Do you ever feel bored? I am sure at some stage in your life you have been bored and wondered what you needed to do to make your life more interesting. So, how do you know if your dog is bored?
Your dog will start making up his or her mind about what to do next if we, as their carers, do not stimulate them each day. They will start digging, chewing, whining, barking, or even bashing at your outside door to get attention.
Would You Like to Continue Your Dog’s Education?
For My Series on Further Dog Training Use This Link
It breaks my heart when a dog is purchased to be a member of a household, is brought home, and then dumped in the backyard to entertain itself. This should not happen; dogs are pack animals and need company and stimulation the same as we do.
So, what do we need to do about this issue? We need to offer our dogs company, good food, plenty of exercise and stimulation.
Whilst, for many reasons, I may not be able to take my dogs for a walk each day, they enjoy my company, they enjoy games with me, they love a friendly pat and attention, and they love a routine.
We are lost, aren’t we, if we do not have a daily or weekly routine? We are, whether you like to admit it or not, committed to a daily routine. We know what is happening next in most of our daily walk, we have a time to keep aside to for various activities, and especially our working hours.
We all mainly eat three meals a day, and we know when we are hungry which is usually at roughly at the same time each day. We are mostly creatures of habit as we feel more secure that way.
It is my guess that you do know how to answer the question “How do you know if your dog is bored?”
Has your dog been digging up your favourite plant, has your dog been chewing your outside furniture just for starters?
Yes, puppies do this whilst they are learning what is expected of them and what is not accepted of them. This is how they learn! If they do not understand what off limits is and what is permitted in your household they will make up their minds to fill in their time. This is where we come in!
We take them to training sessions, we take them for walks, and we allow them to sniff whilst out on these walks as sniffing is very relaxing to your dog and they learn a lot from the environment this way. In fact, sniffing can be very calming.
We show them when in our home that they have a special place to lie down when visitors are being welcomed, or when we are asking them to be quiet when we may be spending time with other members of our family. A crate, bed, or mat can be a special place to go to in these times. This way they know that after a time, their turn will come for you to connect back with them again.
You can also learn how to teach your dog some tricks, simply make a game of this. My dogs love learning new things as this is a special time with me.
My dogs learn right from puppies the basic exercises such as ‘sit’, ‘drop or down’, ‘stand’, or ‘recall’ cues. They need jobs to do, just like we do. The learning may take a while, but this is how to keep your dog or puppy occupied. If we do not have a job to do, what happens? We become disinterested and bored, and it becomes an effort to even attempt something new, as our brains, have gone to sleep.
When we are learning new things, we become energised and become welcome companions as we have different or new subjects to talk about with other people. Otherwise, people do not want to spend time with us, when we have nothing to contribute in the conversation. Boring!!
How do you know if your dog is bored? It’s easy, they look for things to destroy, they scratch at you, they whine, they bark, they chew. If these issues are happening with your dog, it is time for you to start engaging with your dog daily, and believe me, every effort you make to offer your dog training sessions, outings, plus your company will strengthen a fantastic bond that you will enjoy with your dog that is so amazing and worth aiming for.
Would You Like to Continue Your Dog’s Education?
For My Series on Further Dog Training Use This Link
Until next time…
With Love, Success and Inspiration,
Robin Oliver
www.robinoliveronline.com/blog
