Boredom and ways to combat it
Most negative behavior in dogs is not disobedience it is boredom. We’ve experienced this with Dillon. Anytime he ‘plays’ up you can be sure almost 90% it’s out of boredom. So, what can you do to relieve boredom in dogs?
- Toys: You do have to be careful with too many toys as these can lead to bad behavior in themselves with dogs seeing everything as theirs and creating dominance issues. A few toys that are suitable though are a good thing. We use a kong and some 3 rings linked together. Toys such as kongs can have paste added into them to keep the doggy brain interested as they get the tasty paste out.
- Exercise: It may seem logical but one of the biggest causes of bad behavior is not enough exercise.
- Chews: Providing a dog with a healthy chew can both help their teeth and keep their brains active. If you do give a chew though count it as food and give less in their meals that day.
- Fuss: Dogs need attention. Whilst just like a child you can’t let them demand attention, you have to make sure they get enough. To a dog remember any attention is good attention - this can even mean them doing something wrong and then getting told off. Well they did get your attention.
Often we forget that dogs have brains and need to just like us have things to do. If you do remember though you can quickly reduce the bad behavior and also have a happier dog.