Puzzle Me This
I’m a dog trainer and I hate puzzle toys. Yup, I just said that.
Oh dear, am I going to dog trainer Azkaban? Isn’t it illegal for a dog trainer to hate puzzles toys?
Let me explain, I don’t hate enrichment or food dispensing toys, although I don’t care for the actual puzzle toys where dogs have to move things around on a board to reveal treats; I much prefer the food, dispensing toys like Kong WobblersOmega Treat Balls, Snoops, or snuffle mats type toys.
What I hate is that “puzzle toys“ seem to be everybody’s only solution to providing their dog with more enrichment and mental stimulation.
Popping the dog down with a puzzle toy has become the equivalent of setting the kid in front of the television. Sure sometimes you need a break and these toys are great, but they should never be used as a substitute for time spent with your dog doing active enrichment and mental stimulation with them.
While I’m glad we live in a time where the fact that dog dogs need enrichment and mental stimulation is such common knowledge that pet stores literally have isles and isles of these enrichment toys, it makes me sad when guardians rely 100% on these toys to provide their dog with this basic need.
When done well, enrichment and mental stimulation for your dog will not only provide them with an outlet for their mental energy and make their lives better, but will also be an activity that builds trust, communication, and is an important foundation in the relationship that you have with your dog. It’s an investment in your dog. It’s a date with your dog. It’s nourishing the relationship with your dog. It’s having fun with your dog.
Some great examples of enrichment and mental stimulation you can do with your dog are:
~Games of go find it
~Hide and seek
~Scent work
~Setting up an obstacle course in your living room to do together
~Movement puzzles
~Teaching tricks
Enrichment and mental stimulation should be something we do with our dogs, not to them.
Sara Sokol is owner of Mr. Dog Training in Brunswick Maine; A positive reinforcement dog training facility, offering both virtual and in person classes, that has been voted best training in Maine.
