Keep your dog busy whilst you’re at work

Most of us lead very busy lives with jobs, children and other commitments, resulting in our dogs often spending a good portion of the day home alone.

A lonely, bored dog will find a way to occupy his/her time that can be destructive and being left alone with nothing to do can lead to anxiety and stress.

Here are three tips for keeping your dog entertained and preventing boredom and destructive behaviour while you’re at work:

1. Stimulate your dogs natural instincts to seek and forage for some of their food. Buy a treat stuffable toy such as a Kong and smear it inside with something like peanut butter, yoghurt or roasted sweet potato for them to lick. Dogs use licking to release endorphins that make them feel good.

2. Subscribe to Dog TV. Dog TV is a unique streaming service for dogs, scientifically designed to alleviate stress and anxiety throughout the day.

3. Create puzzles for them to solve. Recycle things like egg cartons and toilet roles and stuff them with a percentage of their daily intake of kibble, along with the odd treat. Again, randomly place them in the house for your dog to sniff out and work out how to open it up and get to the food.

A tired brain is a happy brain! I can create a tailored weekly enrichment plan that is age appropriate for your puppy or dog, so send me a message or call (details in bio) if you want to book a consultation.