Puppy Puzzles
Westie puppies, and Westies of any age for that matter, adore puzzles! Your Westie’s mental health is equally as important as their physical health. Westies were bred for centuries to hunt quarry and go-to-ground in search of vermin. We recognize that Westies are no longer required to rid farmers fields of vermin, although true to breed type they remain keenly aware of their surroundings with an excellent sense of smell, sharp eyesight, and exceptional hearing ability.
Understanding their heritage helps us to identify games, puzzles and other activities which appropriately challenge our puppies. Toys such as the ones we have photographed above have sewn pockets and cavities to hide treats. We recommend encouraging and rewarding your puppy for using their sharp senses in a constructive manner including locating hidden treats and listening for auditory clues to solve puzzles.
When introducing puzzles and games to your Westie puppy be sure to monitor for their reaction and keep it fun for them. If a puzzle is too difficult for them to solve then they will become discouraged and may give up. We recommend providing your puppy with treats when they interact with the puzzle and helping them remove a few treats to start each of them being successful. This encourages further interaction with the puzzle toys in the future.
There are many homemade puppy puzzles as well and we find one of the simplest is putting a few treats inside an empty water bottle with the cap removed. Your puppy can see the treats tumbling in the bottle and earn a reward when a treat falls out of the bottle with movement.
Westies are also very quick to learn works and associate them with different items. A popular word association game involves giving names for each of your dog’s toys and then asking them to show you each based on their name. When your Westie responds with the correct toy and name they should be praised and rewarded.
Regularly exercising your puppy’s mind boosts their self-confidence and helps to relieve boredom.
