Create an obstacle course<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n\n\n\nThese are just some of the ways to increase mental stimulation in your puppy, but they are very effective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Extended Walks and Hikes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Walks and hikes are some of the best times for your puppy to explore. Exploring means that they are stimulating their minds because they are experiencing new sights and scents.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
It is important, however, to occasionally change where you take them. This will ensure that they are always exploring something new.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
A walk around the neighborhood is a good start since they will be able to explore the scents of other dogs in the neighborhoods. However, taking them to a new dog park or a new nature trail can be great to elevate their exploring abilities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, do not rush them. If they want to sniff an area, you should let them. This allows them to act on their instincts, but it will also tire them out, much like the added exercise to their routines.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Teaching Your Puppy New Tricks<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Another great way to implement mental stimulation is by teaching your puppy new tricks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These tricks can vary as much as you want. Teaching your puppy new tricks has several benefits. Not only does it focus their attention away from being needy, but it also gives them confidence. When they can learn new tricks, you reward them. The more tricks they know, the better they will feel.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Moreover, teaching your puppy a lot of tricks can strengthen your relationship with the puppy, which will make training them to give you space easier. They will trust and respect you.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Make Your Puppy Work to Get Food<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
As mentioned earlier, putting food into a Kong is a great way to use a game to make them less needy. However, this method is also good at increasing their mental stimulation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Dogs have an instinct to want to forage for food, but in today\u2019s world, their food is handed to them every day at the same time in the same manner. Therefore, their natural instinct is being stifled. When you put food into a toy for them to work at, they are satisfying their instincts.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Additionally, it is causing them to think about how to get the food out and into their mouths. Their focus will not be on following and pestering you, but it will instead rest in their food and their toy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Create an Obstacle Course<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
This method may sound complex, but it can be simple when you use household objects to make the course. It can be as simple as setting up a few bins and some rakes on the ground. Have your puppy maneuver these obstacles. You may also place objects here and there throughout the course for them to go to.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
You can get as elaborate or as simple as you like. The main point is for your puppy to have to think about how to get through the different obstacles, which will sharpen their minds and add a lot of mental stimulation, which will cause them to be less needy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Sources<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
PetMD<\/a>
Simply for Dogs<\/a>
The Nest<\/a>
Cuteness<\/a>
Simply for Dogs<\/a>
Puppy Leaks<\/a>
Dogvills<\/a>
Puppy Leaks<\/a>
Sprocker Lovers<\/a><\/p>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Is your puppy really sweet but really needy? Find out what it can be and how to stop it in a stimulating way that your pup will love. I also go into…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":5406,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[177],"tags":[],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5393"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=5393"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/5393\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/5406"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=5393"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=5393"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.pawsinsider.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=5393"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}