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3 ways to calm your puppy through puppy enrichment products
Have you recently adopted a new puppy into your household? Are you now finding yourself asking questions like, “how can I get my puppy to calm down?” or “why is my puppy scared and how can I help them?” Then you have come to the right place.
While having a new puppy is an exciting time, it can also be tiring. Especially when your pup has so much energy. Some new dog owners make the mistake of taking the pup on longer walks or taking part in ball games for hours hoping it will calm them. However, this only has the opposite effect. These are intensive activities and will only build on their endurance.
Even though physical activities are important in any dog’s life, so is mental stimulation as it is an essential part of a puppy’s learning and development. Within this article, we will explore the 3 ways you can calm your puppy using puppy enrichment products.
Amy Demel via Unsplash
What is puppy enrichment?
Before we get started, it’s important to know what puppy enrichment is and the different types.
Enrichment refers to activities, games, and puppy enrichment products that engage your puppy’s senses to improve their quality of life by caring for their physical, mental, and emotional wellbeing. The different types of puppy enrichment include:
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Sensory Puppy Enrichment: Activities and puppy enrichment products that stimulate your dog’s senses such as sight, smell, sound, taste, and touch.
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Cognitive Puppy Enrichment: Providing your pooch with puppy enrichment products such as puzzle toys, or playing activities that encourage problem-solving skills. For example, playing a fun game of hide and seek is a great way to achieve cognitive enrichment for your furry pal.
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Physical Puppy Enrichment: Activities that include lots of exercise for your puppy. This could include creating an obstacle course for your pup to enjoy running around or hiding treats for them to hunt for later.
- Social Puppy Enrichment: Providing your pup with opportunities to socialize with other people and their pets.
Now that you know the different types of enrichment, it’s time to explore the 3 ways you can calm your puppy down using puppy enrichment products.
1. Provide puppy enrichment products to encourage cognitive enrichment
Exercising your puppy’s mind is just as important as ensuring their body is getting enough exercise, especially when it comes to making them feel calmer. Cognitive puppy enrichment plays a vital role in a puppy's development and well-being. For example, cognitive puppy enrichment products and puppy puzzle toys can provide young pups with mental stimulation, confidence and resilience, encourages learning and skill development, and prevents destructive behaviour!
So, when you have a new puppy in the household, think about the activities you can do with them to encourage the development of their problem-solving skills.
Some fun puppy enrichment products for cognitive enrichment include:
- Zogoflex Toppl: This puzzle and treat toy is designed to be filled with a puppy’s favorite treats so that they can then enjoy the challenge of solving the puzzle and gaining their reward. Available in different sizes depending on size of dog or puppy.
- Puff & Play Yeti: A great puppy enrichment product for both light and moderate chewers. Simply insert a Yeti nugget, place the toy and nugget in the microwave for 60 seconds so that the nugget will puff up to twice its size, let it cool, then let your dog play!
- Baguette Enrichment Toy: This puppy enrichment product includes 2 large squeakers hidden at two ends and can hide treats in 4 pockets. (This Baguette Enrichment Toy also makes for an exceptional headrest!)
- Hoshi Origami Snuffle Mat: A puppy enrichment product that allows you to hide treats inside and below the folds for your new furry friend to sniff out! We recommend using only dried and non-crumbly treats.
2. Choose chew puppy enrichment toys for sensory enrichment
It’s no secret that puppies enjoy chewing, so providing appropriate chew toys can help to soothe and calm them. Puppy enrichment products such as chew toys also prevent puppies from chewing on our favourite pair of shoes or furniture! By satisfying their natural urge to chew, chewing puppy enrichment products promote good oral health for your puppy, and help to redirect their energy into a positive activity.
With that being said, look out for sturdy, safe puppy enrichment products that are designed specificially for puppies such as our Nylabone Dura Chew X-Bone that contains the savoury beef flavour a puppy loves. This durable interactive puppy toy features four textured ends that can help clean teeth and freshen breath during a chewing session. It’s great for treating stress and anxiety, boredom, dental care, and destructive chewing in puppies.
Chewing puppy enrichment products such as these are great for alleviating teething discomfort whilst providing an outlet for a puppy’s energy.
3. Interactive puppy enrichment products encouraging sensory enrichment
Instead of simply placing down a food bowl for your new furry pal, we suggest making mealtimes more interactive and fun! This can be achieved by using treat-dispensing puppy enrichment products or by scattering their food in the grass or on a safe surface so they can use their nose to explore.
Engaging a puppy's sense of smell not only provides sensory stimulation, but also enhances their ability to track scents, tell the difference between different smells, and problem-solve to obtain their desired reward.
By creating a more interactive meal time to encourage sensory enrichment, your puppy will feel more mentally stimulated and calm.
See below for some examples of some fantastic feeder bowl puppy enrichment products.
Puppy enrichment products by WOOOF
Overall, puppy enrichment products and puppy puzzle toys encourage mental stimulation, problem-solving, exploration, and learning. This helps puppies grow into well-rounded and mentally stimulated dogs.
Remember that every little puppy is different, so take time to observe what activities your puppy enjoys the most and what works best for them. Make sure to be patient and consistent in providing enrichment activities as they are an excellent tool for calming and engaging your furry friend.
To get you started, we suggest having a look at our Enrichment Bundle for puppies featuring some of our favourite puppy enrichment products that will keep them calm.