Can you build a better brain for your dog ?
It may be hard to believe, but you can actually change the physiology of the brain of your dog. You can make it larger and more efficient simply that certain experiences for your pet. These experiences , in order to improve the brain is to make your dog smarter and give your personality a higher degree of resistance to stress .
The research that these amazing statements began in the 1940s, when the Canadian psychologist Donald Hebb O. took home a couple of rats and gave their children to keep them as pets . Children played with the animals and let them run around and explore most of the Hebb family home. It is clear that the lives of these rats drove and got to explore environments were much more complex and stimulating sterile standard laboratory cage, which may contain only a few wood chips, to rest, a water bottle and a food tray . In rats, a further proof were studying for their ability ( the rat equivalent to an IQ test ) complex mazes that are much smarter than their littermates , which had in boring cages in which they had grown up proved little to see or to explore and where it does not allow any problems or interesting situations that they train their mind to .
Short- connected after this first series of experiments on rats as pets, some of the researchers Hebb repeated these experiments with dogs. They compared the ability of learning bred dogs with the dogs in the usual sterile laboratory bred kennel ( all excitation and diverse experiences of a typical family dog has received in the rule). How was it to be expected on the basis of working with rats , found that dogs bred in the complex home environment not only learn faster , but appeared less anxious and much less stress in test situations to be . Over the years, researchers have shown that these behavioral changes is the result of changes in the actual physiologic animals. The brains of the animals that lived change in complex environments and are actually larger. New connections between existing neurons in the cerebral cortex develop as a result of the experience. Latest findings show that it is even possible to new neurons in key brain regions associated with learning, memory and the organization of behavior, grow .
Important aspects of the experience of the animals to these positive changes in their brain the action on a variety of exciting experiences , interesting places and things that are new. It is best that these new experiences and situations combined with frequent opportunities to learn new things , solve problems, and to investigate free to manipulate and interact with objects and environment. The data is clear to show that this is about people, not just tend to be more curious and more able to learn fast and complex tasks , but they are less anxious and emotional.
Recent research by psychologist W. Norton Milgram and colleagues at the University of Toronto has shown that the benefits of such activities and encounters the puppy is not limited in growth. Adult animals and even elders are not only under the same benefit with more rich environments , but the experiences seem to contribute solutions to problems , seen the normal decline in mental performance in older dogs . For those of us who give our dogs want the advantage of a more efficient brain , the trick is just to keep the mind active dog , set it to new experiences and new things to learn and to solve puzzles . You can use different some of them simply by doing or if you deliver your dog to new places and different routes for walks daily, or as the dog is in day tours various tasks. A little effort on issues, but the dog must respond to your question , it will work even better.
To keep For most dogs , the use of food as a reward for solving problems and finding things your motivation high. An easy way to do this is to get a of a number of different dog toys that can be stuffed with kibble or treats . If the object wrapped around this levy or damaged pieces of kibble . If you are willing to put up with a little controlled destruction , you can dry food or treats in a cardboard box , a towel or an old rag or a jug put crumpled plastic and let your dog rips element apart to the food get . The cardboard roll towel rolls of toilet paper and paper come in , are great for this . Put some dry food in them , crumpling the ends and let the puppy tear the “toy” to get for dinner. Many dog toys are hollow as Kongs and hollow nylon bones, and these can be filled with dog biscuits , peanut butter, cheese or similar. The dog needs to work on getting the food out , you train your brain. If dampen some croquettes , stuffed toys and then freeze the next day is a stuffed animal of food , the dog must have for a while before getting to work to the good stuff .
A variation on this theme is to make meals in the search. Simply divide your dog’s food in small portions , each in a small bowl or container ( or loose on the ground, if you okay with that ) . Now they hide in the house and let the dog search for them . First, you must make the obvious hiding places, but the quest to do more of a challenge later for the next part of the meal .
In fact, all forms of games based on the hidden are good. If you have someone to help you ( I find visiting grandchildren are great for this ) , a person another to hide and then places the dog on a quest with a command like “Find Becky . ” In the beginning , have hidden the person could to call the dog actually from somewhere out of sight. Once the person is hiding , the dog gets also receive a gift or to play a toy . Actually, you can a form of “dog space ” play with dog acts like the ball then you send the dog , the first person (who has now moved to a new location ) to find ; which then send the dog back to the second person (who has also moved his hiding place ) and so on. If your dog spends time outdoors , you should realize that the court of the media is a rather boring and dull , except for the interesting things that can happen on the other side of the fence setting in the rule. You can make this a little more stimulating environment by hanging cables or tubes from a branch or other elevated element in the yard for the dog to play tug . Change the box a little, can by some large boxes , which are used to climb as a tunnel or platforms for the dog. Small logs and PVC pipe sections ( maybe 5 cm or 13 cm diameter) can run for the dog and jump over during playback can be set. If you have more than one dog , some are hidden to hide behind barriers or enclosures useful and dogs often create their own games with them. Children pool of a child with a little water or sand can provide some additional opportunities for play and interaction. Changing things in the yard often also provide stimulation.
Overall, however, the dog is prone to the environment in your home, where people move more exciting than finding the average yard. That is, if your dog spend some time outdoors , you should go out and play with him occasionally . Remember , you are not only building your relationship with your dog , but in reality he is a better brain.
Incidentally, the same process is working for people . Get to solve new problems and new environments to chat with not only entertain you, but build your brain and prevent the effects of aging to interact. Psychologists often saying that the spirit , “Use it or lose it ” together . Simple things like crosswords and Sudoku help, such as reading, dancing , learning languages, new computer games ” construction ” of the brain , as in luminosity.com , and , perhaps most fun , explore new environments with their dog as a companion. The latter not only to help improve their quality of life but , you and your pet to improve their brain – and not a bad deal to take part in an enjoyable hobby !