As every dog parent knows, you are their world – and when you’re busy bringing home the bacon, they are likely to be doing little more than snoozing or waiting for your shadow to grace the doorstep.
Here are some ideas to help keep them occupied when your calendar is full, (and hopefully alleviate some of that dog owner guilt at the same time!)
Sniff and snuffle puzzles
With little crevices and cracks where food gets stuck, Lickimats are a perfect way to slow feeding down, and keep the mind, snout and mouth occupied. Dogs find licking and mouthing objects soothing, so this can help with those who are vulnerable to anxiety. A couple of Chicken Chips crumbled over it or some broken up bits of Tripe Slice will get those noses, snouts and tongues moving!
For an added challenge, we suggest rehydrating some Chicken Chips or Beef Chips and smearing/stuffing the crevices with the softer meat. To really stretch it, you can also freeze the Lickimat before serving. Filling it with dog-safe bone broth (no salt!) and freezing is another great way of keeping dogs busy with these handy puzzle feeders.
Check out your pet store too for balls and puzzle toys that can be stuffed with treats and frozen or hidden, making for an enticing and entertaining game.
Getting crafty
For the creatively inclined – or those who are tired of spending money on toys that get instantly destroyed – you can make similar treat challenges from household items, such as boxes, egg cartons and cardboard tubes. Wrap some treats in several layers of paper and or inside a carton or box and let them rip. The more layers, the longer it should take them to get down to the treat inside. Fair warning – you may come home to a bit of a mess!
Hide and seek
To make sure this one is a success, you will need to do a little training first. Make sure your dog sees you hide some treats around the room, then use the cue ‘find it!’ and let them do just that, reinforcing their behaviour whenever they find a treat. Once they have this down pat (ha!), you can hide a variety of treats around the house, giving them the cue to go hunt them out before you leave the house. It’s unlikely there will be any left un-scoffed, but just in case, freeze-dried meat treats are best for this – no blood, smell or stains to clean up!
Nature brings the classics
For something to encourage busy mouths and help with dental health, the quintessential bone, antler or pig’s ear creates a tasty and time-consuming activity. Dogs won’t be able to help chomping and chewing these to pieces to get the last morsel of goodness from them.
A peanut butter-smeared pine cone can make for an equally lip-smacking enrichment activity, as can a simple, munchable carrot for the vege-inclined pooch. On a hot day, you could offer a frozen bone, enabling you to leave licking and chewing away while you get on the road.
Micro walks > no walks
If you know your schedule is going to be crazy and a long walk is likely out of the question, scheduling in several short runs can be a sanity saviour for your hound – and for you! Even if it’s just a boost out the door before breakfast or a quick trot around the park between work and dinner, you can go out guilt-free, knowing they got some fresh air and sniffs. Fit in a long walk on the weekend and all will be forgiven!
Screen time for Snoopy?
If you have a dog that’s prone to separation anxiety, leaving the radio, a Spotify playlist, or TV playing can help. Youtube has plenty of dog specific content, with some videos lasting for four hours or more. These soothing, slow-moving videos might just help your pup to feel less lonely.
Can I bring a plus-one?
It’s worth checking whether you can bring your dog to a social event or a holiday away. Increasingly, campgrounds and accommodation providers allow for dogs as do many shops and restaurants. If you’re camping or travelling with your dog, we’ve got a great article covering easy outdoor canine care and summer safety.
If you are bringing your dog to an event that is likely to go late, take along their bed – or even just a towel so they have a space of their own – and some travel bowls for food and water. While they might have plenty of fun, just like you they are likely to need a feed and a lie-down later on.
