Mental Exercise

Throughout my time as a trainer and walker I've told people about mental exercise for their pups and dogs.   Why is mental exercise important?  Why is it important for us?   So we don't loose some of our abilities.  Granted, whenever we ask a dog to do something we're also asking for some degree of mental activity on their part because they don't speak human (although they understand it far better than we give them credit for - they even understand it better than we understand each other!).

Mental exercise in a dog can be anything from running random tricks or obedience drills to running full blown agility courses or even tracking, herding or other activities like that.  I always tell people that the reason border collie owners in the city take their dogs to the park 3 times a day for an hour at a time is to tire them out; the same amount of time giving the same dog mental exercise would tire them out too.

Treat games are a good way to tire a dog out -- numerous fancy treat dispensing toys can be used for this.  They can range from a pop bottle with a hole big enough for kibble to fall out in the neck filled with kibble, to fancy 40-60 dollar wooden puzzles (don't ask me how I know that some cost that much!).  The idea is that the dog has to work for it's food - which most of them love to do, once they realize what they're supposed to do.

Digging games, such as putting a toy in a pile of cloths/towels/rags and telling (esp. good for terrier) the dog to go get there toy after they've seen you bury it; once the dog gets good at it, you can keep them out of the room and then tell them to find the toy in one of numerous piles. 

Fetch/find games work the same way.  You could hide in a closet and tell the dog to come find you by just saying their name once while they're occupied somewhere else or with someone else.  

Lots of different games can be had, if you think about it.  If the dog is digging in the backyard, you could give them one place ONLY where they can dig, or find something for them to burn off that energy elsewhere.  Be creative, think like a dog; wag, and be happy!