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Does your dog ever get on your nerves? Do they seem over-excited, frustrated, or like a bouncy Tigger? Are they constantly in your face, demanding attention, stealing things, or destroying them? Barking for no reason, ignoring you, or reacting to other people and dogs?

If you answered yes to any of those questions, this post is for you. If you answered no to all of them, stick around anyway; you might still learn a thing or two!

We've all heard about how important it is to provide our canine companions with mental stimulation, but what does it mean, and why is it so crucial to their well-being? What can we do to provide our dogs with the enrichment they so need?

Mental stimulation is a key role of a dog owner, and yet some dogs don't even get walks! Walks aren't just physical exercise, but also provide our dogs with a type of enrichment they so crave, and something we can't fill any other way.

Our dogs have so many expectations placed on them the moment they enter our homes. We ask them to follow our commands, to stay out of our way when we’re busy, to juggle the noises, smells and sounds of daily life, and to behave well. We expect them to adapt their entire being to suit our mundane world, forgetting that they are animals. We forget that they have different physiology, different brains, different ways of life.

No matter how distant, all dogs share a common ancestor, wolves. Our own ancestors domesticated them, began to change their DNA, and started creating breeds with purpose.

German Shepherds were bred to be herding dogs. Akitas were designed to guard and hunt bears. Jack Russell Terriers were planned for fox hunting. Labrador Retrievers were bred to retrieve things from water. Even Yorkshire Terriers were bred with a job in mind, ratting.

Yet now, most of our dogs, no matter the breed, lie on our sofas and wait for us to come home. Many get told off for traits they were designed to have, and they are rarely given ways to use their senses and talents.

But here's the thing. When you adopt a dog, you sign up to be their leader for their entire life, which is sadly a lot shorter than ours. They may only be a part of our lives, but we are their entire world. Spending time with our dogs, providing them with stimulation and meeting all their needs is our responsibility, and if you can't commit to that, you shouldn't be getting a dog.

Spending time with our dogs should not be something on our to-do lists. It shouldn't be a chore. I get it. Life can get busy, you run out of energy, or things pop up.

I am guilty of this some days. Anayah, my dog, can seem too much, too annoying, too energetic. I have chronic illnesses too, which means I struggle with energy levels, and sometimes it's just too hard to do training with her. But I love her, and I love spending time with her. Even if it's just playing while I have my coffee or using her meals for some enrichment, that time is important to both of us. I always have enrichment games and activities ready for days when I can't be as present as I would like, so even then, Anayah will get her stimulation.

On days when life is too overwhelming and energy levels are low, there are still ways you can provide your dog with the stimulation they need, and we'll go through some of those ways in a minute.

Remember, every dog breed is different, and individual dogs are different again. Get to know your dog, explore with them, and figure out what kind of things they enjoy and are good at. Some dogs will prefer trick training, others will love agility, mantrailing or service work. Some will enjoy dog sports, brain games or scent work.

Many dogs love working with or around people, while others prefer to be independent or enjoy the company of other animals. Whatever it is that your dog enjoys, pursue that, even if it's something you never saw yourself doing. You never know, you might find that you enjoy it too.

Signs that your dog may be under-stimulated:

• Destructive behaviours

• Sleeping a lot, which may be a sign of boredom

• Tired but wired — you may have walked your dog the usual amount and played ball with them, and yet they keep going. They might actually be physically tired, but not mentally

• Annoying behaviours, like nudging you, whining, staring at you, or bringing you toys

• Depressive or compulsive behaviours

• Excessive panting, lip licking, or other unusual behaviours

If your dog is showing any of these signs, or any others that are unusual for them, it's always best to get them checked over by your vet, just in case there's an underlying health condition affecting their behaviour. Do this before adding more stimulation to their routine, to rule anything else out.

Things to note before we dive into the stimulation activities you can try:

• Keep it varied. Using the same enrichment method every time will lower its affect, change it up often and do multiple sessions a day of different exercises.

• If your dog is uninterested in one activity, try something else and come back to it another day. You might find that the dog has to be in the "right mood" for certain things, or they may just be uninterested in it alltogether. Find what works for your dog.

• If your dog is not food motivated, you can use toys or praise as a reward instead. Different foods are more important than others, though, so try using high value treats first like cheese or sausages.

• If your dog is on a restricted diet for whatever reason, you can use their food kibble as rewards, use low calorie treats or avoid food-related games. Always consult your vet if your dog is on a special diet or if you have any other concerns.

• If increasing your dogs treat intake, reduce their general food intake by the same amount to stop weight gain.

• Always supervise your dog with toys, chews or other stimulation tools.

1. Lick mats

2. Snuffle mats

3. Hide and seek

4. Trick training and obedience

5. Food enrichment

6. Treat toys

7. Sniffari walks

8. Interaction with other dogs

9. A sport

10. A job

1 . Lick mats

Lick mats are an easy way to add stimulation to your dog’s routine. They’re a great option for when your dog has energy left but you don’t. They’re simple to prepare and long lasting.

Licking can be soothing for dogs, and it can help calm them down, lower arousal levels, and let them destress. I often use a lick mat with Anayah in the evenings when I want her to start settling down. Most lick mats are dishwasher safe, which is perfect, and you can get little brushes to clean the hard-to-reach bits.

Make sure you get a good quality lick mat, as cheap ones can break if your dog tries to use their teeth instead of their tongue. I speak from experience. The cheaper ones are made from less reliable material.

In addition, I suggest getting a lick mat with suction cups on the base, or using a station that the mat can sit in, so it doesn’t skate across the floor and end up lost under the sofa. Again, I speak from experience.

Some fun things to spread on the lick mat are:

-          Greek Yogurt and dog safe fruit

-          Banana and dog safe peanut butter (This is Anayahs favourite)

-          Wet dog food or meat pate

-          DIY fruit mash (dog safe fruits and use a blender or a fork to mash it up!)

- Canned pumpkin

- Low sodium/salt Broth or stock (best when frozen)

Pop the lick mat in the freezer for an hour to increase the work your dog has to do to get the reward.

You can even feed your dog their regular meal on a lick mat if you have one with large enough gaps. I spread Anayah’s wet food on one, then push her kibble into it before freezing. Your dog gets their normal intake of food and calories, just in a more enriching way.

2 . Snuffle mats

Snuffle mats, like lick mats, are widely available from pet stores and online.

Most are machine washable. They’re ruffled mats made with strips of fabric that mimic grass. When dog kibble or treats are sprinkled amongst the folds, it encourages your dog to snuffle between the ruffles to find the food. This is a great option for fast eaters, and you can feed their full meal using a snuffle matt — but only dry food. Supplements, wet foods and other additions won’t work. You can use treats too, but make sure they’re not moist.

I use this some mornings to encourage Anayah to engage her brain first thing and set her up for the day, almost like us having a coffee.

There are different sizes and styles available, so you can pick the one best suited to you and your dog.

Additionally, instead of buying a snuffle mat, you can do the same thing in grass. Find a patch, no matter how big, and sprinkle your dog’s kibble or treats, then teach them to “Find it.”

Sniffing is a brilliant exercise for dogs. It engages their brain in a way nothing else can, and it helps calm them down and ground them, letting them understand their surroundings better.

3 . Hide and seek - Treat addition

Calling all nose-orientated dogs and their owners, this one’s for you.

You can get scented pouches for this, DIY some, or use treats. I use the latter, and when Anayah finds the treat, the reward is her getting to eat it.

Start off easily with larger treats that are super smelly, like fish treats or sausages. Moist treats will smell more, so you could always soak normal kibble in water for a minute or two if using low calorie options.

You’ll need your dog in another room for this, so either get them to hold a down stay, ask someone else to hold them, or shut them in a room or their crate. They cannot see where you put the treats, or it defeats the whole purpose.

Let them sniff the treat in your hand first so they know what they are looking for.

Hide the treats in plain sight, like on a dining room chair or on the TV stand. You can start with one treat and work your way up. I limit it to five per round, or I forget where I hid them!

Then you can release your dog. I taught Anayah “Find it” as a cue for the game, so she knows. Let your furry friend sniff for a minute or so and watch to see if they find the treats you put out. If they don’t find them or seem confused, you can guide them in the general direction of the treat, but try to let their nose do the hard work.

Once your dog has the idea, you can make it harder by using less smelly treats and hiding them in trickier places. If you really want to test your dog’s nose, use the garden.

This activity engages their sense of smell, which is a brilliant form of stimulation. It also encourages them to pay more attention to their senses, and that skill can then be pushed towards finding people or objects.

4 . Trick training and obedience

Teaching new tricks and working on obedience can be a great way for you to bond with your dog, as well as getting their brain to really work. Additionally, you get a better behaved dog, and that’s always a win.

While not all dogs will enjoy tricks, obedience is something that all dog owners should work at with their canine companions, even if it’s not the dogs cup of tea. School wasn’t my cup of tea, but I still had to go!

Aw man. Now I really want a cup of tea! Anway...

There are the basics — sit, lie down, roll over, high five, and so on. But how well does your dog perform each one? Do they listen first time, every time? If not, you can spend some time on that. If in doubt, start from the beginning and go through all the steps again.

Sometimes you’ll want to use luring, other times shaping, and it’s helpful to understand capturing behaviours too. For more information about shaping versus luring, check out this blog post. I’ll be covering capturing in a future post, so follow me on social media so you don’t miss it.

Then there are the harder ones like Play dead, whisper, figure of 8 etc. Teaching new tricks can improve your dogs concentration in all aspects of their life.

If you need some inspiration for tricks to teach, I have another blog post with 5 fun tricks you could try with instructions here!

You can work on your dogs obedience as well. How long will they sit and stay for? Is there recall bomb proof? There is always something you can add or improve on. Even little things like getting them tp sit and stay whilst you prepare their meal and they can't touch it until you say, or getting them to sit whilst you put your shoes on, their lead on and open the door, and they can't go through the door before you. Little changes can make a big difference to their overall obedience.

Dogs have a pack mentality and so treat you as their 'alpha'. You being the one they turn to and trust will improve your relationship and their overall behaviour.

5 . Food enrichment

Chews and bones are a great way to keep your dog entertained, provide stimulation and improve your dogs dental health. Antlers, Yak chews, Marrow filled bones are long lasting chews that your dog can go back to again and again. I always have an Antler or Marrow bone available for Anayah when I am home. Always supervise your dog with a chew or bone!

Animal bones are another great option, so long as your dog can stomach them. Some dogs, Anayah included, can't have bones as they cause digestive issues, but others are okay.

Beef trachea, Bully tubes, Salmon skin rolls, Pork skin rolls and so much more are available from most independent pet stores. The larger ones do sell small varieties, but I have always found them to be greasy and packed in plastic.

If your dog is a chewer, giving them a positive outlet for that urge can help reduce their destruction in the house... sometimes!

6 . Treat dispensing toys

There are a wide range of these on the market now and all of them offer a variety of enrichment for your pets. There are ones that you can fill with either treats or kibble and seal with something like dog friendly peanut butter, wet food or pate or yogurt. You can give them as they are then or freeze them to prolong your dogs engagement. You could feed your dog their meal in one of these, I do it! Kibble inside and seal it with wet dog food, freeze for an hour and boom! Dinner is served (or breakfast!)

There are also balls that you can out treats or kibble in and your dog has to roll it in order to get the food.

There are puzzles and games you can DIY or buy and teach your dog. Personally, the ones I have bought have taken Anayah 20 seconds to figure out, my rabbits have had more use out of them than she did!

7. Sniffari

How often do you let your dog sniff on walks? I don't mean the odd sniff here and there at a lamppost, I mean really sniff.

Sniffing is like a dogs way of reading the newspaper. They can tell what animals have been around and can tell the difference between prey and predator just by scent, they know what dogs have been around and if there is a new fury neighbour, and they can tell if a person or animal is friendly or not before they even get to them by their smell.

A Sniffari is a walk where your dog is in the lead and they can go where they want to. It only has to be 10 to 30 minutes, but let them sniff everything they want to, and let them follow their nose. These walks are best done on a lead where you can keep them walking at a slower pace than normal. This isn't a walk aiming to physically tire your dog, it's to mentally tire them.

8 . Interactions with other dogs

Dogs are sociable animals, so let them spend time with other dogs. If you have a reactive or aggressive dog, this is one to avoid, but in that case they will require more interaction with you.

It doesn't have to be playing and running, sometimes interactions can mean going for a walk with someone and their dog. If your into it, take your dog to the dog park and let them meet other dogs, or let them say hi to other dogs you meet on walks. Socialization from a young age is crucial, and its just as important to keep it going!

9 . A dog sport

Three popular dog sports are Agility, Flyball and Disc.

Sports like these would supply your dog with a large variety of stimulation from meeting other dogs and people to learning new commands, physical exercise and then the possibility of crowds and shows. They also allow you to get involved in a community and can improve your own mental health, too.

This option is not for everyone and everydog, and that's okay! But if it is, go for it!

10. A dog job

Many breeds of dog will require a job to be fully satisfied due to their brain wiring. Do your research on the breed of dog you have and find out what kind of work they may best be suited too. Some dogs are therapy dogs, service dogs, guarding and livestock dogs. You can even give them jobs at home like helping with the laundry and getting you a can from the fridge. You just have to work with your dogs personality and their strengths.

Not all of these options will work for you, but some will, I hope! Every dog is different and they all need different things to be happy. I hope this has given you a few ideas on how to add more enrichment to your dogs life. The more you engage with them, the stronger your bond will be and the healthier they will be.

Have you tried any of the things listed? Let me know how you get on! Is there something you think is missing off this list? comment below or connect with me on social media.

I always love a good chat, so please get in touch! And follow my social media so you never miss a new blog post.

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Liked this? You may also like to read:

Anayah, a rescue dogs story

Things I've learned as a solo female traveller