October 5, 2020
It’s hard to keep your dog entertained - and they need it! It's even harder when it's raining or too hot outside for a walk. A bored dog is a problem dog. When you enrich your dog’s life with interesting games, obstacles, and other activities, you’ll get a happy dog who is deeply bonded with you. And you’ll have a great time too!
You can keep your dog happy and healthy from inside your house, without spending any money on expensive toys or other products, and in this article, we’ll show you how. No special equipment required, just you, the dog, and a few common household items. Let’s jump in!
Providing the right stimulation for your dog is more than just buying the right toys - it’s about using your dog’s intelligence so that he or she learns new things.
Let’s start by training a new dog trick.
We’re going to teach our puppy/dog a new trick - going “around” things. You might have seen this move watching dog agility competitions on TV or YouTube. The dogs use it to go around the ‘wing’ of a jump (the lattice part on the side of a jump).
You ask the dog to go ‘around’ something, and they do, just like Vegas is doing in the picture here.
It’s pretty easy to get started with “around.” You will need something for your dog to go around. Try: a chair, waste bucket, rolled up yoga mat, and/or a basket. Put a treat in front of your dog’s nose and lure them around it, like you’re stirring a pot
Now we’re going to ditch the treats, and train the dog to do it when we give a hand signal. We’re going to do that by giving them a hand signal before you lure them around the obstacle with your treats.
Here’s the hand signal. You use the hand that is close to the dog and point towards the obstacle.
We want your dog to put these two steps together, so that when you do the hand signal they start to go around the obstacle (because they remember a treat is coming). Give it a bunch of tries.
Are they getting it? Don’t worry if your dog doesn’t understand the game on the first try, or even the first day - they’ll still love playing with you as long as you keep it fun. If they get frustrated, go back to just using the lure and try the hand signal/ lure combination again tomorrow.
As you practice, you’ll see the dog going towards the obstacle before you use the treat. That’s great. Use the luring less and less, and give the dog the treat as it comes back to you. Eventually, you can start to move further and further away from the obstacle until your dog has a true understanding of going around something!
Why teach your dog to go ‘around’ an obstacle? There are so many reasons! You may want to teach an agility maneuver because dog sports are cool! You may have a herding breed and these dogs are bred to circle sheep or cattle. Teaching them to go around something could provide practice for an instinctual circling behaviour. Around can also be used in a game of fetch in a small space (like a yard). Have your dog go around a pole or tree and then throw the ball!
Tricks aren’t the only way to entertain your bored dog. You can also use diy equipment to activate your dog’s primal drives.
This DIY dog toy destroys doggy boredom wherever it finds it. And it’s SO EASY. It’s called a flirt pole. It's just like a cat toy, but bigger, for dogs!
Instructions: Find a short stick (1-2 feet) and a piece of rope that is the same length. Duct tape the rope to the stick and tie a dog toy to the end of it. Make the dog toy jerk around like it's a little critter. Your dog will love this!
There’s so many benefits to a flirt pole. Dogs who don’t like toys will often play with one attached to a flirt pole. Chasing can be very natural for dogs and make them feel excited and fierce! And it’s hilarious and fun.
You don’t need a DIY dog toy to entertain your dog. You can also play a classic game of hide-and-seek.
A dog that is playing hide-and-seek is using their nose and doing a lot of sniffing. This is great for the dog! Sniffing calms dogs down, and lets them use their dominant sense. The sniffing is kind of like deep breathing for humans and helps them regulate their feelings. It should take about 4 rounds to tire your dog out.
It’s easy to play hide-and-seek. Ask your dog to sit and stay, and then go hide. If they’re not interested in finding you, take a treat with you (and make sure they know it). Make your hiding spot easy to start. Call them to come and praise them for finding you! As they get better, you can find trickier hiding spots for yourself.
Here’s a great variation - dog treat scavenger hunt. Pick a room and place food treats around it. Ask your dog to hold a sit-stay at the edge of the room and then tell them to “find it”. It's ok if they watch you lay the treats out!
It’s fun to watch your dog’s nose in action. Watch for the following interesting behaviours: a sudden change of direction, sweeping their nose back and forth looking for a trail of scent, or sniffing the floor where a treat is placed above it (scent falls down like a waterfall!). If you see those you know your dog is hunting for their treats and being entertained.
Use these ideas to make sure your dog is happy and healthy, entertained when they’re bored, and able to play a ton of fun and easy games.
Sarah Giammarino is a Vancouver based dog trainer and the author and host of Dog Agility From Home - an online course for bright, energetic dogs and their owners. She loves helping people develop strong relationships with their family dogs, and teaching them dog sports like Agility, Rally-Obedience, Urban Agility, and more.
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Need help or have a question? Message sarah@dogagilityfromhome.com
