Welcome to Gaia! ::

I think my dog needs more mental stimulation. We play frisbee and we are working on basic obedience but I think he still isn't getting enough mental stimulation. What do you do to challenge your dog?

When Kayda was alive I'd put treats inside of a cereal box, tape the ends shut, and cut small, pencil-thick holes throughout. She'd have to rip the box open for treats. She loved it.

Kayda would go at the peanut butter and chew off chunks of the jar, leaving sharp schrapnel all around the house. Putting peanut butter on the inside of a store-bought bone was an absolute favorite.

I love find it games! I will choose a room, usually my own, hide small treats under books, bowls, behind things etc. And then tell the dog to find it. Great for mental stimulation, my dogs love it to and it really gets them thinking. To start off with it's best to let the dog watch you hide treats in simple places, but once the dog has figured out the game, don't let it see you hide the treats, and make hiding places more challenging

I used to take a big fluffy, slippery sleeping bag and wrap it all up with a toy inside of it. Then I would squeak the toy, and she would go nuts for it. She learned how to unroll it with her front paws and how to sniff it out between the folds. smile And she never tore up the sleeping bag, either.

I love that this guild is being taken over by Aussies biggrin ya, Aussies are a really high energy breed, and SMART and dalmations are a working breed with lots of stamina. Of course at 8 months you're right to hold off on impact sports, and most agility clubs expect dogs to have taken an obedience course before starting, but it's definitely something that would be good for him in the near future.

Sounds like you're keeping up with his needs pretty well. Even my aussie doesn't get more than 1hr walks anymore. (In my defence I have two jobs to pay for his vet fees AND school)

Some good mental games like I said, the "find it" game. Where you basically teach your dog to look for a toy or food. You can start off really easy and gradually make it harder once he gets the idea.

There's also puzzle toys like the "tricky treat" ball and the Aikou. There's puzzle toys too, I forget the brand and name but squeeky toys placed inside another toy and the dog must pull them each out.

Play dates with other dogs is also a really great way to stimulate a dog.

Aussies are the shizz! There's a red merle male in my agility class and he's such a character also should be getting mine in a few years not to sure when now though since I decided to wait instead of getting mine this fall.

With my two for mental stimulation we generally just have a few short training sessions a day. Abby works on her HW for agility as well as obedience and some new fun tricks and Bo well right now we're working a lot on his skills with other dogs and his reactivity.

Puzzle toys are a great idea. I have this one Bo has mastered it, but Abby is to smart for her own good. She'll sniff it then just sit there and stare at me because she knows if she waits long enough I'll given in and give the treats to her. And if I walk away she'll just ignore it then let Bo get at it and steal the treats from him when he gets the thingy out.

Other treat toys like kongs and toys like the hide and squeak squirrel toys are also good ideas...

Also as far as agility training you can work on foundation training and uprights when you have time that way when/if you decided tog et intoa gility and take classes you've already got some work done

for example this- their working on the basics like hand touches, targeting, etc. Also start line stays are a big one

and this- working her pup on uprights