When people think about caring for a dog, they often think of the dog’s physical needs – such as physical exercise, food, training and grooming. Their need for mental stimulation is often overlooked. I learned VERY quickly that Lola needed much more than our 10k steps daily! Australian Shepards and Border Collies have active minds and are super smart, so I needed to figure out ways to give her brain a workout as well. She is naturally high energy and anxious, so I do my best daily to help her burn that energy physically, while giving her mental stimulation!
Key Takeaways
- Why Mental Stimulation is so important for Aussies
- Signs your dog is bored
- 6 Creative Cost effective tips to stimulate your dog’s mind
Why is Mental Stimulation Important for Australian Shepherd/Border Collie dog breeds?
While all dogs need some level of mental stimulation, my girl Lola is an Australian Shepherd/BorderCollie, so it is just as important as physical exercise. Oddly enough, I find it actually makes her MORE tired then coming home from an hour long hike! Many destructive behaviors in dogs can be resolved by implementing daily enrichment activities that challenge their minds.
Benefits include:
- Improving mental healing and cognitive function
- Release stress
- Build confidence
- Decrease hyperactivity (heck yes!)
- Tucker a dog out
- Strengthen your bond with your dog
Signs Your Dog is Bored and NEEDS Mental Stimulation
Aussies and Border Collies are known to be herding breeds that are happiest when they have a “job”. If not given a job, then they will find one that you may not like so much! Lola took it upon herself to protect me as her job on our walks early on in our training journey, so this is something we still navigate today. When I notice Lola “herding” me on our walks, I stop to practice some obedience tricks for treats to distract her a bit. If I do not keep her brain occupied even on walks, she tends to bark or chase anything that moves – I welcome winter when the squirrels to hibernate!
Signs your dog is bored and needs some brain stimulation:
- Destructive behavior – chewing up pillow, clothes, etc. while you are gone
- Digging holes in yard
- Persistently begging for attention (I gotta say no amount of mental stimulation helps with the attention seeking Aussies, but I love her for it!)
- Excessive licking or pacing or barking
5 Creative Cost Effective Tips to Stimulate Your Dog’s Mind
There are countless ways to offer your dog stimulation for their brain and keep them happy, while not breaking the bank. It takes some troubleshooting to see what is fun for your dog, but its worth it in the end.
- Play Hide & Seek.
Lola and I love playing this since we have moved into a two level home and there are more places to hide. I tell her to sit and stay, then once I hide out of sight, I call her to come. This game offers critical thinking, as well as using her sniffer!
Sniff It Out Game
If I am leaving the house, I like to hide her favorite ball with a treat in it, as well as sprinkling homemade treats around the house for her to sniff out while I am away. It works like a charm! Or I put some treats in a Snuffle Mat – this is the one we have!
Or on the contrary, I set aside time to allow Lola to explore and sniff all the smells on our walks. I find a grassing area for her to sniff for treats too.
I learned this trick with the Spirit Dog training! As one of the 5 senses, sniffing has been shown to not only decrease a dog’s heart rate, but increase the dopamine, the happy brain chemical!
Change up your walking routine
Just like us, dogs can get bored of doing the same things over and over again. Changing up your walking route can stimulate them as it offers new smells and people to meet!
Dog Sports – Agility training or dock diving!
Just like humans, sports build confidence and critical thinking! The world of agility is fascinating to me and we are starting to dip our toes in the water with an at home agility set to start. Lola is really loving it and after 15 minutes, she is tuckered out! She looks forward to it after dinnertime.
Oh and while Lola girl is not a water girl, lots of dogs love dock diving! Eventually, I will get her out on the Stand Up Paddle board (SUP), which will be our happy medium.
Puzzles Or Interactive Toys
Until Lola came into my life, I thought all a dog needed was a ball or a rope for tug of war! The amount of puzzles and interactive toys available for dogs in the market today is astonishing! They all vary in complexity. Hiding treats or kibble in the compartments, for the pup to sniff out and figure out how to access is genius.
When I rescued Lola, she never wanted to play ball. I found a small nerf ball that I could sneak a treat in and it keeps her occupied for at least 30 minutes trying to get it out. Bonus, she plays catch now (only with a treat in it tho!) Little stinker.
Homemade Enrichment Treats
Lick pads and Kong’s filled with something yummy to eat are the best invention, just make sure not to overdo it though to avoid over feeding. Because Lola is a picky eater, I found soaking her kibble in chicken broth and smothering it on her lick pad with a pit of yogurt and peanut butter did the trick and keeps her occupied for awhile! This is our favorite lick pad.
Final Thoughts
I don’t think we would be here today on our training journey, if we didn’t tap into mental stimulation activities for Lola! Spirit Dog helped open my eyes to different ideas and I have gotten creative since then to adjust to Lola’s wants and needs!
When I first rescued Lola she used to bark and chase all things that moved fast – bikes, cars, runners and even kids! It was rough…but now she calmly sits down and looks at me for a treat when they pass on by. We are to the point where she doesn’t even stop sometimes, but just ignores and keeps going. I contribute this to consistent training, but also enrichment activities that stimulate her mind as well to focus better!
Getting creative and finding interesting ways to entertain Lola has been healing for me and has given me more confidence in being a dog owner. I feel unstoppable!
Hiya! My name is Amy. I am a Lyme Warrior navigating my healing journey with my emotional support dog, Lola by my side! I rescued Lola girl in 2022 when I needed her the most, she is an Australian Shepherd/Border Collie Mix with lots of love to give. Buzz along with us as I share all things pet therapy, dog training and my personal healing journey from Lyme and all the things that accompany it!