Time with your dog - intelligence toys

If the weather doesn't invite you to go for a long walk, you can make the most of your faithful four-legged friend with a little mental effort. Today we present 3 ideas how you can keep your dog busy with indoor nose work exercises. These joint dog games are not only fun, but also promote the bond between you and your furry nose and the intelligence of your four-legged friend. In addition, this type of mental challenge provides a good balance to the physical activity you offer on the way when you walk your dog.

1. Shell game

You need:

• Treats
• Cups, mugs (not transparent)

In the cone game your quadruped should find out under which "cone" (cup, mug) his reward is located.

This is how the thimble game works:

1. Start with only one cup. First show your dog the treat and then put the upside-down cup over it.
   
2. Motivate your dog to examine the cup. He may eventually knock it over - in which case he deserves high praise and may eat his prey. Repeat the exercise a few times until your dog has understood the principle behind it.
   
   
3. You can increase the level of difficulty by adding more cups to the game. Once he has discovered his treat, you praise him effusively and he may eat it. If he was not lucky, the round starts again and you hide it again.
   

2. Sniffing box

If you are looking for a light alternative to the DIY sniffer carpet , you can make a sniffer box yourself with simple means.

You need:

• Box, cardboard or laundry basket
• fabric remnants or
• old newspapers, wrapping paper, packing material

There you go:

1. Fill the box with what you are most likely to have at hand in sufficient quantity. This can be done, for example, with light fabric remnants and worn-out clothes made of light fabric. Alternatively, you can crumple up newspaper or wrapping paper and collect it in the box.
2. Now hide a few of your four-legged friend's favourite morsels in the filled box.
   
3. And off you go: Ask him to search (with a suitable command, for example) and be happy with him as soon as he has found something.
   
   

3. Dog search game

You need:

• Treats, snacks like cheese or dried meat
• Toilet roll, cardboard box, sandwich paper/bag or sock

In the search game for dogs, you train your four-legged friend's nose to sniff out his reward and scout out the hiding place.

This is how hiding and searching works:

1. Wrap a treat your pet loves in a toilet paper roll (the openings are easy to close), a small cardboard box or a bread bag. An old sock can also serve as a food bag. Then hide the prey (with the door closed, of course) in another room. For the beginning, choose the hiding place not too difficult, so that your quadruped will quickly have a sense of achievement and retain the fun of searching.
   
2. Open the door and give your dog the command "Search!" if he already knows it.
3. Once he has sniffed and found the longed-for morsel, the challenge of unpacking the prey is still waiting for him.
   
4. Praise your darling extensively as soon as he has had his treat.
   

By the way: Snack balls and other dog toys for chewing/dental care work in a similar way

Our tip: If you need more ideas on how to keep your dog occupied on rainy days, take a look at our magazine. There you will also find a simple feeding game with toilet paper rolls. For those who prefer to relax, the dog massage techniques for a cuddle session with your darling are perhaps an alternative? Why not try it out for once! We are happy about your experience report!