Dog Toys and Exercise: Q&A with Nigerian Animal Behaviour Consultant Nsima Mbat

This is a post I have been thinking a lot about. It involves someone who has all this energy, this innate momentum, and drive to do more for pets and animals.

So here is Nsima Mbat on the other side of my laptop screen, in his bright and spacious Life Camp home, playing with his dog, Dolly.

Nsima is a big proponent of dog toys and as the first person advising people to use it in training dogs in Nigeria, I took the chance to ask him why he prefers toys to other reinforcers.

Nsima has a drive that propelled him from being a postgrad Zoologist to a pet industry sensation (with side gigs as animal behaviour consultant and writer in between).

Why Did You Go Into Animal Behaviour?

It all began in my childhood. My father was a chief zoo keeper while, my mother was a poultry farmer. So, I was surrounded by animals as well as books about animals.

Seeing wild and companion animals in an early age was a very fascinating experience. So, when it was time to enrol in the University, I quickly went into the study of animals.

In Zoology department then, we were dealing mostly with wild animals. So when I was sixteen, I decided to buy a companion animal from a family friend. The plan was to use her for breeding. You can guess where this is going. 

By the time I was seventeen, my female dog has already given birth twice. Mom and I were overwhelmed with this. We sold some of the puppies and made some money.

Unfortunately, our happiness was short-lived because tragedy struck one Sunday as I was returning from an errand.

On that fateful day, I rode a bicycle to a neighbouring village to give some money to someone. When I returned, my dogs were so excited to meet me. I was carried away by the excitement and didn't care to look down before stepping down from the bicycle. In that process, I stepped on the tail of one of the puppies and was bitten.

I didn't take it seriously at first. In fact, I went back to school that Sunday. Getting there, I couldn't sleep. I was restless and confused. I had high fever and headache that refused to go even after taking a painkiller. I had to return home that night.That was when I was taken to the hospital to receive anti-rabies vaccine.

After the vaccination, I regained my health. I was incredibly fortunate to survive it. Even so, I knew that, to get through this alone wouldn't be enough. As it turned out, I wasn't the only one. In the very early days of my growing up, many of the people I knew were bitten by dogs and some didn't make it.

So, I decided to pay more attention to animal behaviour and how to correct them so as to avoid a reoccurrence.

What are the top 3 benefits of using dog toys while training or exercising a dog?

Trojan Drawstring

As someone who has good knowledge of dog behaviour, I've discovered that nothing is more motivationally important in dog training than play. This is where dog toys come in. They give mental stimulation that can tire your dog quicker than minutes of walk. When this happens, your dog will have less energy to chew, bark, bite, or indulge in other destructive behaviours. Instead, he will be more relaxed and happy since play is a rewarding experience that counteracts the effects of stress.

Dog toys also enhance the ability of your dog to learn and develop new skills. This is particularly important during dog training since you will want your dog to learn and master new skills as fast as possible.

Just as dog toys can prevent destructive behaviour, it can also help in building a positive relationship between you and your dog. This is because as you give your dog the toys, he will be associating you with fun and excitement.

How do you prevent burnout during dog training?

I set a timer and stick to the plan. This always help me to achieve the whole package and not just the easy part of the training.

Most of my training borders on positive reinforcement, so the freedom and welfare of my client's dogs is always a priority. So, I ensure that the dog I'm training is able to rest properly in between exercises.

What do you do during dog training?

Since most of my dog training sessions involve positive reinforcement, I usually reward good behaviour using dog toys. I prefer dog toys because they help in exercising dogs. 

Some people prefer treats, food and other forms of reward. But it's better to choose what works for you.

What do you do with your dog toys when you want to train bigger and older dogs?

Trojan Giggle 

You can use your dog toy! Trojan toys are made with durable materials that are safe for your dog. 

They can be used indoors or outdoors by dogs of different ages, sizes, and breeds.

Trojan toys are the only interactive dog toys that help in keeping your dog fit and healthy while at the same time encouraging good behaviour.

What do you do with your dog toys if you want to play in water?

Trojan toys are airtight and water resistant because they are made from durable and flexible phthalate-free vinyl materials which is safe for pets.

So, you can use it to play with your dog inside water, rain or snow.

Where can people learn more about dog training?

If you feel like teaching your pet something new, maybe your pet isn't obeying simple commands, or you're finding yourself with animals having behaviour problems, enrol in my training courses.

My course offer 100% force-free solution that tackle the root cause of your pet's behaviour problems using cutting-edge pet training science techniques

I would love to connect with you and teach you how to train your pets or correct problem behaviours.

The best way to start the process is to learn more about the training course. 

I'm looking forward to connecting with you!