Canine enrichment is all about fulfilling a dog’s needs, both physical and mental.
Read this statement:
“10/15/20 minutes of mental stimulation is equivalent to 1 hour of physical exercise.”
Have you ever seen that statement?
The more often I read it, the more I think:
What exactly is the ‘equivalent’ part in this equation? Value or function? Or?
Why would we want to compare mental stimulation and physical exercise?
What do I think is the short answer to that question?
To convince people to offer mental stimulation with their dog and/or to sell a product.
I don’t really have a big problem with either of the reasons; I think it’s wonderful if many people offer their dog mental stimulation and there are many products that are good for that. So nothing really goes wrong there.
What does bother me is that the statement implies that somewhere there is research that backs it up. And as far as I know: there isn’t (correct me if I’m wrong!).
It would be a very interesting research as you would need to find parameters that are comparable in both mental and physical exercise. To find those a dive in the chemical processes of the body would be needed. But, that’s not what I wanted to talk about today.
My point: dogs need both mental and physical exercise to be healthy. Read my blog Canine Enrichment, does my dog need that?
Without movement the health of a body -inside and out- will decline. We only have to think about the time we had to rest for a week because of illness or an injury: when feeling better and getting out of bed, we felt weaker. The muscles just can’t stay healthy and strong when they’re not used.
And at the same time: working your brain keeps you healthy too. If your brain never gets a job, you’ll get bored and/or uninterested. Both having a great impact on our well being.
So: it’s all about balance! Both physical and mental exercise are needed to stay healthy!
That doesn’t mean that the amount of physical and mental exercise needs to be the same every day: it just means that both need to be done to keep healthy.
One day might be perfect for a long walk, another day you might do a dog fitness class, and the next day might be very hot and puzzles in the air conditioning might be a perfect activity. Maybe you do a lot of activities one day and rest the next: balance ánd what works for your dog is the key.
Do you need ideas? “Spice up your dog’s life" might help!
Diving a little deeper into this there is another interesting thought:
Many/most physical activities - like dog sports - go hand in hand with mental exercise: the dog needs to think to understand what the game is about and then to refine his skills.
Many/most mental exercises - like puzzle sessions - go hand in hand with physical exercise: the dog needs to move their body/neck/limbs to navigate the puzzle and get the treats.
Knowing that the comparison between mental and physical exercise gets even stranger: if it happens at the same time, how can you compare then as two different things?
Keep enriching your dog, with activities that exercise both body and brain, balance slow and fast activities and focus on what your dog enjoys, what you enjoy and what fits in your lifestyle.
Puzzle Dog is an expert in guiding people and their dogs in their 'puzzle journey'. We use the Hersenwerk method in our work. Hersenwerk is a harmonious interplay between humans and animals, based on sensory experience, customization and freedom of choice.
In our guidance we focus on the individual dog and their human; customizing the puzzle activity will make it enriching for both of you! You can find our courses in the Puzzle Dog Academy.
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