You may be finding yourself home with your pets more these days, and while your furry friends likely love this new way of life, they may be making it difficult to get much done! Your dog may be so excited to have you home that they’re constantly bugging you for attention or trying to get you to play with them. If you’ve got a pestering pooch, try some of these tips to keep your dog happy, busy, and out of your hair- so you can get to work.
Feed Meals with Puzzle Toys
Tossing your dog’s regular meals into a puzzle toy doesn’t take much more time than prepping in a bowl, and it’s a great way to build in some brain exercise every day for your dog and keep them busy for a little bit. There are many commercially available puzzle toys and bowls that are great for meal feeding. The key is to purchase a few and rotate them, as novelty is important for mental stimulation.
Check out and purchase from our selection of food dispensing toys, puzzle toys, and fun feeders here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/dog-toys-food-puzzle/
Kongs are a Dog’s Best Friend
A Kong (or several) is a must have for every dog owner! The Kong is a re-usable, stuffable food toy. You can fill them with everything from plain kibble, to pre-made Kong filler spray, to raw or freeze-dried raw food, to treats like yogurt and peanut butter.
The Kong is hollow and bee-hive shaped, so it takes your dog time to work through the filling, and is made from durable hard rubber.
You can definitely use Kong stuffing for your regular meals, starting with plain kibble and increasing the difficulty by adding in soft food, and then freezing.
Check out and purchase from our selection of Kongs here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/dog-toys-food-puzzle/
Check out and purchase from our selection of dog treats here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/23-dog-treats/
Check out and purchase from our selection of canned food here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/19-dog-food-wet/
Check out and purchase from our selection of freeze-dried dog food here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/90-dog-food-freeze-dried/
Dogs Gotta Chew!
One thing is for sure that dogs love to chew! Chew toys and treats can be a great way to stimulate your dog and keep them occupied.
Each dog has preferences for what they prefer, and some dogs are harder chewers than others. I’ve organized some suggestions for everything from the ultra heavy duty chewers that blaze through a bully stick in 5 seconds, to the dainty chewers that savour their treats.
Check out and purchase from our selection of dog chews here: https://bnrbc.ca/product-category/74-dog-products/82-dog-chews-and-bones/
Extra Heavy Chewers
moderate/hard chewers and extra-heavy chewers. Healthy edibles are better suited for moderate chewers.
as well as dried, stuffed or raw bones.
Heavy Chewers
heavyweight or supreme bully sticks and bully braids.
Moderate Chewer
Light Chewers
Other Ideas
You may also try some simple training to burn off some energy. Mental stimulation is just as important to tire a dog out as physical. Practice basic obedience or tricks to tire your dog out. Finding in person training classes may be an impossible feat right now, but many businesses (including ours) are offering online classes and lessons. E-mail us if you’re interested in online training options!
Dog daycare may or may not be operating in your area right now, but play time with buddies is a great options if daycare is available for you or dog hiking services.
I hope these tips and tricks help you to keep your dog from driving you crazy! Hopefully things get back to normal sooner rather than later, but even when that is the case these can still be helpful ideas to keep your dog happy and stimulated.