Brain Teaser Games...

...are so good for your dog!  Do you remember as a kid coming home from school and feeling so tired?  I do and often times I would say, "I'm tired" and my Mom would ask, "why are you so tired, you just sat in school all day?" 

And yes, exactly, that's it.  We sat still in school and exercised our brains all day long.  Exercising our brains is energy draining.  Did you know this same concept works well for dogs?  By exercising your dog's brain, you can help them drain excess energy. This should make some of you jump up and shout for joy!  Well, here you go...your free fun fact tip for this beautiful Friday.

There are many brain teaser games on the market made specifically for dogs and many of them come with a pretty healthy price tag.  So here is a way to make a great brain teaser game (pictured above) with supplies you might have on hand at home or can easily get at your local "bargain priced" store.

Take one muffin tin and divide your dog's kibble for one meal into each muffin cup.  Place a light weight ball over the kibble in each muffin cup.  I am using light weight balls that would be used for a child's ball pit.  OR you could use wiffle balls you might happen have stored in the garage.  You want to use light weight balls so your dog can easily push the balls off to find their kibble.  Also, remember your dog's sense of smell is his/her number one sense they use to "view the world".  So, no worries they can easily smell their yummy food under the ball.

I do have a caveat, for larger dogs who might just try and eat the balls...you might want to use heavier balls, such as tennis balls.  And for those dogs that are ball obsessed, you might want to forego this game all together.  But for most dogs, this is a wonderful game to play a few times a week.  This game is also great for the dog who tends to bolt their food - they have to slow down and think.  

This game is fantastic and allows your dog to use their brain to problem solve.  Draining energy, learning to problem solve...a win, win situation all the way around.  

Leave a comment and let me know how your dog enjoyed the game!

Happy training everyone!