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The Best Games to Play with Your Dog

Mental Stimulation

By Regina BrooksPublished 12 months ago 7 min read
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How can I play brain games with my dog? What is my dog thinking? Do you look into your dog’s eyes and wonder what they are thinking about? Do you ever wonder what is “dog talk” and how do dogs talk to each other? It’s wild and crazy, isn’t it? How does the brain of a dog work?

I know I just presented a lot of questions. Here’s another one. Has anyone reading this article ever got one of those brain teaser games for their dogs? You know, the kind. The brain teaser puzzle game where you put food in it. Not just that, but you watch your dog find the food by spinning or lifting the blocks up. This is an awesome game because it is the mental stimulation that they need and the food they love too.

I love playing games with my dogs. I have two dogs; one is a big blue Pitt Bull, and the other is a medium mix. I got both at different times, about a year apart. They are both rescue dogs that I rescued when they were puppies. They are now 9-10 years old. They are great dogs, and I love seeing them smile with happiness. I love playing games with them and keeping them busy. I want to make sure they are mentally stimulated. Mental stimulation is important for their well-being and their behavior.

Okay, let me back up. I want to start by saying I know great games to play with all dogs, just like I play with mine. These are great games to play with all breeds of furry friends! They are the best! I love to see my dog smile, and I’m sure you do too. My whole family has seen our dog’s smile. These games will put a smile on your dog’s face, especially with fun time and bonding time. They get happy with the right brain games. They are having so much fun, and it’s opening their brain with mental stimulation. Mental Stimulation for dogs is important. It’s important for their well-being and bad behavior.

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The first game to play with your dog is the brain teaser puzzle. This puzzle comes in different levels depending on your dog’s level of greatness in getting the puzzle done. There is a bunch out there. There are a ton of puzzles out on the market now. Dogs find the food treats behind each block which they find the food behind it. The puzzle has different levels, and there is a bunch of different types of puzzles. We are going to buy the next level up for our dog, which is having an easier time. Yes, we must get more of these puzzle games for our dogs. They are so much fun. You might have to separate your dogs when you play brain teaser games if they get jealous of each other.

Nina Ottosson by Outward Hound Brick Puzzle Game Dog Toy

The second game to play with your dog is the Kong Toy. You simply put peanut butter into the Kong and freeze it. It’s best to freeze it so it will stay inside the Kong longer. They love licking the peanut butter out. Also, it’s a stress reliever because the licking relieves stress. It’s a fun toy for them to get all the peanut butter out as a treat. Licking is a stress reliever for dogs. There is a Kong stuffing which is very tasty for dogs.

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The third game to play with your furry friend is to hide behind a blanket and see if they find you. This is a great hide-and-seek game to play with your dog. This gives them a hunt that they love too. They will grow closer to you playing games. Playing hide and seek is always a great game to play, and playing it with your dog will bring you closer together.

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The fourth game is hiding behind a blanket, then disappearing. This may be bad, but it is fun to have them wander around to find you. This is a fun game because they are wondering where you went, then when they find you, it’s a bond. This game can be played in different ways. It’s a game to hold the blanket while the owner is standing in a doorway. When the blanket falls, the owner will disappear by going to the side before it falls so the dog cannot see. When the blanket falls, the dog is wandering around looking for its owner. It’s a fun game of disappearing and seeking. It’s a different kind of hide-and-seek game. It’s fun to play, and it was on social media for a while.

The fifth game to play with your dog is scattering different types of food around your house for them to find. It’s like hide and seek to them but with food. It is good for their natural sense of the hunt as well. It will be very appetizing for their nose because they love food. It’s great for their sense of their nose and for their sense of hunting. Hunting is in their genes, so playing games that have a sense of a hunt, they will love it. Of course, dogs love food. If you scatter their favorite treats around the house, they will love you so much. Just make sure you don’t hide food too well, then forget where you hid it, and the dog doesn’t find it. I don’t want to be the source of food that hasn’t been found but by rats.

Number six is going on a “Dog Walk.” This will have mental stimulation for dogs that crave smells. It allows your dog to stretch their legs and roam around the area. If you have a dog walk area with lots of “smells” that your dog would love, they will love it.

The seventh game for a dog is “lick pad.” They would love a lick pad. It’s a flat pad with ridges so the owner can put a substance such as peanut butter on it. It doesn’t necessarily have to be peanut butter. It can be an organic pumpkin that dogs can eat. I love drying out the seeds in a pumpkin after cleaning the pumpkin out at Halloween time. When you put something on their lick pad, dogs can lick and lick and lick. It’s a stress reliever for them.

The eighth game for dogs is a sniff mat which is awesome. I must get one of these for my dogs. My blue Pitt bull, I swear, sniffs like she was trained like a K9 for the police. She sniffs everything for a long time. I must get one for my Blue Pitt Bull. It’s an interactive feeding mat where you can hide your pup’s treats, and it ‘s a sniffing mat.

The ninth game dogs love to play is going on a hike. They love running through the woods and smelling the trees. I don’t have a lot of wooded areas where I live, but if you do, going on a hike would be great for your furry friend. They would love the smells and the adventure.

The tenth game that provides mental stimulation and lots of fun for most dogs is riding in the car. Dogs love car rides with the window down. The smells of all the scents from all around, they love it! You just have to be careful if your dog gets carried away and goes out the window. It may be because they saw another dog or a squirrel. Dogs love squirrels.

Dogs love games outside. Another game dogs love to play outside is chase. Dogs love to chase squirrels or other dogs or anything that runs. They love to run after something they think doesn’t belong on their territory. If something they think is on their ground, they will chase it away. Just playing chase is a game to them all on its own.

I’m going to include some other games too. Another game dogs love to play is fetch. Dogs love the game fetch. If you throw the ball in the park for your dog to bring it back, they love it. They love to bring you back balls or sticks. You will never know what they will bring you back. Dogs are always wanting to please their owner. If you throw a limb far away, your dog will chase after it to bring it back.

Another great game that dogs love to play is the game Tug-a-War. They love tug-a-war because it gives your dog the satisfaction of pulling with a prey animal. I usually always allow my dogs to win because it will improve their self-esteem.

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All these games are great games for dogs, and they will bring you closer to your furry friend. It’s a great game to expand their mind as well. Mental stimulation is important as exercise for your dogs. The more you play these games with your furry friend, the more their mind will be active. I highly recommend them to every owner that has a dog.

By Regina Brooks

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About the Creator

Regina Brooks

Freelance writer, dog lover, and working on my bachelor's degree in Psych at Uni of Phoenix. I love recycling. I try to make the environment a better place. I believe in positivity and showing others a smile instead of negativity.

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