A toy can be a simple way to provide your dog with some mental stimulation and variety in their daily activity. It’s also good for your dog to spend some quality ‘alone time’ in another room without really noticing you’re not there. This is especially relevant at the moment with tiers, lockdowns and increased working from home etc, most dogs have had our company every day for months, when usually we would be spending at least part of the day out of the house.
What makes a good toy to encourage me-time? I’m pretty sure Jake and Truly have every toy Kong have ever produced, and they most certainly don’t need more this Christmas! Jake and Truly are well past the teething stage or chewing their toys from boredom, but they do love their filled Kongs for relaxation and Wubba toys for searching outside. They also love their Licki mats to occupy them when I’m sat working at my laptop. To be honest they also love their snoozes, and often serenade me with loud snoring.
Snuffle mats are another toy to cater to their natural foraging instinct. Snuffling, as I call it, provides both mental stimulation and entertainment. Priming a snuffle mat is simple, you hide treats or their dry food around the mat and your dog uses his/her nose to find the tasty rewards. Because sniffing out food is a low-impact game, it’s great for dogs of all ages. Jake loves his and will happily spend ages snuffling. Whilst he can’t run around like he once did, his ability to sniff out food is still 100%!
If your dog is a heavy chewer, I don’t recommend leaving them unsupervised with a mat in case they swallow bits of it, so please do customise and/or supervise their activities accordingly.
Dogs at Christmas
With a little help from me, Jake and Truly also like to provide extra support for dogs who find themselves awaiting their forever homes. Most centres have an arrangement where you can order and gift pre-selected toys, alternatively you can also support the centre with a one-off donation.
Dog’s Trust have their Hope Project for homeless dog owners, and you can find out more here
Until next time
Jen
