ideas for mental stimulation?

yoko · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:52 pm Post subject: ideas for mental stimulation?

Ok so I have the physical exercise part down pat pretty good for Yoko, now I have to work on exercising her mind. But I don't know where to start.

I have given her a Kong but she never really seems to enjoy it that much, or for long. Yesterday she seemed really interested in the cobs of corn I was peeling so I gave her one. She loved peeling off the husk on her own then ate all the kernels off the cob. What a mess but she was happy and it kept her busy.

But I can't give her endless cobs of corn, right? So what other things can you suggest to keep her busy? What about games?

If love to hear everyones ideas how they keep up with the mental stimulation needs of their weims.

Sue

Eric-n-Jimmy · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 1:57 pm Post subject:

Every hunting season, I find someone w/ an *extra* bird. I'll keep it frozen for 6-8 months. I'll tie string around it and drag it across the ground, w/o Chelsea seeing where I go w/ it. Once she is turned loose, she sniffs it out, then we repeat until the bird starts to defrost. Lasts about 30 minutes.
Just an idea............ Rolling Eyes

Eric

peppernaei · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 2:42 pm Post subject:

Training of any type is great to wear them out. Even if it is simple tricks.

Hide and seek or "Find it" for toys, food and people is also fun.

Treat hiding toys can work like the "Tricky treats" ball or longer food treats like a fresh marrow bone. Just don't forget to cut back the calories for regular meals.

versatilek9s · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 3:04 pm Post subject:

"Find it" and obedience brush-ups are great. Now that I have a weima-zoo at my house, I try to do "group obedience" which is generally hilarious but they seem to like it!

kcolsey · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 7:32 pm Post subject: car rides

Car rides seem to provide quite a bit of mental stimulation. I try to take Gracie with me in the car as often as possible as long as it's not too hot and I am just running errands. The people at the bank drive-thru get a kick out of seeing her in the back seat! Laughing

She loves "people-watching" and she appears to be thoroughly content in the car.

Allyson · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:02 pm Post subject:

We do hide and seek with "cookies" (dog biscuits), which is probably her all time favorite thing to do. She used to take forever to find them, but now we have moved up to 3-4 rooms and she still nails them pretty quickly.

We mix peanut butter, her dry dog food, diced apples and oats together and she chomps on her Kong for about 45 minutes at a time.

Fetch can be done for hours...you will get tired before she will. We started the "wait" command before she goes to fetch something now and sometimes, if we get lucky she will fall asleep waiting and the game will finally be over! Laughing

Most of the time she will stand there poised to go get it until she gets the "go" command.

Tonight we found out that she also LOVES to chase bubbles! My daughter was out back playing with a bottle she got from a birthday party and Hannah was jumping as high as she could go to try to catch them! Cheap entertainment there for sure!

Having 4 kids to keep her occupied probably helps a lot around here too! Wink

ange165 · Posted: Mon Aug 18, 2008 11:06 pm Post subject:

Just on another note about the corn cobs.. Our vet put out a warning to dog owners that they the bits of corn cob that the dog may chew off can become lodged in their intestine or cause a perforation!!
YIKES!!!

BigJake · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:47 am Post subject:

I don't have anything to add as far as tricks or games, I just think some of these are great!

justine · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 9:53 am Post subject:

hey, i also do the hide and seek thing! we make Oscar sit and wait in the middle of the garden and we throw a big handful of his dog food in the air so it scatters all round the garden and then we say "find em" and it keeps him entertained for ages Razz

yoko · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:05 pm Post subject:

Thanks for all the ideas, and the tip about corncobs.

I laughed about the first idea - the bird on a string being dragged in the backyard. I just pictured me taking a dead bird out of the freezer and having my neighbours watching me pull it around my tiny backyard. They'd think I was nuts! Also since I'm right downtown the only birds I'll get my hands on are pigeons, and I sure don't want Yoko getting the idea of chasing pigeons... Poor her, I don't let her take advantage of her natural hunting instinct. She saw a squirrel yesterday and just about jumped out of her collar trying to get at it. I had to hang to the leash for dear life... that puppy sure can pull some weight!

Yoko is a real chewer, but lately she needs stuff she can actually rip up - not just like a bone she can gnaw on. Last night when we were going out the door, she found a rolled up newspaper on our porch and she went to town! In about 3 seconds she had it shredded to bits. What a mess, but she had a blast. She also love to just rip up a toilet paper roll. Oh, and cardboard boxes. And she also goes a little ballistic on her blankets. We figured that she needs to have her own things to destroy so she doesn't destroy our good stuff, right? Any other ideas on safe stuff to give her to rip up? (what a crazy question!)

Thanks again for the ideas - keep em coming!

sue

Wrench · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:40 pm Post subject:

I don't do it because I don't want him to think it's ok on other stuff but my best friend has 2 boxers and she goes to grage sales...buys tons of stuffed animals...lets them go to town on one once in awhile under supervision...then cleans up all the fluff and mess....while watching them and they play tug of war and just shred it they don't get a chance to eat anything.

ChuckDC · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 12:57 pm Post subject:

What is wrong with chasing pigeons? Twisted Evil

One of my favorite recreations when I can is taking one of the rescue weims to a place with tons of the rats-with-wings, and letting the Weim indulge their finding and pointing instincts. Never fails to draw a crowd of admirers, too. I have had a few at Pier 39 in San Francisco lock up on the pigeons there. I've only been accosted by a couple of folks who thought it was mean to "teach that dog to harm birds" TEACH.. HAHAHAHAHHA teach.. like I had to do that... bwaahahhahahahahah. Funnier than heck. Had my Weim with me walking at Berkeley and had some moonbat lady start that with me. Told her she was lucky that he hadnt caught a pigeon and ate it in front of her. She told me I should make him a vegetarian. Rolling Eyes

gravesfam · Housebroken Joined: 01 Feb 2008 Posts: 53 Fur Kids: Jade

We have used a few methods to mentally wear out Jade. Often times we will make her follow commands repeatedly. She will sit, stand, lay down etc. several times for one treat. We vary when we give it so she won't expect it.
Another method is making them sit/lay down and put treats in front of them. This really helps enforce the "stay" and "leave it" commands. We can get a treat trail all the way across the room. Once WE decide Jade has waited long enough, we give her a treat. They really have to focus on this. If they eat one, you take them away until they can do it correctly. We have litterally put treats on all of her paws and she patiently waited to earn them.
When we go on hikes or to the park our family will split up. Once on seperate trails we will take turns calling her. Even if we don't walk long she will get worn out following the voices back and forth. This has been a great tool for us. Now anytime we walk she checks to make sure we are all together.
The last method is a last resort. If the weather is too crudy and the treadmill isn't cutting it... I go for this. My kids gather Jade's toy basket and each grab a few balls. They throw them in different directions at the same time. It's interesting to see which one she goes for first. She will collect all the balls and put them in a pile. It never fails, she will try to fit EVERY one of the balls in her mouth at once. If my kids are driving me nuts and Jade is too energetic, this entertains them all.

youhavenoidea · Posted: Tue Aug 19, 2008 11:37 pm Post subject:

JacksMommy · Posted: Wed Aug 20, 2008 8:51 am Post subject: