Dog puzzle: form of brain teaser and relaxation
What are dog puzzles good for? It's similar to crosswords for people - you can relax while doing them, but you also have to really get your brain working. For a dog, such an activity is perhaps even more beneficial, as their life usually revolves around movement, food, and sleep, so mental activity is something completely new for them.
They have to concentrate, think, and use their imagination to get to the treat that is hidden somewhere, but the tempting smell reveals that it's there. Because they are not used to such activity, they often get tired much more than from running and jumping. And that is the goal.
Solving a dog puzzle requires your participation as well
It's not a toy that the dog plays with alone; it's a joint activity that strengthens your relationship. In addition, puzzles are great because they are suitable for absolutely everyone - puppies, adult dogs, and seniors, providing them with new stimuli. What's more, we found that our Loype puzzles work great as an activation tool for exercising fine motor skills.
Besides your dog, involve children or seniors in solving the puzzle, you will see how much it benefits them all.
Another benefit is that you can also tire your dog with a puzzle on rainy days when you don't feel like going for a walk. Or when you or your furry friend have some health limitations.
The puzzle can also help you reduce the dog's separation anxiety. Create a joint puzzle-solving ritual before leaving for work. You can also use this method to help your furry friend get used to new situations, such as moving or adding new four-legged or two-legged additions to the family. The established routine will help them overcome the changes.
So, shall we?
Always solve the puzzle together. Choose a quiet environment, take your treats, your dog, and the puzzle - fill it with treats while the dog watches you. Place the puzzle on the ground and give the dog a command that they can start. The key to success is mutual cooperation. You can encourage the dog, but don't overdo it so as not to disturb them. Also, don't help too much, try to let the dog figure it out on their own and just remove unnecessary components if necessary. At first it will be slow, but over time the dog will gain confidence, because its strongest sense, smell, helps the most.
Did it work? Feel free to try again, but only if the dog is still enjoying it.
Otherwise it will lose motivation for next time. We include puzzle solving in our program about 1-2 times a week for 15 minutes. If you want to make the way to the treat a little more difficult, try choosing a harder variant or place the puzzle on an elevated place so that the dog cannot use its paws and must find another way to solve the puzzle. Never let your dog chew on the puzzle or its components instead of the treats inside. Also watch the feeding portion so that you don't overfeed your furry friend. They would then have less motivation for activity, but with more frequent solving it could negatively affect their health.
Which puzzle to choose?
Just starting to solve? Then the Clever-paws puzzle is the right choice for you. The dog's task is to lift a wooden stone using a string, under which the reward is hidden. The round shapes are not difficult to lift, so even less coordinated furry friends can handle it.
Slide-it requires a bit of canine imagination. The dog should push the wooden button with its nose, revealing the hidden treat. It's great that the dog doesn't just use its nose to find the treat, but also as a tool.
Lift-it is already a bit more difficult. The wooden stones are shaped differently and it is also necessary for the dog to lift them straight up with the stick, which already requires a bit of patience. This type is not suitable for small breeds, as they do not have enough strength and their small size does not allow them to lift the component sufficiently.
And now something for really smart heads. Move-it has 8 sliding stones and two sliding bridges and even two locking pins. First, the dog removes the stoppers and then creates a space through the bridge to move the stones, under which the treats are hidden.
