The mat uses a wide range of snap-on “tasks” with varying levels of difficulty. Working with the pet on the mat .. the pup learns to solve these tasks resulting in a hidden food treat and provides the dog with the mentally challenging stimulation that is important to their overall well-being.

Pet owners might be surprised to find out that their dogs are smarter than they think. They also might be surprised that mentally stimulating dogs is a great way to contribute to their overall health and happiness. So how are pet parents to go about stimulating their dog’s brain? The answer is the BUSTER ActivityMat, an easy and fun way for dog owners to get up close and personal with their pets on the mat and interact presenting them with new challenges over and over again with varying levels of difficulty – think of it as mental exercise for dogs.

“I used to give my dog Ludvig a lot of toys from the pet store, but he would soon become bored with them,” said Marianne Haller Vesterholt, creator of the BUSTER ActivityMat. “So I started to create tasks for Ludvig myself. For instance I would fold up fabrics in which to hide treats for him to find. With a little bit of help he learned how to work out these challenges that I gradually made them more difficult to solve. It was a fun way to have close interaction with him and to stimulate him mentally.”

Vesterholt continued to refine the tasks she presented to Ludvig until she created what today has become the BUSTER ActivityMat. The ActivityMat consists of a heavy fabric mat on which there are 35 press-on snaps. Dog owners can choose from a series of different tasks that snap into place on the mat. Most of these tasks have varying levels of difficulty that present the dog with different challenging and motivational drivers. Pet owners should always be present with their pet when playing with the mat.

Dog psychologist and animal behaviorist Anders Hallgren says, “Thanks to its simplicity, which makes the activity mat easy and fast for the dog owner to prepare, and the high content of problems for the dog to solve, the BUSTER ActivityMat is something all dog owners will enjoy as much as their dogs.”

The BUSTER ActivityMat starter set includes the mat, a storage bag and three different tasks. Examples of tasks include envelopes with Velcro closers and pockets that are connected in different ways via ties or wooden sticks, which must be removed in order for the dog to get to the enclosed treats.

With some coaching and interaction from the owner working on the ActivityMat with the pet, dogs will soon learn how to retrieve the hidden treats. In addition to the three tasks included in the starter set there are nine optional tasks, most of which can be prepared to present dogs with three different levels of difficulty – easy, medium and advanced. Dog owners can vary the tasks to present dogs with new and fun challenges over and over and with varying levels of difficulty. Owners should always be present when dogs are playing with the ActivityMat.

“There are no stupid dogs, only impatient owners,” added Vesterholt. “It’s easy to prepare the tasks and place several on the mat at one time. Owners will then have a fun time helping their dogs learn how to find and retrieve the hidden treats. It is a great way to spend some interactive time with dogs and give them the mental stimulation that they need. Many owners will be surprised to find out just how smart their dogs really are.”

For more information about the BUSTER ActivityMat please visit the website at www.kruuse.com.