6 Ideas To Banish Dog Boredom - Hillrose Pet Resort

6 Ideas To Banish Dog Boredom

As pack animals originally domesticated and bred to do a specific job, today’s dogs often lack purpose and stimulation, and they crave activity and mental engagement. Without these and being left home alone while we are at work, boredom can set in, leading to destructive behaviors, anxiety, and even health problems. With this in mind, let’s take a look at some activities that will help dogs expend their excess energy (you’ve heard the phrase “a tired dog is a good dog, right?”) by engaging with them physically and mentally.

 

Why is Boredom Bad For Dogs?

As you may already know, when left alone and unstimulated, dogs can become destructive (chewing, digging), anxious (barking, pacing), and even depressed (lethargy, withdrawal). This lack of activity can also lead to obesity and compulsive behaviors. Unfortunately, dogs can’t just turn on Netflix when they have free time to chill, so to combat these behaviors, it’s essential that owners provide both physical and mental stimulation. Remember, the key is to keep things fresh and varied. By providing your furry friend with a stimulating environment, you can help prevent boredom and have a happier, healthier dog.

 

Activities With A Physical Focus

  1. Fetch – This activity is a classic for a reason. It’s running, hunting, and chasing on repeat. Most dogs appreciate a good, tiring game of fetch. Try nighttime rounds with glow-in-the-dark balls for a new challenge.
  2. Play Hide and Seek – This one is tricky to pull off because, if your dog is like ours, they are basically your shadow that follows you everywhere. However, if you can sneak off, hide behind a piece of furniture or in a closet and then make weird noises before you just flat out call for them and let them find you. Change up the hiding locations the next time to keep it fresh.

 

Activities With A Mental Focus

  1. Store-Bought Food Puzzles – These can be store-bought like a slow feeding bowl or puzzle trays with compartments, slides, flaps or doors where you hide small treats and then the dog works their way through sniffing out the rewards.
  2. Make Simple Food Puzzles – You can create puzzles right at home fairly easily by hiding small treats in empty food containers (cereal or cracker boxes, etc.) Then let your dog investigate and tear open to find the reward. Another easy food puzzle you can make involves cutting up an old towel into strips, adding them into a laundry basket and mixing in small treats for your dog to hunt and sniff out through the layers of fabric. Start small and work your way up to more challenging configurations if they get frustrated or ignore it.

 

Physical and Mental Combined

  1. Scent walk – The next time you take your dog for a walk, be sure to point out interesting or random things along the way for them to smell. Include plants, rocks, puddles, even trash, anything to engage their curious nature and get their brains working while they get physical activity, too. For added variety, switch up the route.
  2. Training sessions – By working with them to learn a new trick or command, you’ll strengthen your bond together, and they get a workout physically and mentally.

At Hillrose Pet Resort, we know that when pets are left alone, boredom can set in. That’s why our mission since opening is to provide safe and reliable care in our clean facility for your pets when you are away. We offer daycare and overnight boarding services for dogs, cats, and other small pets. Check us out for more information!