how to keep your dog busy

Best ways to keep your dog busy 

Most breeds of dogs were developed to perform specific jobs for people, such as guarding, herding, or hunting; work that demands physical stamina and mental concentration. When we choose to open our home to a dog, it becomes our responsibility to meet the behavioural needs of that dog by providing appropriateoutlets for his physical and mental energy.“No Pain, No Gain”A tired dog is generally a good dog! Dogs need physical exercise. The average dog benefits from a minimum of two outings per day. If left to their own devices, dogs tend to be most active morning and evening, choosing to sleep mid-day. Off-leash exercise is best, provided the dog is trained not to run away or get into other forms of trouble. Being off leash allows the dog to monitor his own exercise– he can run when he feels like it and rest when he needs it. This is especially criticalfor puppies because their growth plates have not yet closed and too much exercisecan result in orthopedic problems that plague the dog the rest of his life.The most extensive exercise should be in the morning, after a good night’s sleep. If you wait until the evening, you’ve forced the dog to remain sedentary all night AND all day, which is a lot to ask. This is particularly true if you plan to leave the dog alone all day. A moderately sized dog, from a terrier to a retriever, should be out for 45-60 minutes in the morning and at least 30-45 minutes in the evening.Strenuous aerobic exercise is best for healthy, physically sound dogs. If your doghas been a couch potato, check with your veterinarian before embarking on an exercise program with your dog. Off leash running and play with other dogs permits your dog physical exertion and social contact with others of his species. If you plan to frequent city dog runs, your dog should have impeccable manners with other dogs and with people. Mature dogs don’t always like the close confinement of a dog run and are more likely to behave aggressively, especially if there are rambunctious young dogs present.Even dogs with orthopedic problems need managed exercise to keep the muscles strong so they can support weak bones and joints. Swimming is great exercise for any dog but is especially beneficial for unsound dogs, like those with hip dysplasia.Owners with high-energy dogs can enjoy including their dogs in their own exercise programs, such as running, roller blading, or cycling. Sustained running like this is a wonderful way to expend excess energy and keep a dog fit but, just like people, it is crucial to build up your dog’s stamina for distance. Make sure you give your dog an opportunity to urinate and defecate before you get going, especially if you exercise them on lead. Keep in mind that dogs don’tcool themselves as efficiently as people – they pant rather than perspire. If you require your dog run to keep up with you, make sure he has frequent opportunities to immerse in water. This allows for rapid cooling.Every morning, my dogs run while I ride mybike. I ride on a bike trail that runs alongside a stream so every few minutes, the dogs take a quick dip. When it’s really hot, they even dunk their heads under the water! As long as they can keep wet, my dogs are able to run for several miles, evenin summer heat waves.Training a dog to run alongside you while you roller blade or cycle can be a bit of a challenge, especially if your dog likes to chase bunnies or squirrels. Your dog mustbe taught that it is unacceptable to chase animals while exercising with you. Some dogs can learn this on just a regular collar, while others need to wear a training collar, such as a choke or pinch collar, to ensure everyone’s safety. There are attachments for bicycles to prevent the dog from knocking the bike over. A solid-leash device, called the Springer, is attached to the bike frame and the dog is connected tothe bar. These are available from some petstores and through pet supply websites.For those owners averse to physical exercise themselves, fetch games are great but take care if your dog likes to catch air going after a Frisbee or ball. Theyoften land hard and, if it happens enough, this can cause long-term damage to bonesand joints. Another option is the doggy treadmills. For a few thousand dollars you can have the latest in dog exercise equipment! From what I hear, if trained properly, dogs love to run on treadmills. I’ve also heard of owners training their dogs to run on their own treadmills designed for humans. Often these treadmills have been collecting dust in the basement for years.“Will Work for Food”They say that if people don’t use their brains, cells begin to deteriorate. I have no reason to assume that dogs are any different. Dogs love to solve problems, especially ones that involve food.Food toys are a great way to enrich your dog’s world. All animals enjoy spending time and effort obtaining food. In fact, it has been shown that, if given a choice between free food and food that requires work, such as searching or manipulating an object, animals prefer to work for their food. For instance, squirrels would rather be given peanuts in the shell than ones already shelled. So rather than give your dog his food in a bowl, for free, give him a puzzle to solve. Offer the dog his dinner in a Kong, a Goodie Ship, or a Buster Cube (see below for detailed instructions). Hide small containers of food around the houseand release him to go find them. Take his bowl of food and toss the kibble into the backyard so he has to snuffle around in the grass to find the small pieces of kibble.Training is another excellent way to stimulate a dog’s brain. In general dogs love to learn and even old dogs can learn new tricks. You can practice basic obedience manners, teach parlor tricks, or set up a few obstacles in your backyard soyour dog can demonstrate his agility. Short sessions of 5-10 minutes once or twice a day is best. Keep it light and fun forthe dog (and for you!) by using food, play, and plenty of praise and enthusiasm.If you want more formalized stimulation, try agility or flyball training. The sport of agility involves teaching the dog to jump, climb, and weave through various obstacles. Most dogs love to use their bodies and they love to “play” with their owners, so agility is especially popular among dogs. A well-trained agility dog responds to various commands, including turning right, left, going ahead, flipping behind, sit, down and stay. Flyball is a relay race between teams of dogs – one ata time, dogs on a team will race over a set of low jumps to a special box that, when triggered by the dog, releases a tennis ball at top speed. The dog catches the ball andreturns over the jumps to the owner. The first team with all four dogs across the finish line, each with a ball, wins! Flyball is a very noisy activity because most dogs tend to cheer their teammates on with frantic barking. Serious flyball competitors are pretty noisy as well and tend to resemble hockey moms or soccer dads!