Playing is a key verb for all those who live with a dog. They exhibit playful behaviors throughout their lives, so it is important that we regularly spend a little time for play every day.
In addition, being very intelligent, for their physical and emotional well-being they need us to provide them with stimuli. The game plays an important role beyond simple fun. Let’s see which are the most recommended.
Index of contents
- 1 Choosing dog games
- 2 What do we understand by intelligence games for dogs?
- 3 The search game
- 4 The famous kong
- 5 Boards
- 6 Buckets or balls
- 7 Electronic toys
Choosing dog games
All dogs like to play but not all have fun with the same games. So it is very important that we look at our partner to find out which activities will be most interesting to him. It doesn’t matter if it’s a puppy, an adult, or even an old man. Everyone will like to play with us.
We can also be guided by your race or their mixture when choosing games and toys, since it is known that some prefer to run, others to collect objects, while we can also find them who like to follow tracks.
Of course, when it comes to purchasing toys we must always monitor that they are made specifically for dogs and that they are of quality. In this way we will avoid scares or damages. In addition, we must periodically review them and remove those that are in poor condition to prevent the dog from swallowing pieces or hurting itself.
What do we understand by intelligence games for dogs?
Dogs love that we share part of our time with them. They like that we offer them pampering, take them for a walk, and also that we play with them, regardless of their age. Although we hardly notice it, all these activities stimulate them, give them quality of life and prevent stress.
In very intelligent dogs that, therefore, are going to require a high level of stimulation, it is important that we provide all this care and that we be especially careful with the games that we offer them. Intelligence games are those who are thought to develop this aspect of our dog.
Good intelligence games are those that the dog will have to face to solve a challenge, which will be greater or less depending on the capabilities of each one, since, if they do not adapt to the dog, it will be frustrated and not will want to play again.
The search game
One of the most stimulating games we can do with our dog is the canine version of the traditional hideout. This activity will be indicated for dogs that like to sniff, follow trails, etc. If we try and the dog does not show interest, we should not force it, since the main thing is that it enjoy.
To start it, all we have to do is show you an object to sniff it. It also serves one person. Then, without him seeing us, we will hide it in a place that is difficult to access but not so much that it will be impossible to retrieve it. We will encourage you to search for it and even, at first, we can guide you to locate it.
When finding the object we must congratulate it effusively. If we observe that he is receptive and enjoys the activity, we can introduce more and more difficulties, hiding the object in more complicated or distant places. In the case that we use, for example, a sock, we can show him one and hide the other from the pair.
The famous kong
The so-called kong has become very popular in recent years. A toy that serves to hide fragments of food inside so that the dog must move and shake it to get its contents outside. If we want to use it with our dog we must first teach it how it works.
Although it is a recommended toy to leave it to the dog while it is left alone, for him it is always more stimulating that we accompany and encourage him. Therefore, we should not always offer it to you when we leave so that you do not lose interest.
Boards
This type of toys consists of a table that has several covers that the dog can move with its paws or its mouth to access prizes. As we see, it follows the idea of the kong, that is, it is based on the manipulating an object to get food.
If we hide the prize only behind one of the doors, we will enhance the dog’s sense of smell, since he must locate it, similar to the well-known game of the trileros. The advantage of this type of gadgets is that, if we put the prizes behind each cover, we will be interacting with the dog, which much more stimulates your intelligence.
Buckets or balls
They are structures that allow a small ball to be placed inside, so that, in this case, the dog will take out an object to play and not food. To encourage his manipulation, we will encourage him with verbal praise or caresses, which helps establish another type of reward and not just food.
For this, in addition to being able to leave the game to the dog when he is alone, at the beginning we will have to play with it. It is also important that you like the ball that we put inside, since, otherwise, you will not feel any incentive to approach the toy and ignore it.
Electronic toys
They are those that can work alone. For example, a ball dispenser that throws balls or toys that emit lights, sounds, or move. They can be very successful in high energy dogs, which we commonly define as tireless. They also have the advantage of not needing food to interest the dog.
The disadvantage is their high cost and that, when working alone, we will have a tendency to leave the dog alone with them, which is counterproductive since the best intelligence toy for dogs is us.