# Ideas for mental stimulation?



## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

So far my pup has been getting roughly two 15 minute training sessions a day (with lots of practice in between) and a meal or two out of his Wobbler for mental stimulation. He gets at least one (frequently two), nice long walks a day where he meets lots of people and lots of dogs and he also gets play time in the back yard. 

He is now getting mischevious and bratty and I need help! We can't get him in a puppy kindergarten class for a few more weeks, so I'm on my own until then. So far he's doing well and I've taught him: come, sit, down, shake, fetch, drop, off, leave it, wait (I can put treats on his paws and he won't touch them ) and he has mastered touching an x of blue tape, which I'm now incorporating into getting him to shut the cabinet door.  But my inexperienced self is out of ideas now! So my question is- do you have any recommendations for good training books to give me more ideas and also, do you have any other great ideas to tire him out mentally? 

A huge thanks in advance!


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## LibertyME (Jan 6, 2007)

have you seen any of the kikopup youtube videos? 
She has some clever ideas and most are explained fairly well...


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## Jige (Mar 17, 2011)

I have found that the best mental game is "find it". I played this all the time with my pit bull Vendetta and we still do it on a grander scale to this day. I started out by hiding a iece of food under one toy. I had 3 toys in a row. I would put her in her crate and hide the toy then let her out and tell her to find it. She would sniff around the toys until she found her treat. I moved on to placing the treat under the rug or in the kitchen all over the house and then send her off. Now I hide balls for her outside and she will go find it.


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

I'm a little out there  but honestly, I think the goldfish bowl is a great source of mental and physical stimulation. Also, I think it's great training as far as teaching coordination and skill. Maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but thought I'd throw it out there for you


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## DreamingGold (Mar 16, 2011)

Jo Ellen said:


> I'm a little out there  but honestly, I think the goldfish bowl is a great source of mental and physical stimulation. Also, I think it's great training as far as teaching coordination and skill. Maybe not exactly what you were looking for, but thought I'd throw it out there for you


O.k., never in a million years would I have thought of that, but holy cow, can I see how that would work! Does she ever get one? And I trust it's o.k. for them to eat if they do? So do you just keep that set up in the backyard all the time then?


And thanks for the training video recommendation, I'll definitely check it out!


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## Jo Ellen (Feb 25, 2007)

Goldfish are hard to catch, they are small and very fast. They're little morself of protein, not harmful at all. When I first started this with Daisy, it would take her well over a week to catch them all ... so yes, I kept it set up and had to buy fish food! LOL But now she can clean out the pool in a matter of an hour or two.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

Here's some ideas for mental stimulation

1) Trick training is fun to do and there are many books out there with guidance.
2) Some things on the top of my head that I have taught my Golden to do. Teach how to spin counter and clockwise, walk backwards, walk completely backwards around you, stick out tongue and smile on command.
3) Start tracking in your backyard or even your house. J&J Dog Supplies have books and videos to get started. Get a puppy harness and a lead and have loads of fun.
3) Nina Ottesen toys are great for mental stimulation. There are copies of it for a fraction of the price at either petco or petsmart.


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## rhondas (Sep 10, 2010)

@DreamingGold

Here are some other things you can teach the puppy that I've done and didn't include.

from a stand walk backwards, from a sit move backwards, from a down move backwards, teach how to march - just have front legs move up and down, get a brick and teach her to walk around it while keeping her two front paw on the brick.

If you haven't notices there is a theme going on here - rear end awareness ). Dogs don't realize that they have rear legs so doing all this rear end awareness exercises now is fun and helps later on.

Also, you can teach her to put her front paws on chair with one command (up) and to sit on a chair with a different command (on). It has a two pronged benefit, you can teach her to only get on furniture when you want her to (or maybe never) and use it if you ever do therapy work


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