18 Great Brain Exercises to Challenge Your Dog - Canine Campus Dog Daycare & Boarding

Most dog parents are aware of the benefits of physical exercise for your dog’s health. But did you know your dog needs mental enrichment too?

Left without mental stimulation, dogs may invent ways to keep themselves busy. When your German shepherd or Australian cattle dog is too tired to be destructive, you know you’ve done something right.

Tiring out these super-active dogs who need a job to do is an accomplishment in itself. But the next day, after a good night’s sleep, these dogs are energetic and ready to get busy again. Physical exercise, like playing fetch, brisk walking, playing Frisbee, and even organized sports like agility training will wear them out.

In this same way, your dog needs brain exercises. Mental exercises will give your dog an opportunity to get their brain in gear, spend quality time with you, and get smarter while having fun!

Most Dogs Don’t Get Enough Mental Stimulation

Imagine being purposefully bred for a specific task, like chasing down rodents, treeing bears, herding sheep, or defending your home and family – and then having to hang around all day waiting for your family to come home from work and school. Even worse than laying on the sofa, imagine having your movement restricted all day as you sit in a locked cage with one tired old chew toy. Sadly, many dog’s lives are insanely boring and, from a dog’s perspective, it’s frustrating.

Give Your Dog the Brain Exercises He or She Needs

Dogs not only need food, water, shelter, physical exercise, and love, but they also need brain exercises. It’s the responsibility of the dog parent to provide life experiences for their dog. It’s imperative you enrich your dog’s life with any of these 18 challenging brain exercises.

Give your dog obedience training

Obedience training exercises your dog’s brain as well as body. Whenever you detect the slightest bit of boredom, practice your training exercises in short 15 minute sessions. Training sessions will keep your dog mentally and physically engaged. Track your dog’s progress and do the exercises routinely.

Teach your old dog new tricks

New commands are a fun way to engage your dog and stretch his or her learning chops. Do a search on the internet or check out the library for books with new tricks by setting aside a trick-teaching session every day. Before you know it, your dog will have a repertoire to put a show dog to shame.

Here are some potential tricks you can teach your dog:

Come
Crawl
High Five
Peek-a-boo
Sing
Sit
Smile
Speak
Stand
Twirl
Wave

Learn more: 5 Things You Can Easily Forget When Training Your Dog

Teach your dog to help with the chores

Give your dog a job. Like people, jobs require your brain to be engaged and give you a sense of accomplishment. Dogs are no different. Get creative and give your dog a job. Teaching your dog how to help with the chores is a wonderful way to get your dog engaged in the daily life of your household.

Teach your dog the names of their toys

There is a documented case of a border collie who knows over 1,000 words, including 800 toys by name. Not every dog will be able to learn this many words, but why not teach your dog the names of his or her toys?

Teach your dog to put their toys away

Once your dog has learned the names of a few of his or her toys, it’s time to teach them how to put the toys back into the toy box and keep everything tidy.

Clicker train your dog

Clicker training is a great way to not only stimulate your brain, but your dog’s brain as well. It’s challenging, but using a clicker is an effective method of positive-reinforcement training which encourages dogs through sound association (the clicker) and food reward when the dog does the right thing.

Teach your dog to count

Push your dog’s intellectual boundaries and you may be surprised at what you find. That furry love-bug sitting at your feet can most likely count and maybe even do calculations. Yes, it may be scary but your dog is a mathematical whiz! Scientific studies are suggesting dogs can count, and dog parents who are investigating this theory are having fun playing numbers games with their dogs.

Create a scavenger hunt in your backyard

Turn meal time into a game by dividing your dog’s dinner into smaller portions and hiding them around the yard? It’s the ultimate scavenger hunt!

Build an indoor agility course for your dog

Roll up some towels, stick a meandering row of Post-It notes to the floor, and create a slalom course of fuzzy stuffed toys for your own customized obstacle course. Have your dog jump over towels, weave through his or her toys, and then lay down on a blanket. Be inventive and create a different obstacle pattern each time. Allow your dog to get into the swing of this exercise as it encourages him or her to focus. This is a great brain and body exercise!

Make a food puzzle game for your dog

Working for food appeals to most dogs. Having to make an effort to find and release food from a hiding place in a food puzzle sharpens your dog’s problem-solving skills while activating ancestral hunting instincts. See our Pinterest Board: DIY Dog Food Puzzles

Participate in online learning for dogs

Dognition is an innovative online tool that walks you and your dog through a series of 20 interactive games. The tool gives you a way to record your dog’s responses at every step using detailed instructions and how-to videos and receive a full Dognition Assessment, which is your dog’s personalized 10-to-15 page profile report.

Play hide-and-seek with your dog

Run and hide behind bushes when your dog is otherwise preoccupied. When he or she takes a break, your dog will instinctively look for you, searching every nook and cranny until you are found!

Teach your dog a magic trick

This is an easy but fun game to teach your dog. Sit facing your dog and place three treats behind you. Ask your dog to sit in front of you. Hold your hands palm-side in front of his or her face and ask “Where are the treats?” Then reach behind with both hands and grab a treat in each hand. Now bring your hands back in front of your dog with time with both your hands clenched and ask where the treats are. It doesn’t matter which hand your dog chooses because either way, he or she will get a treat. Keep repeating this until your dog understands what’s going on. Then, start putting only one treat in one of your hands. Keep switching up the routine and watch your dog’s face light up with delight when he or she gets it right!

Teach your dog this twist on “fetch” to keep your dog guessing

If your dog loves to play fetch, he or she will love this game. The basic idea is to throw the ball and then, when your dog brings the ball back, have your dog “drop it”. Then put him or her through a series of commands, such as sit, down, up, speak, shake, etc. Then, quickly pick up the ball and throw it again. When your dog returns, change up the exercise sequence to give him or her a challenge. Smart dogs will love this game because it is a challenge.

Play the shell game with your dog

The shell game is an ages-old trick fun for dogs. You can use three identical small cups and delicious bite-sized treats that will fit under the cups. Play on the floor or another flat surface. Get your dog’s undivided attention and, as he or she watches, carefully line up the cups in a straight line, then place the treat under one of the cups. Shuffle the cups, then let your dog guess which cup the treat is under. Lift the cup and if the cup is the right one, he or she is rewarded with the treat. If not, the game starts over again.

Try the muffin tin and tennis ball game

This is a very simple game suitable for puppies and young dogs, but most dogs love any game that includes a treat, so your dog may enjoy this game regardless of age.

To play, simply place small training treats in a muffin tin and cover them with tennis balls. You can try different variations by placing treats under only a few or even one ball.

Take your dog to new places

Dogs enjoy going to new places and having new adventures. Try going to different parks for your daily walk or different hiking trails. You can also take your dog shopping with you.

You can also take your dog camping or on a road trip.

Taking your dog to new and different places can help build your dog’s confidence and adaptability, enabling you both to enjoy time out together. Plus, new places challenge your dog and present him or her with new sights, sounds and smells, giving you’re the mental stimulation he or she needs.

Bring your dog to daycare

Dogs are social animals and some dogs just don’t do well being left home alone. Daycare is an excellent way to socialize your dog and give him or her physical and mental stimulation.

Spending too much time alone can lead to frustration, stress, depression and unhealthy habits in dogs. Plus, being left alone for many hours, day after day, leads to a sedentary lifestyle unhealthy for dogs.

Dog daycare provides dogs with the opportunity to play with other dogs, receive attention from loving staff, prevent boredom and loneliness. Plus, they get to play all day! What’s not to love about dog daycare?Brain exercises enrich your dog’s life by giving him or her something meaningful to do. These types of activities alleviate boredom because they decrease the likelihood your dog will develop destructive behavioral issues such as excessive chewing or barking. Brain exercises, like the ones listed above, will help ward off stress and promote good behavior.

Do you give your dog brain exercises to complete? What exercise isn’t included but should? Please share your experience with your dog in the comments below…