Preventing boredom at home
By Scotty Valadao – Canine Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA™); TTouch Practitioner
www.fods.co.za
By Scotty Valadao – Canine Behaviour Consultant (ABC of SA™); TTouch Practitioner
www.fods.co.za
A large majority of behaviour problems come about out of sheer boredom and frustration, and just supplying your dog with some things to do while you are out, can go a long way to reducing behaviour concerns and keep your dog happily stimulated. What is crucial is to ensure that the activities you supply are safe and that in the case of any chew toys, they are of high quality and are checked daily for wear and tear to prevent accidental chewing off pieces and swallowing same.
Bearing in mind that our dogs spend a good amount of time alone at home when we are at work, you will realize how important it is to give them things to do to keep them busy and one of the most important things we can do for them is to give them things to chew. Toys such as ropes, ball, stuffy toys etc can only really provide entertainment when somebody is throwing the ball, pulling the rope and so forth – apart from these times, toys such as these really do not give a dog the stimulation it needs.
What goes without saying is that the stuffed chew toys are in addition to daily walks. Remembering that the average dog has a sense of smell which is over 45 times stronger than ours, the daily walk is as necessary to them as air to breathe. Dogs do not have the facility to go to the shops, watch TV, go to a movie etc – all they really have to stimulate their need for scenting is walks – so even if only 15 minutes a day of a nice smelling walk, do make sure they receive it – one of the main ways to guarantee a happy, relaxed dog.
Dogs chew naturally and not only does this give them something rewarding to do, it keeps them busy and chewing helps a dog to destress – think of a dog with separation anxiety – it will chew and destroy as the chewing action makes it feel better. Some ideas:-
Bearing in mind that our dogs spend a good amount of time alone at home when we are at work, you will realize how important it is to give them things to do to keep them busy and one of the most important things we can do for them is to give them things to chew. Toys such as ropes, ball, stuffy toys etc can only really provide entertainment when somebody is throwing the ball, pulling the rope and so forth – apart from these times, toys such as these really do not give a dog the stimulation it needs.
What goes without saying is that the stuffed chew toys are in addition to daily walks. Remembering that the average dog has a sense of smell which is over 45 times stronger than ours, the daily walk is as necessary to them as air to breathe. Dogs do not have the facility to go to the shops, watch TV, go to a movie etc – all they really have to stimulate their need for scenting is walks – so even if only 15 minutes a day of a nice smelling walk, do make sure they receive it – one of the main ways to guarantee a happy, relaxed dog.
Dogs chew naturally and not only does this give them something rewarding to do, it keeps them busy and chewing helps a dog to destress – think of a dog with separation anxiety – it will chew and destroy as the chewing action makes it feel better. Some ideas:-
- First choice are toys such as Busy Buddies and Kong’s. The reason for this is that they can be stuffed daily with different things (see recipes below) and are the safest for dogs to chew on. It is recommended that these are checked daily for wear and tear. There are umpteen more recipes on the internet as well as You Tube videos showing you how to stuff them and get a dog started with them. http://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/50-ways-with-a-kong.html
- The dogs get these special chew toys ONLY when you are out. This also helps the dog to associate that ‘good’ things happen when their owner is out which in turn may help to prevent separation anxiety.
- If you have a growing pup that is on 3 meals a day and you will be out at one of the meals, the kibble can be softened with some water and stuffed into the Busy Buddy or Kong. Actually I totally agree with Dr. Ian Dunbar’s method of feeding the majority of a pups daily allowance in this manner – teaching the pup to keep itself quiet and busy, lowers stress, helps with teething and supplies ‘legal’ chew toys.
- The chew toys should be taken away when you come home and rotated daily to avoid boredom. Once the dog is used to them, they can be frozen – instant Konsicles and the coolness helps the dog to keep cool and brilliant for pups that are teething.
- If you have an area that has tiles then take a hardy plastic contained which is circular in design (or even use a metal one which is less likely to be chewed) and place this on the tiles with some kibble underneath. Your dog will have great fun pushing this along the tiles to get to the treats below – you can do more than one of these.
- Fill a small plastic container about ¾ full with boiling water to which you can add about a ½ teaspoon of Bovril, Marmite or similar and then freeze same. Once frozen this can be offered to the dog on the grass outside. These can be made in different sizes and contain as many treats as you like. I have one client that uses a really large container for this and in addition to kibble and pieces of biltong, Beeno biscuits, freezes the dogs Kong as well and similar to the picture above. Do bear in mind that ice can cut tender mouths so there is always a risk involved.
- Treat dispensing Toys – you can buy readymade variations of above at vet shops, pet shops etc – just ensure that the material is of a good quality and my favourite is the Busy Buddy range.
- Scenting – it is very easy to teach your dog to follow a simple scent trail saying ‘findies’ or similar. As the dog becomes proficient in this (and on average it does not take long) start to make the trail harder and you will eventually be able to hide treats all over the garden which will keep your dog happily doing what it does in nature – scenting and scavenging for food.
- Swng/Pull Toys – by hanging a rope and small tyre from a tree or making a bracket against the wall of your house, you can keep your dog happily playing at ‘pullies’ while alone in the garden when you eventually leave them there – this should hang at about the same level as the dogs mouth, or slightly higher – see what is best for your dog and just because small breed does not mean they do not like it – you will just use appropriate toys such as a soft toy or rope. You will have to get involved initially to show your dog what to do and then you can leave alone to play. Rather buy the tyres that are sold in Pet and Vet shops as apart from Hot Rod/ Drag tyres, the majority of tyres contain metal. You should also check this on a daily basis for wear and tear.
- Digging Pit – these can provide hours of entertainment but do remember do need to be restocked daily. http://www.friendsofthedog.co.za/digging-problems.html
- Even consider the services of people that will walk your dog for you – just remember to do your homework and make sure that the person has the knowledge and experience required to do this and that they are recommended and a trial session with them before you commit.
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