Ideas to Help Relieve Boredom For Home Alone Dogs
You can’t make every minute in your dog’s life exciting, but making a plan to address home-alone time can help keep your dog’s boredom at bay, relieve your guilt and keep your house in one piece! When a dog becomes bored is most likely the time when they will get into mischief, so by giving your dog things to keep them stimulated will help reduce the likelihood of mischief making while you’re away.
- Get a durable hollow toy such as a Kong. Mix your dog’s dry food or biscuits with peanut butter, cream cheese or mashed bananas and stuff the toy with the mixture. Give it to your dog when you leave the house. During the summer, try stuffing them and then freezing them. This is a great way to keep them busy but with a built-in reward at the end!
- To appeal to your dogs’ natural instinct to chew give them hide chews or durable chew toys. Be sure the toy or chew stick is the appropriate size for your dog. If it’s small enough to fit entirely in his mouth, it’s too small for the dog.
- Before you leave the house, hide food-stuffed toys and treats throughout the area of the house your dog will be in while you’re gone. Help him find the first couple to start the game until he gets the hang of it.
- When you are not there leave the radio on for some background noise. The sound will be comforting and may provide the added bonus of masking outdoor noises that may cause an alarm and set the dog off barking.
- Ask a friend or neighbour who the dog is used to, if they can pop by for a surprise visit during the day. Your dog will be pleased to see them and might even get a walk out of it.Best of luck with your Boredom Busting!
