5 Tips to Maintain Your Dog’s Mental Health

As a pet parent of 5 beautiful dogs and a professional dog trainer, Emilie Menard has a few tips on how to maintain your dog’s mental health and ultimately keep them healthier and happier. Follow her tips to form a deeper bond with your dog while taking advantage of the extra time you are spending together. Keeping active and busy is beneficial for both you and your dog. Happy training!

Explore New Locations With Your Dog

Enjoying some fresh air with your pet is always a nice moment. Discover trails with your dog and enjoy some local views. In addition to being a great exercise for your dog, you’ll create amazing memories together, and your bond will be even stronger.

Teach Your Dog to Find Their Food

Finding food is a mental activity that uses your dog’s sense of smell, their most developed skill. Here are some tips to start your pet’s detective career the right way:

Make your dog stay in a room so they can’t see where you hide the treats or kibble. You can close the door to make it easier. Place some treats or kibble on surfaces and/or objects Start with easy-to-find treats, so your dog does not get discouraged. When you’re ready, open the door and tell your dog to find the treats. If your furry friend does not react, try showing them where the treats or kibble are hidden.

When your dog becomes a better detective, make things harder by placing the treats further apart on various objects and surfaces. Emilie likes to use our SubZero freeze-dried beef liver treats because they’re low in kilocalories and perfect for training.

Once your dog is a pro detective, place the treats in different rooms and on different objects! Happy searching!

Use a Feeder

Go back to your dog’s basic needs, which one of them is to look for food. There are various toys that dispense food and mentally stimulate your pet! This is an excellent way to entertain your dog. Did you know that 15 minutes of mental stimulation is equivalent to almost an hour of exercise? You would be surprised to see how tired your dog is after working to get their food out of the toy.

Teach Your Dog a New Trick

Here is another excellent way to entertain your dog! No matter their age or breed, dogs can learn tricks which will reinforce the relationship they have with their owner, while impressing friends and family! Take 10 minutes to teach a new trick to your furry friend or to perfect the tricks they already know. Teach them a cute trick like hiding their nose with their paw, or to sit pretty or stand on hind legs, or to make the figure 8 between your legs, etc. Make sure you keep the training sessions short and fun, so you end the training session on a positive note and your dog stays motivated. Dogs are sore losers – if they don’t win, they’ll get discouraged. Come on, be generous! ?

Take Online Courses With Your Furry Friend

Yes, there are online courses about dogs: learning tricks and special activities such as frisbee, agility, fitness, scent tracking, obedience, and more! Learn more about canine psychology, behaviours, and more, in the comfort of your own home.

Written by: Émilie Ménard, dog trainer https://www.theflyingteam.com/