Keeping meal times interesting can be a chore but adding fun and mentally stimulating games can improve your dog’s problem solving and impulse control abilities. Plus it is FUN!

Dogs are hunters and scavengers at heart so tapping into their ancestral nature provides stimulation and improves mental acuity. Having your dog hunt, search and solve problems will not only slow down your dog’s speed of eating but will also help to tire them out. Mental exercise is a vital part of an animal’s experience and enrichment.

Start off with a bucket or box that your dog can easily reach into. Get about a dozen or so balls and empty them into the bucket. Make sure you use balls that your dog won’t eat. Plastic balls from the dollar store, tennis balls, road hockey balls or even hockey pucks or hard balls.

Add your dog’s favorite treats or kibble to the bucket. Have your dog “Sit and Wait” until you release them with “Find It!” The anticipation is part of the fun so make sure your dog sees what you are doing.

Another fun twist is to place a cloth such as a face cloth on the floor and put a treat on top of it. Again, make sure your dog watches you so they can easily learn the rules of the game. Release your dog from a “Sit, Wait” with “Find It”. Then put the next treat UNDER the cloth. Let your dog search it out. Then put the treat on the cloth but fold the cloth over the treat. Working slowly with baby steps you can wrap the treat in the cloth and proceed to tie the treat in the cloth with a loose knot. When your dog figures out the game you can then tie treat bundles of treats and place them in the bucket with the balls. Just make sure your dog does not eat cloths. You don’t want to end up at the ER with a bowel obstruction. As well always supervise your pet when they are playing with toys, etc.

Dinner time should be fun, engaging and stimulating so use your imagination and make dinner an event!