Disrupting the Dog Industry with Innovate Mental Enrichment Games & Toys

About a year ago, right when I moved out, I knew I was ready to get a Golden Retriever puppy. I didn’t think too much about the responsibilities that would come with owning a dog, mostly since I grew up with Golden Retrievers my entire life and they were the easiest dogs.

That all changed the day I picked up Diesel at 9 weeks old.

From the moment I brought him home, I noticed behavior issues as well as extreme hyperness. Every one would tell me it’s normal he is very hyper, he is a puppy. This is of course very true, but some dogs do require more physical and mental exercise than others.

I started to feel hopeless - until I decided to take matters into my own hands. I immersed myself into the world of dog training. In May 2021, I decided to share my journey with the public by creating my page: Dogs Made Simple. My goal with this page (on TikTok and Instagram) was to share relatable content. I wanted to give hope to dog owners like myself who were struggling. With everything I publish on Instagram and TikTok, I try to be as transparent as possible by sharing honest content - the good and the bad. As my page became popular very fast, I realized that there was one piece of content specifically that people loved, and that was mental stimulation games for their dogs. Since then, I have shared a ton of dog enrichment activities as well as the latest innovative dog toys and products that are changing the world of dog owners.

Mental Enrichment for Dogs - Why?

Let’s rewind to the start. Before getting Diesel, I didn't even know how important mental enrichment was for dogs - mostly for the excessively hyper ones like my dog. And I definitely didn’t know all the positive effects it brought to a dog’s wellbeing.

One day, as I was reading articles on dogs, I stumbled upon a fact that completely blew my mind. I learnt that just 15 minutes of mental stimulation is equivalent to 1h of physical exercise.

That is the day my world changed.

I started to do a ton of research on the importance of mental stimulation for pets. I’ve experienced with my own eyes the many advantages to keeping Diesel busy mentally on a day to day. Not only has it helped us build a stronger bond together, I’ve seen his confidence grow tremendously and his level of stress diminish incredibly.

Take for example a dog that is possessive aggressive or shows signs of food aggression. Diesel had these behavior issues since the first day we brought him home. I tried taking a sock out of his mouth and he went to attack me. Now, I can take a sock out of his mouth no problem - and I truly believe this is mainly due to the interactive games I play with him. Most of the times, when dogs are possessive aggressive, it’s because they do not trust their owner and are fearful. Mental enrichment games help with just that.

The Dog Enrichment Toy that Went Viral - The Wicked Ball Series

One key topic that quickly became incredibly popular on Dogs Made Simple and that resonated with many of my current and new followers was the need for sharing top trending enrichment toys and providing reviews.

That is when I stumbled on Cheerble.

Lots of the mental enrichment toys I was discovering previously either didn’t keep Diesel busy for long, or were outrageously expensive. But not with Cheerble.

I remember looking at their Wicked Ball and saying to myself “ how could this be possible? An automatic ball that will roll around the house and keep Diesel busy while I work from my home office?”. It sounded too good to be true, but I gave it a shot.

The day I received it, I tried it out right away. Next thing you know, I was able to get some work done for 2 hours straight, while Diesel chased the ball around the house. He was totally obsessed. The best part? If it rolled under a table or chair, and got stuck, the ball knew to roll in the other direction. I did not need to do anything! It was a dream come true for me as a dog owner, and I knew it had to be for others as well across the globe.

I made a video review on the Wicked Ball right away. A few hours later, the video went viral and got over 1.3M views on TikTok. That is when I knew it wasn’t just me who fell in love with the product.

Long Story Short

Mental enrichment is proven to provide your dog a happier life. Nevertheless, physical exercise is just as important and can’t be neglected. The Wicked Ball gives your dog the best of both worlds - that is mental and physical exercise. Got a smaller dog? Check out the Wicked Ball SE made specifically for smaller breeds. Get yours today and share your dog’s reaction by tagging us on social media at @cheerble and @dogs.made.simple!