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 15 พ.ค. 2024
- Just like people, dogs like and need to exercise their brains every day. Doing daily training is great but there are also specific toys and feeding devices you can give your dog to fulfill that mental stimulation need. See below for a list of my favorite Brands!
Check out the updated version of this video here: • Brain Games for Dogs-U...
See lists of my favorite training tools, treats, enrichment toys (including all the ones mentioned in this video), and other dog-related gear on my Amazon Storefront:
www.amazon.com/shop/sarahwals...
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Pro tip: if your dog gives up on a frozen Kong, start out with just dry kibble in it, maybe wit a wet dog food plug. Kongs alone have varying degrees of difficulty, depending on how you stuff them. A hard-packed frozen Kong is like level 10 difficulty, so don't be discouraged if your dog doesn't seem interested. I have a 6-month-old puppy who is still not ready for frozen Kongs yet, so I have to make sure it's achievable for her.
Yup, this is a great suggestion!
Thank you! Good info! I’m Mom to a 15 week old mini schnauzer
That explains why I never could get my puppy interested in the Kong. I usually end up holding it for her and squeezing the peanut butter out for her.
Try the brand West Paw toppl it's a better Kong alternative
My pup LOVES tearing up empty tubes from paper towel &toilet paper. I cut them into different sizes, fold one end in. Measure out his meal& then fill them with his kibble- leave room to fold other end in too. I put one in his bowl, then hide the rest nearby so he has to hunt them down. I'll add a couple treats for increased motivation. The 1st time I did this, his tail never stopped wagging& he collapsed into a full, happy pupper furball nap when he was done lol
That’s fantastic! Sounds like he really enjoys that activity, nice work :)
I use the toilet roll for my dog, but now I'm going to do hiding them out. That's really going to be fun to watch. Thank you for the idea!
I use these empty tubes for my rodents and sometimes I give them to my dogs afterward. They're so nice and smelly ;)
Mine likes cardboard rolls as well, filled with kibble. If you're in the UK you can put food in a plastic milk bottle. My dog throws it around and loves the noise it makes. My best treat though (it really calms him) is to fill cows hooves with wet food (or dissolved kibble), freeze them and give them as part of his meal.
All the toys above look awesome but my dog can chew plastic in a nano second. He's even destroyed a black kong,
@@Paul-ok6sn destroyed a black Kong??? Whoa, what kind of dog do you have- pittie?? I couldn't believe the jaw strength mine had from day one. Sadly, he's gone. Someone stole him. I miss him so much. Having alot of problems with dogs being stolen here. I just pray wherever he is or whoever took him isn't fighting him
Im a 5 month old rottweiler..typing from my hoomans phone..i approve🐾
Haha, love it!
Yes! Enrichment is so important to the overall health of the dog and can "cure" a lot of destructive behaviors so quickly!
I agree completely! :)
Just a note on safety, supervise your dog with small pieces and strips of felt.
Good point since the felt could possibly become ingested
I really appreciate you taking the time to put all of these together and also for providing the links! I ordered most of them! MAHALO!!!!
Thank you so much for watching!! I really appreciate it!
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Isso mesmo 😂 u e uu p
@@sarahcertified i dont see the links to buy them or their "official" names. It would be helpful to know where to get them. Thanks
@@Marymead2 The names and links are in the description box.
I once filled my wobble kong in front of my malnois, when i gave it to her she used it correctly for like a minute and then got grip of the hole and twisted the whole thing open 😂 she is making her own enrichment toys. Really nice video !
Haha this is great! Sounds like a malinois!
My dobermann did too. Not stupid. Are the newer ones not screwable?
I really like how you give us some ideas of things we can make. With your ideas, I can try making some to see if my dog would be interested in something like this, before I spend money on store bought enrichment toys. Thank you!
I agree with you. After watching this video, I bought a slow feeder bowl from amazon (www.amazon.com/PETDURO-Capacity-Non-Slip-Cleaning-Indigestion/dp/B07LDQNL5Z) for my corgi. At first, he didn't know how to use it. After a few minutes, he figured out how to used it and the bowl made him eat from 10 seconds to 5 minutes. I recommend you and others whose dog eat too fast to try that bowl.
This was so helpful. Thank you!
This was such a helpful video!
Thank you for the great ideas. My dog's favourite toy is an eleven-year-old Coke bottle with a few holes in it. I fill it with his treats, screw the lid on and away he goes for an hour. Peace and quiet :) He knows it as his 'biccies in the bottle' - I'd love to hear from anyone else with cheap and cheerful ideas for dog toys :)
This is awesome! Thanks for sharing!
lool - funny!
might try this one. thanks for the idea!
This is a life saver!
Thank you!
Great video... so many great ideas!
I love your ideas! I don't know if dogs get bored but with all these great DYI ideas - he's going to have a great time~!~ Thanks Michele!
My four dogs have been having a GREAT time with their food toys! I learned that one got overwhelmed and I needed to give her an easier toy (and only one.) another dog of mine loves a big football styled eating thing. All of them have been having a great time. Thank you!
Thank you so much!
This is perfect thank you, planning on a standard poodle puppy so this will definitely come in handy
Fantastic recommendations 🐕
This is great! I'm struggling with ideas for my 9 month old Lab puppy on these cold, wet winter days. Running out of things to do inside. He's tired of playing fetch indoors. Haha!
Thank you so much
So this is a great video but for those of yall with aggressive chewers (eg: destroys rawhides in seconds and antlers within an hour) these are the things that work for me: 1)Kong tire with broken milk bone and wet dog food frozen. 2)Kong (Red or black not puppy) stuffed with cheerios wet dog food and a smidge of pb (mine react to pb with the squirts so just a smidge for me) and frozen. 3)Starmark bob a lot ONE SIZE UP THAN RECCOMENDED FOR YOUR DOG (the kong wobble cannot even compare to the durability and ease of use) filled with small dry kibble. 4)the fleece ball trick she used sans treats (my dogs would eat the fleece but they love pulling it out without treats anyways) 5)small steel weighted bowl with chicken broth frozen in the bottom 1/2 inch. Small end note: if your dog is an aggressive chewer leaving them with wood or plastic toys unsupervised can pose a choking hazard if they shred it into small pieces like my dogs so only buy quality. If it’s expensive you only need one. I built up my arsenal over time not all at once. I highly reccomend a Starmark bob a lot for fast eaters and mental stimulation. It’s wonderful! It even helped my nervous dog not be scared of sudden movements as it bobbed around
Wow these are amazing ideas, Thank you so much
I love my rescue Lurcher. He's so clever. Yesterday he went to his bed in his cage, pulled it out and dragged it into our sitting room. He the pulled it up onto the sofa and settled down. He looked like a wolf dragging a deer. He loves his toys.
Thank you Sarah. Extremely good and very helpful. Really appreciate the time and effort you have taken.
Thank you for watching and even more for your kind words!
One of the best videos I have seen to keep dogs busy! Thank you so so so much for recording this!
Thank you for watching!
This is awesome! Thank you so much for taking the time to do this review! I have added so many items to my Amazon cart already!! 🙏🙏🙏
Yay! Thank you for watching, I hope the things you picked out work well for you.
This was super helpful. Thank you!!!!
That’s great, I’m glad! Thank you so much for watching!!
Awesome! Thx!
The black extreme kong is super for keeping busy for ages
I loved this video! Just what I needed! I loved the idea of the tennis balls and muffin pan!
So glad it worked out for you! Thank you for watching!
Great vid
Thank you! I will be getting some of these toys!
Fantastic! Links to all of them are in the description :) let me know how they work out for you!
I am so thankful for your video, it's really useful! ♥️
Thank you so much Wendy!
Thanks Sarah! Scout loved the tennis balls in the box as well as the tennis balls in the muffin tin! We can't wait to try out some others for him. Amazon, here we come!
Julie Myszkowski That’s awesome to hear Julie! He’s going to have a blast 🤗
Thank you so much! Such a great video
Thank you!
Thanks for posting this! I ordered two things from this list thank to you
Awesome! Glad it was helpful for you, enjoy!
awesome tips! Your puppet is very lucky to have such a loving and knowledgeable owner.
Thank you so much, Nicole!
Immensely helpful!!! Two houns/great Pyrenees/lab mix puppies here so we really need the help!
This was a great informational video. I love that you included examples of your dog using some of them. This really helped me better than any other video being able to actually see it in use.
Thank you! I am glad you found that piece of it helpful, that is great feedback.
I don’t know how anyone can give this video a thumbs down. But anyway, thanks so much for this video! I love how you explain each toy thoroughly. Thanks for showing us some DIY ideas too! I always save the cardboard tube from my paper towels to make a DIY toy. I put treats inside & seal up the ends with packing tape. Sometimes I’ll rub one of the treats onto the tube so my dog is interested. I wouldnt recommend this for a big dog because it wouldn’t last long at all. Thanks again!
Sarah, thank you so much! I have a 5 month old border collie and she is so eager to learn and work. You've provided some wonderful ideas and I look forward to using them.
I'm so glad to hear that! I hope some of them work out for you! Perfect for a young border collie.
these games are amazing!! thanks so much for sharing!!
Thank you for watching! :)
I really like this video. Ty so much. I need to get a bowl like this.
Thank you so much!!
Fantastic video, a wonderful resource. I ordered a bunch of these toys to try. Thanks for the recommendations.
Thank you John! I hope the ones you ordered work out for you!
omg , I want all that toys for my dog!!
Very well done video! I love your creativity in making homemade toys!
Thank you!
This video was brilliant! Thank you sooo much ❤️❤️
Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it!
This was a really great review Sarah. Thanks for all the various types of puzzles. I have an 11 year old Brussels Griffon who is a bit of a couch potato and is not that interested in toys. I have been having difficulty finding puzzles he can use as he has such a short muzzle. I am going to try the Tornado and possibly the snuffle mat for him. Thanks again for the informative video.
Thank you so much for watching and your kind words! Definitely give the snuffle mat a try, I love that one for all my short muzzle dogs :)
You are the ultimate dog mom!!
Haha thank you!
Thanks for your video on toys to mentally stimulate your dog.
Thank you for watching!
Thank you so much for sharing this! It was very informative and beneficial on how yo keep my dog entertained while I'm at work. My dog is going to be so happy to try these out!
Fantastic! I hope you find some that your dog likes!
Love this! Looking at getting a puppy, this is so helpful.
Awesome! I am glad you found it helpful and good luck with looking for a puppy!
You have no idea how helpful this is for me and Frankie!! Thank you!!!
I'm glad! You are very welcome!
Thank you so much. This video was very helpful!
Thank you for watching!
Excellent video!
Thank you! :)
such good toys and ideas! :) Thank You..
Thank you for watching!
Very informative, thanks
Thank you for watching!
I'm thinking of getting birds in the future and some of these might actually work for birds too. Like a felt snuffle mat or the different balls that you wedge treats into and they have to pick them out. Thanks for all the ideas😊
Thank you! I have been looking for more puzzle toys for my heeler mix. He's figured out most of the ones I have and can get the food out in 5-10 minutes.
Awesome, glad I could help! Thank you for watching, Dana!
Thanks so much! I have some puzzle toys and some good diy ones as well.
You're welcome! I hope you like them!
My dog would tear the cardboard to shreds. Lol. Thanks for showing what all these toys are actually for. Now I know what to buy.
Great video! Also thank you for the homemade ideas! My family has recently got a puppy, she’s 12 weeks now and I’m looking for things to keep her occupied! ❤️
Thanks so much for the information . I just got a new young dog and this was so helpful :)
Congrats on your new pup! I am glad this video could be of some help
This video came up in my recommended because I just bought two slow feeders (I think, Google be watchin' lol), love love LOVE your channel already! Fantastic work! Great to see another wonderful trainer on TH-cam! 🥰
Ah, thank you so much! I am so happy to have you on my channel :)
Great overview! Liked the options for creating your own, versus buying everything. Thanks!
Thanks for watching! :)
Amazing video. Love it😘
Thank you!
Very informative video. DIY and store bought enrichment tools for your pets. Thanks for this.
Glad you enjoyed it!
thank you for the tips - this is super helpful if your dog is on strict rest due to an injury or recovering from a surgery! my baby has a ligament tear and is on rest for 4 weeks. he was getting so bored and i needed ways to entertain him without too much movement.
Yes! This is such a great application for puzzle toys! I hope your dog's recovery goes smoothly, that is never fun!
This has been very helpful for my Mini Long haired dachshund. He is just a pup and gets bored very easy. Great ideas
So glad it worked well for you!
I have a very elderly pomeranian who has figured out how to do and cheat nearly every puzzle we've tried. He's amazing to watch. But so intelligent that its hard to find ways to challenge him now. He flips board puzzles upside down so within a minute- all the treats are out. Hes opened my backpack. He can unscrew the lid off of a drink. Would really appreciate any recommendations for a small dog. Were so proud of him... but I worry he gets bored
I might try some search games with him! You can get pretty creative with hiding places for treats, and make it harder over time the better he gets at it. Here is a video for some guidance: th-cam.com/video/O0yrj1O5Rws/w-d-xo.html
@@sarahcertified thank you so much
Awesome ideas!
Thank you!
Who else doesn’t have a dog but dreams of having one one day?
Omg and you have LINKS! Thank you
Thanks for washing!
My puppy has a kong toy that he loves (I feed his lunch in it so I can work at the same time), a licky mat and a treat dispensing ball. The ball has a quite big hole and therefore not that challenging for him but it was nice for a start. I sometimes put his chew in the hole, keeps him occuppied for longer. I think I’m gonna get him a second kong, it will just be easier for me to have something ready. I’m also ordering his first puzzle (puppy level 1) thls week. He is an extremely smart dog. We train with him daily and I absolutely love teaching him tricks. He picks them up super quickly. I love these types of toys that help my pup develop. Plus since he is a quarantine puppy he isn’t left alone as much as he should be, so I hope these will keep him occupied when I’m not home.
Fantastic! They do come in handy for keeping our pups busy and happy
I already am looking at what to order for our new puppy from your added list. But while we decide, we have the little blue dental ball at home, and I stuffed it with little kibble and a couple of small treats he loves to get him started. He is instantly entertained and working on it :) Thank you!
That’s awesome! I hope you find some that he really enjoys!
AWESOME VIDEO!!! Thank U. I'm getting more into DIY toys for my boy, he seems more intrested in stuff laying around the house than store bought toys. I will not complain and he's occupied and happy.
Thank you so much for watching! I love the creativity that can come with DIY toys, and we love an occupied, happy dog!
@@sarahcertified Yes we do!!😄
Thank you so much for this video, just ordered a bunch through your links. We have a 6 month border collie mix and she has been driving us crazy hahah of course it’s not her fault but this stuff will definitely help.
Also, the muffin tin and tennis balls are a great idea ! You can maybe put some Velcro strips on the bottom of the tin to keep it attached to something
Thanks again
Haha oh I know the feeling! I hope you find some things that work well for you! Velcro is a great idea :)
Wow! This is an awesome video! Also haha when I was looking for balls for dogs on Amazon, i saw the same one and i watched this video after hehhe
Awesome! Thanks for watching!
awesome video!
Thank you!
When your German Shepherd is toy-centric, not food-centric, so he just picks up the kong wobble toy and drops it on your foot thinking you'll throw it for him
Haha sounds like my younger guy!
great vid my Bel would treat them puzzles like mortal Kombat
What a wonderful video, thanks! I've used most of these and quite a few others at some point, but always looking for new ideas, or new ways to use the existing toys 😊
One of my favourites is combining the tennis balls in a box with some simple treat dispenser balls thrown in, that way you can easily get more duration to the game 🙂
We also use a lot of butter tubs or yogurt pots, either put in a few treats and close the lid, or stack multiple pots with a couple of treats in each layer. You can also build towers out of them for the dog to push over and then open one by one. Or place then upside down on the floor and let the dog search for treats hidden under some of them. Better be careful though, as some dogs can't play with this kind of things alone without chewing and swallowing pieces, so might need constant supervision.
This is fantastic! Well done!
My dog loves the boxes. I save the toilet rolls. Close the ends and put a treat in them. Put about 10 rolls a large box and close the box. This entertains her for some time.
YES! I love this, such a good and cost effective enrichment game.
Your dog is beautiful!
Thank you!
Awesome video :)
Thank you Christy!
Awesome video thanks for the detailed explanation on how important mental stimulation is!
Thank you so much!!
Is your dog still using the long toy a year later?
Sorry I accidentally sent this to the wrong thread, - but this is a really awesome video thank you , I’m off to get a king toy for my lil boy this week , I can’t wait🤗
Every day twice a day! Morning as well as evening, black labs certainly need a little extra work to be satisfied
My dog would chew and destroy the puzzle toy lol. He’s gone through 3 different ones so far lol.
This is great! As half of Scout's management team I am already looking forward to how tired he's going to be once we implement some of these suggestions.
MarkM Great to hear Mark! Pick out the more difficult ones for Scout and keep them on rotation. I know he’s going to breeze through them but they will be so good for him!
Thank you so much for the time and effort you put into this video. And for including easy homemade options for those on a budget. Are there any enrichment games that don't include any kind of food? I have 3 dogs, 1 of whom is a rescue and is food aggressive so I'd only be able to do these with her seperately and when I'm present, but I'm looking for something my dogs can do while I'm at work. Thank you xo
Yes, there are definitely other non-food related enrichment ideas, but the food based ones are the best for doing on their own without you. A lot of other ones include us as owners needing to be involved like some of my sniffy walk videos for example. If the dogs can't be kept separately when you aren't there, I might recommend food enrichment toys before you leave! You could experiment with scents (that are safe for dogs) left on blankets, sounds (different music you can leave on), or even something like leaving the nature channel on when you are gone. But I would save the majority of your enrichment for when you are around!
This is an AWESOME vid! My personal issue is that my dog is small and not very food motivated🤦🏻♀️ So she doesn’t really have interest in food if it’s not placed in an easy and obvious way. Oh well! These are good ideas to try(:
Lucia S Thanks for the kind comment! These toys can actually help make a dog more food motivated as well believe it or not. Starting off with the really simple ones and putting your dogs favorite snacks or new novel snacks in them is a good way to start. In addition to this, only offering them food at specific times of the day then picking it up. They of course still get the same amount of food as before, we aren’t depriving them in any way - simply dedicating specific times that they eat. I find that dogs that are “free fed” (are allowed to pick at their food all day) aren’t as motivated by food because it is always available to them. So these toys have purpose for every dog 🤗
Love this very informative vid! Super helpful🤙 2 quick questions: 1) I.m receiving my 8wkold Foxhound 🐶. So would u recommend waiting to purchase till he,s home or have a few key go to,s on hand? If so, what are your top 5 "must have" puppy toys from this amazing list? Thx soooo much🙏💕
Hey Jenna, congrats on the new puppy! I think it is totally up to you whether you want to purchase some in advance or wait until you get the puppy. However, if you were to have some on hand, I would suggest these...licki mat, snuffle mat, an easy level puzzle bowl (perhaps the pink one or this one amzn.to/3qIUl2n), and a pink or blue Kong (this is specifically for puppies - amzn.to/2ZA2lHh).
i went straight to amazon while watching LOL
Haha love it!
My Frenchie got anxiety during lockdown. Her behavior changed a lot this year and ask for attention 24/7. I’m glad I found your video, I just ordered most of them! Thank you for posting the links. It was very helpful!
I'm sorry to hear that about your Frenchie! The past year has been very challenging on our dogs too - I am glad that some of these things have been helpful to you.
My dog gets bored with the almond butter frozen kong and dismisses it within 2 min🤷🏾♀️ but he loves it when roll up kibble in a tshirt and puzzle games❤ those will keep him busy for atleast 10min
That's great! Every dog is different in what they prefer! Glad you found something that works well for yours.
Hey, y’all have an Uplift Desk. I have one too, I work for them! 🤘🤘🤠
Hey that's awesome! It is a great desk!
Thank you for the great video! In your experience, which game last the longest, and how much time? I know it depends on the dog, but I am curious.
The snuffle mat I find tends to last the longest if your dog will continue to invest their time in it. But yes it completely depends on the dog :)
Unless it's a Kong my Lab will have it chewed into piece!
Thank you for your informative video. This video is informative and helpful. You dog is one lucky pet! The only toy I would not recommend is the bone shaped, dental/treat toy. I bought this and within 6 minutes my dog removed the end of the "bone" treat and chewed the plastic thread. The toy cannot be used any more.
This is a great note for others, thank you!
My dog used the LOVE that wobble Kong dispenser toy. Until she figured out that if she just bites at the crease where it screws together she can just pop the entire thing open and get all of her food at once 😂
Haha oh my gosh smartie pants! I love it! Time for a new, harder toy!