Is your dog bored? Make her happy with one of these 6 games!

Worried that your dog is bored? Dogs are very energetic creatures with a great desire to play and socialize. When they do nothing for too long, they get bored, and a bored dog is miserable. Understanding that your pet is bored is an important part of taking care of her, and playing with your dog is a great way to stir her up.

Create an enriched environment

It is very important to keep animals mentally active: zoos understand best how essential this is. Creating a mentally stimulating environment is called “enrichment” in zoos, and dogs also need such an enriched environment.

The Smithsonian Biodiversity Conservation Institution states: “Enrichment includes creating enclosures with a mentally stimulating environment close to nature, placing appropriate social groups in zoos, and introducing objects, sounds, smells, or other stimuli into the animal’s environment. Environmental enrichment is just as important to the welfare of zoo animals as nutrition and veterinary care. At the National Zoo, enrichment is an integral part of the daily care of our animals.”

Do you stimulate your dog? How about adding variety to your games? Even active pets can get bored if their activities become too familiar. Here are five signs your dog is bored and a list of games you can play to get him excited.

Signs of a bored dog and games to keep her from getting bored

More barks

If you notice that your pet is barking more than usual, there is a good chance that she is bored. Barking for no reason is one way a dog tries to get its owner’s attention, even if it doesn’t look like it’s barking at you. Consider that she is naughty, just in a lighter version.

Training is a great way to play with your pet. You may think that your dog will not like training, but it is not. These animals love when they have something to do, when they have a task to complete. Give your dog mini-missions. First, teach her the “stand” command. Then, when she is in a standing position, throw the toy and let it land. After waiting a bit, then command her to take the ball). Once she gets to the toy, ask her to return it to you. Do this over and over again and your bored dog will suddenly become… a sleepy dog.

More gnaws

Bored dogs tend to engage in destructive behavior. If your once angelic puppy chews on the couch or shoes or anything, it’s time to take action to stop this behavior before it becomes a regular problem.

Tug of war is a great game to play with a dog that likes to keep something in its mouth. However, before playing any games that involve chewing or chewing, be sure to teach your dog what he can and cannot eat.

Also, when playing food-related games with chewers, try not to overfeed your pet. There are many ways to use food to play with your dog. First, you can buy a puzzle feeder to have your pet work hard trying to earn her treats. Try also hiding small pieces of food in the room in different places: let your dog play detective. If she finds a treat, she can eat it!

running in circles

Has your dog suddenly started chasing its tail? Did you find her running around the room in circles? Such a lover of running in circles simply has too much energy that has nowhere to spend.

Exercise is the best form of play for a very energetic dog. Frisbee or “fetch the ball” is a great option for such fidgets. Another way to burn off excess energy is to take long walks or even morning runs. Provided that you are active, any games that require physical activity will do.

Sculitis

Just like small children, dogs whine when they need a little more attention from you. And such whining can be unbearable and even annoying for the owners. Before playing any games, stop for a second and analyze the situation. Yes, a whining dog can be annoying, but why exactly is he whining? It’s simple: she needs you. When you look at the situation from a different perspective, whining suddenly becomes much less annoying, and you are ready to do anything to ease your pet’s anguish.

What’s great about a whining dog is that absolutely any game you play with will keep it entertained! For example, you can play hide and seek with her. If you have children, let them join in the fun. Ask someone to hide, and then let the dog find him.

Follows you

You, of course, always knew that you were popular, but you didn’t think that you were so popular that they followed you all evening. The dog wants to be your right hand. . This means that she will follow you until you find her something else to do.

If you have a dog that literally spends hours at your feet, you can try the game Seryozha says. First, while on one side of the yard, command her to “stand”. Then go to the other side and give her another command. Give simple commands like “sit” or “down”, but if you want to make it more difficult, then command “come” to make the dog come to you, and then “stop” so that he stops halfway. Just like in other games, be sure to reward your dog with praise when he does everything “Seryozha says” correctly. If she does not follow any command, return her to her starting position.

Some of the behaviors noted above may be signs of underlying health problems. If your dog’s behavior is causing you concern, check with your veterinarian to rule out any health issues.

If you don’t have time to play with your dog, make sure there are enough toys in the house to give him while you are very busy. Although for these purposes it is not necessary to give a new toy each time – it is better to alternate them, hiding some, so that even old toys seem new after a while.

And remember that the easiest way to keep your pet from getting bored is to constantly keep him busy with something. Regular walks and games with your dog will keep him happy and content, and you will love it too.