Interactive Puzzle Games for Cats and Dogs
By: Faith P.
Interactive puzzle games for cats and dogs improve their well-being. “Dogs and cats are designed to spend hours each day working for their food,” says Dr. Jennifer Coates, vet expert at Chewy. When you give your pet’s food in a bowl, you take away that work that is part of their nature.
What are they?cats, dogs, games, puzzles
Before discussing the benefits of interactive puzzles, you have to know what they are in the first place. These puzzle toys are made to give a fun task for your pet to solve while getting a reward in the end. Often, these interactive toys are used during feeding to make them work a little for their food, with small compartments or spirals to make them work. You can also fill these puzzles with smaller toys as a reward.
Problems
Many problems could arise from your pet not using an interactive puzzle. Cats and dogs are made to work for their food, but they’ve had to work less and less for their food as they were domesticated. Without this work, they don’t get the mental stimulation they should be getting; this can lead them to behavioural issues caused by pent-up energy and boredom. Lack of mental stimulation causes other problems such as depression and anxiety.
If inactive, your pet could develop some physical problems. The boredom that your pets experience could lead to them eating the easily accessed food all day without activity; this causes large amounts of weight gain and, eventually, obesity.
Benefits
You may wonder what the benefits are that come with the interactive puzzles; here’s your answer. Since dogs and cats now often live in city homes or apartments, they don’t utilize their natural hunting abilities. Having an interactive puzzle feeder will allow your pet to stimulate their brain and enable them to work for their food; this will relieve possible boredom and help with behavioural issues. Relieving boredom also helps to slow down or stop extra weight gain and obesity in your pet.
The effort they use to play with these interactive puzzles will also distract and entertain them to where it helps reduce their anxiety levels. It has also been found to reduce their cognitive decline.
Interactive feeders can help with pets who are aggressive eaters. When cats and dogs are aggressive eaters, they often swallow large amounts of food at once or binge eat. These puzzles slow them down, which in turn reduces the likelihood of your pet developing digestive disorders from eating too quickly.
Where to Start
To introduce your pet to an interactive puzzle, make sure to start easy. Zara has some great ideas in her blog Put in something that your pet enjoys, whether you use your pet’s favourite toy or favourite treat; this makes them more motivated to work hard to solve the puzzle. Start with an easy puzzle that doesn’t require too many steps to solve. As your pet gets more comfortable with the puzzle, you can change it into one more complex. It is also recommended you rotate what puzzle your pet is interacting with; this keeps them interested in the puzzles.
Conclusion
Having interactive puzzle games for your pet may help improve their overall mental and physical health. Though it is not needed for your pet to have a good life, it is recommended to keep them mentally stimulated and aid with behavioural issues. If you want to introduce these puzzles to your pet, remember to start simple.
Links:
https://be.chewy.com/benefits-of-cat-and-dog-puzzle-toys/
https://nymag.com/strategist/article/best-food-puzzles-for-cats-and-dogs-according-to-vets.html
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