Stop Your Dog’s Boredom In Its Tracks
Ever get home only to find your dog had destroyed some of your prized possessions, maybe chewed up a favorite item of clothing? This may well be a scenario that you have faced or wish to avoid in the future. One possible reason for this kind of behavior is separation anxiety, especially when a dog has been left alone for a long period. However, it might just be that the reason is simply that your dog is bored.
Dog are social animals just like we are and need company and stimulation. It shouldn’t, therefore, surprise you that your dog may get bored if left all alone for a lengthy period of time. There are many ways in which your dog may try to relieve his boredom such as barking constantly, digging up your flowerbeds, chewing up the furniture and so on.
Four hours is the maximum time that any dog should be left alone for. If because of your life circumstances or job, you can’t avoid leaving your dog alone for long periods, here are some tips:
• Consider hiring someone to take your dog for walks. If you don’t want or can’t afford to hire a professional dog walker, you could ask a friend, relative or neighbour to do it. Walks are a great activity for dogs. They stimulate him with all the fascinating sights and smells. It’s fantastic exercise too
• It can be lonely if you’re a puppy on your own just as being an only child can be lonely. It may be worth thinking about having another dog as a companion.
• If your dog has a tendency to dig, then why not give him a specific digging pit in your yard or garden. You can make it more interesting by burying treats in it. It could help relieve boredom. You could make a dog sandpit where he can dig as much as he wants without destroying your lawn. At the beginning it is vital to build up a positive association with the pit so that he wants to spend time there as opposed to in your flowerbed. You can do this by putting treats in the pit, luring him into it often.
• You should have a variety of toys and chews for your dog and rotate them to keep up his interest. Dispensing toys that contain treats are particularly useful since they have a high fascination for a dog. Also, make sure that you keep anything you do not want chewed out of reachI.
• You could give your puppy or dog the task of finding treats which you have hidden around the house. You need to strike a balance between the treats being easy to find and providing a bit of a challenge. In old socks, under an upside down bowl - these are examples of hiding places.
I hope you find these recommendations helpful in dealing with boredom in dogs. Obviously when you are with your dog, make sure that you take him out for regular walks and play games with him. Doing obedience training with your dog is an excellent way to keep up his interest levels also.
Read more about separation anxiety in puppies and dogs and about emotions in dogs.
Related Articles
- House Training Your Dog Training your dog to be house broken is something that you must face. It can be a tough start for both owner and dog at the start of their new relationship. Using the dogs own natural instincts is the best
- Dog Barking Case Study Teacup, a two-year-old mixed breed dog, keeps barking whenever her owner Tom is away at work. Tom recently transferred into a new house with a spacious fenced-in backyard. At this time, as Teacup would normally do while Tom is
- When Is A Wide Leather Dog Collar Right For Your Dog? All dogs need a dog collar because it's usually required by law. You might like the look of wide leather dog collars. But is this the right kind of collar for your dog? You need to take in mind your
- Wooden Train Tracks - Everybody Loves Toy Trains Everybody loves and knows what a train is. Parents teach the train to their kids at an early age even showing them pictures of trains there is. Kids, on the other hand, would say choo-choo train when they see it.
- Your Dogs Diet Should You Avoid Table Scraps? A dogs diet should not contain any table scraps. A dogs nutritional needs are not the same as a ours. Yes we eat some of the same things, but feeding your pet table scraps is one of the biggest mistakes
- Leash or Collar Dog Training To make sure your dog is a loyal faithful dog, you can use many ways of training him. All dog training methods are to work towards getting respect from the dog for the owner. The goal is in building this
Comments
Leave a Reply