Canine Mental Stimulation: Tanner vs. the Jolly Ball
December 1, 2010 by Paris Permenter and John Bigley
Filed under Tips, Training
Today we’ve got a special guest post by Carrie Boyko of All Things Dog Blog!
Remember all those problems you had to solve in math class? You’d leave that class fatigued and wondering why you were so tired from merely sitting for an hour. C’mon! You know it was the mental challenge that wore you out. You can do the same thing for your dog. Just give him some problems to solve.
I’m going to include below a photo synopsis of my Golden Retriever’s experience with a problem-solving toy–a ball within a ball. It’s called the Jolly Ball, and it’s just one example of a puzzle toy that will allow your dog to work his brain, fatigue his mind, and I learned something about Tanner the first time I gave this to him; he’s not a quitter. He was clearly saying “No way is this ball going to defeat me.”
Well, think again, Tanner. The photos shown below are only a fraction of those I took during his travels around our home, trying to figure out how to get that little ball out of the inside of the bigger ball. Finally, after 30 minutes of trying, he lost interest when a significant distraction occurred outside. He dropped and took a well-deserved two hour nap. It wasn’t the walking that made him tired; it was the problem solving.
One more thing you may want to know: this toy also floats, so Tanner can chase it around the pool with his snout, wearing himself out swimming too. I LOVE this toy! Maybe you have one to share?
Related Reading:
Carrie Boyko’s pack of high spirited dogs teaches her every day how to be a better pack leader.
About Paris Permenter and John Bigley
DogTipper publishers Paris Permenter and John Bigley are a husband-wife team of full-time writers. The couple has authored over two dozen books and 2,500+ magazine articles.
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