﻿ Mental and Physical Activities for Dogs on MedicineNet

Enriching Your Dog's Life



Today's Job Description: Couch Potato

Today that's all changed. Now the most common job description for dogs is Couch Potato! While we're away at work all day, they sleep. And when we come home, we serve them free food in a bowl—no effort required from them. They eat more calories than they can use. The result is dogs who are bored silly, often overweight and have too much energy. It's a perfect recipe for behavior problems.

What Does Your Dog Need?

It's not necessary to quit your job, take up duck hunting or get yourself a bunch of sheep to keep your dog out of trouble. However, we encourage you to find ways to exercise her brain and body. Read on for some fun, practical ways to enrich your dog's life, both when you're around and when you're not. You'll find that these ideas go a long way toward keeping your dog happy and easier to live with. Try out a few and see what you and your dog enjoy most.

Tips for Alone Time

Because we all lead busy lives, our dogs often end up spending a good portion of their day home alone. If you give your dog “jobs” to do when she's by herself, she'll be less likely to come up with her own ways to occupy her time, like unstuffing your couch, raiding the trash or chewing on your favorite pair of shoes. Plus, she'll be less likely to enthusiastically tackle you when you come home, after she's spent a day doing nothing but recharging her batteries!

K-9 to 5: Will Work for Food

Food puzzle toys

Food puzzle toys are sturdy containers, usually made of hard rubber or plastic, that hold food or treats inside but don't give dogs easy access to the food. They usually have holes on each end or on the sides, and dogs must work by shaking, pawing, rolling, nibbling or licking the toy to get the food to come out. Food puzzle toys require time, patience and problem-solving—all skills that are good for your dog and will help her enjoy quiet time alone. Since our dogs' wild counterparts spend much of their time scavenging for food, food puzzle toys offer a natural solution to pet-dog boredom. Puzzle toys also encourage chewing and licking, which can have a calming effect on dogs.



Hunting for dinner

You can make your dog hunt for her meals by hiding stuffed food puzzle toys or small piles of her kibble around your house. Hide one of your dog's meals right before you leave her home alone, and she'll have great fun hunting her chow while you're away. To try a variation on this activity, scatter a couple handfuls of kibble around your yard so your dog can search for the pieces in the grass. Most dogs love this game!

Chew Time


Although chewing behavior is normal, dogs sometimes chew on things we don't want them to. Giving your dog plenty of her own toys and chewies will help prevent her from gnawing on your things. However, if she's still confused and you need help teaching her what's okay to chew and what isn't, please see our article entitled Destructive Chewing.