Brain work for dogs used by many dog owners underestimated. The balance between physical and mental workload a crucial role in canine health and well-being.
Why is enough physical exertion like the daily walk not always? What is mental work for the dog and how can you implement it?
You will find out in this article.
Why brain work is important for the dog
Not only do dogs need physical challenges, they need them too spiritual. This is made possible by the head work brain stimulatedthe dog must «work mentally”, self-employed search for solutions and think.
nose work falls under the term brainwork.
brainwork is not only exhausting for dogs, but also promotes it wellbeing and the confidence.
Depending on dog breed and predisposition dogs demand a mental workload.
Many congenital shoots, such as that hunting instinctcan be partially solved through targeted mental work redirect.
dogs, which to be mentally encouraged on a regular basisare usually more balanced. With us humans we would call this a good work-life balance 🙂
My tip: jittery dogs love brain work
In today’s world, the entire environment is very fast-moving. This often has an effect on the behavior of our dogs. Especially jittery and nervous dogs come to rest more easily through mental work and can “shut down”.
5 ideas & tips for mental work at home and on the go
With the following ideas you are guaranteed to encourage and challenge the gray cells of your furry friend!
Brainwork can be done effectively anywhere.
Here you can find mine top 5 for beginners and advanced.
For beginners
sniff mat
At home, with or without exercise
One sniff mat or a sniffing carpet are ideal for getting started with mental work and are absolutely suitable for beginners.
The favorite treat your dog in the mat hidden. Since he doesn’t see them, he has to use them with his sniff your nose.
If your dog does not know any mental work, you should only do one round at a time. Searching with your nose is extremely exhausting!
Once your dog has figured out the principle, you can get creative and even the whole appartment use to search.
You can do this so that your dog knows what is going on command Introduce «search» or a command of your choice. Ideally, you can choose one of the basic commands.
As soon as your dog has figured out the principle of looking for treats, you can too outside carry out.
distance work
At home & outside
distance work means nothing else than that your dog learns the already existing ones commands from one certain distance to execute.
The easiest way to train distance work is at home first and then slowly increase the distance.
If the dog doesn’t know this, he has to learn a lot at first to get everything right. Go here carefully in small steps before!
You can do distance work with any command that already fits very well.
For advanced
fetch
fetch is often underestimated and has absolutely nothing to do with chasing the thrown ball and provoking a new game by bringing it back.
fetch will be easiest with one feed bag or dummy built up.
the dog learns calmly wait and the food bag on yours first command to seek and bring back to you in a targeted manner.
Detach distance control
distance control about a relative big distance is very demanding for your dog.
In addition to the regular commands such as sit, stop or down, change of directionfront and rear can be installed.
Good to know:
Another Advantage of distance control is: If something happens and the dog is ahead of you, but has to go immediately, he already knows this and will do it.
tracks
tracking training means nothing else than that the dog is one laid by you Track using his nose follows.
Tracking is extreme for a dog stressful. But many dogs just love this kind of work.
This kind of employment especially for dogs suitable that learn to rest must or have a high drive position.
After that, even the most excited dogs sleep peacefully in the basket.
Correct track training you learn easiest in one Association or from a good one A book.
How often and how long should I keep my dog busy with brainwork?
Less is often more – also with the brainwork for the dog.
This kind of work is very stressful and demanding for a dog. As a beginner, I would advise you to end the training after about 20 minutes. However, if you notice your dog is tired, stop before then.
Dogs not only learn when they do something new, but through processing, especially in the time afterwards. It is therefore important that you bring variety to your brainwork.
However, if you are learning something new with your dog, such as retrieving or tracking, it is important that you train continuously. Three times per week is a good guideline here.
Warning: heat and nose work
If your dog works with his nose and searches, he sniffs up to 300x per minute. Don’t do intense nose work with an untrained dog in the heat.
Not only does the nasal mucosa dry out, the dog can also collapse. Many dogs love to work and don’t realize when they’re getting too much.
How do I know that my dog is mentally under-challenged?
Underchallenged dogs will often bitchy, seem underutilizedcan aggressive or even depressive become.
You can often find them at home no rest or, in the worst case, look for one alternative behavior, like for example destroying something.
Conclusion
Brain work is part of a dog’s everyday life, just like exercise. Of course, this does not mean that the dog has to cope with hours of brain teasers, but that it is specifically encouraged.
A small search game is often enough to get the brain cells going.
When it comes to mental work with the dog, there are no limits to your own imagination.
Which is your favorite in the field of brainwork? Leave us an inspiring comment!