Keeping Your Dog Busy

What are things you do to keep your dog busy and occupied so she doesn't whine or pace back and forth? My dog is always on the move. She will walk back and forth in the living room while we are trying to watch a movie and it is quite annoying. I will buy her a meat bone at the local meat market or fill one of those hollow bones with peanut butter for her. It seems to keep her laying down and busy for a while at least.

 

I don't have any dogs that pace up and down like that. Maybe it's because I take my dogs for runs every day. So when they are at home, they just take it easy and just kind of lounge around.

 

I also do not experienced a dog which is very hyper all the time or always moving. They got hyper when it is feeding time, when someone got home and it is play time.

 

She doesn't really pace around, but some days she seems to be itching to get into trouble. I have several ways to occupy her.

1. I have three different treat balls that she can play with. When she really needs to work off energy, I put a treat that is too big in the smallest ball. She works for several minutes trying to get it out.

2. I have another treat ball that you stuff a soft treat into. This I call the puppy pacifier. She has to lick all of it out. It is a great way to burn off nervous energy.

3. She gets a walk every day, sometimes two, depending on how I feel. Like Victor, I find that if she gets her daily walk, she isn't restless. She is pretty relaxed.

4. If she is really being a pain or it's a raining day and I can't take her for her walk, we play hide and seek. I hide pieces of her dog food throughout the house. She must find them. She loves this game.

Hope these ideas help!

 

It would help that they have a playmate (another dog) or a toy to keep them occupied. Maybe have them play on the yard while you do things inside the house. Anyway, I think dogs once ignored in a sense that you make it clear to them that, “No, it’s not playtime anymore” they will keep it cool or lounge on the floor and watch with you and have it their way outside with peers.

 

Idea Number 4 wouldn't work with Benjamas, my Poodle. If I were to hide pieces of food all over the house and let her look for them, she will end up finding more food than I have hidden. Did I mention that Benjamas can climb shelves?

 

From time to time I buy Homer small toys made of bones. It's not easy to chew them, so they keep him busy for a long time Also, he really loves them, whenever he notices that I bought him one, he starts to jump up and down

 

Do you live in a centrally heated house. It mat well be that the dog is uncomfortably hot. If you have a cooler room, kitchen for instance when it's not being used, leave the door open so the dog can lay there but still see or hear you. If you have a door with a draft from outside it may lay there if that's what is causing the problem.

 

This is very true. I often see Homer lying in the coldest room in the house, even when in my opinion it's not too hot. I guess dogs prefer lower temperatures, especially when they have long hair.

 

I walk my dog twice a day, one in the morning and one late in the afternoon. That usually drains her energy enough so that she just relaxes most of the day. Sometimes if she still feels restless I brush her fur. My dog is a chow and is very hairy. When I brush her it calms her and she ends up taking a nap.

 

It must be so convenient when a dog calms down while being brushed! my little cutie always bites my hands and tries to run away. Or he plays with the brush and tries to catch it if he is in a good mood

 

Hi Dash! The behaviour you described sounds like the one of a really bored dog! If it's a big dog, then surely sounds like this big dog needs a lot exercise Most dogs need to exercise daily, at least a 30 minute long walk every day! I'm sure it'd not only benefit the dog, but also you! Walking is a great exercise, because it promotes circulation, and you burn calories without harming your knees. I really think you should take that dog for a walk every single day, I bet she will spend more time lying down after that.

 

This is so true. My father often walks Homer (because he is Homer's favorite family member), and I see that it's really good for him, he looks younger and healthier. In the past, he used to live a sedentary lifestyle. Homer changed it

 

Nice! For how long does he take homer for walks? Is it almost daily? Yorkies are very small and need very little exercise, just like a puggie I only walk mine 3 times a week for 20 minutes max, if I do it longer my puggie will resist it But my schnauzer... she needs to get exercise every single day

 

We walk Homer four times a day. The length of a walk depends on Homer's mood Usually, it doesn't take more than 20 minutes. When I walk him, he sometimes wants to come home after 6 or 7 minutes. When my father walks him, it may be much longer though, because they both really enjoy walking together

 

Aww! Some dogs really have their favorite person in the house, in my case it was my mom. My mini schnauzer loved spending time close to my mom, directly or indirectly. Even when we let him outside... he'd just go and lie down close to her door That kind of things are really adorable! I think both of my dogs see me as their favorite person now, but this is something we can't control.

 

To be honest, I'm not sure if I'd want to be Homer's favorite person Of course I love him dearly and I love when he is around, but he can be pretty annoying sometimes. For example, he always insists on lying on my father's lap and when my father wants to get up, he bites him Also, my father can't go anywhere alone, because Homer follows him

 

Wow He seems to be a really possesive little doggie My granma's was my mom's puddle favorite person, she was very possesive in the sense she didn't like to have anyone else getting close to my granma or touching her whenever she was lying on her lap. She barked at us if we tried to get closer, lol! Even tho she knew us well!

 

Lol, I think that it's pretty adorable when small dogs are possessive. On the other hand, Homer sometimes doesn't let me hug my boyfriend (he is Homer's second favorite) and I can't say that I like it
But of course even when Homer bites me, he always does it very delicately, like he was only pretending to be so angry