Is your Dog Bored?

Some signs may be excessive barking, chewing furniture or objects or sometimes they can just be interested in nothing and just mope around.

When a dog doesn’t receive enough mental stimulation they end up becoming destructive, hyperactive, may have separation anxiety, be aggressive, show obsessive compulsive behaviours and maybe even become really fearful.

Most dogs do not misbehave on purpose or destroy the couch to “get back at you for leaving them”
They are usually bored and looking for an outlet for their excessive nervous energy.
So the product I saw at a veterinary conference recently really made me think of my little dog Sushi, so I ordered one.

She is a wire haired jack russell and they need a lot of exercise and stimulation.
She gets bored really easily and this normally results in the destruction of something e.g. pillow case, metal blinds, remotes, cell phones. Sushi has chewed them all.
Its a Buster activity mat for mental stimulation for pets.

Anders Hallgren dog psychologist and animal behaviouralist says “Thanks to its simplicity, which makes the activity mat easy and fast for the dog owner to prepare, and the high content of various problems for the dog to solve. The Buster activity mat is something that all dogs owners realise the benefits and pleasures of”
Click here to check out a video on it

Other way to stimulate your pet and decrease hyperactive and destructive behaviour
1.Toys: I recommend alternating toys so they don’t get bored of them. Great examples are Kongs, food dispensing toys, activity balls and Puzzles
You can stuff Kongs with foods such as frozen peanut butter. Check out this blog for other great examples of food to stuff in Kongs .

2.Dog training: Dog love learning and they thrive off dog training. Its creates a sense of purpose for them and also helps pet owners to have control and be the pack leader.
3.Exercise and walking: Most pets need to walked daily. P.s Sushi gets walked daily but sometimes twice daily and I can see the difference in her behaviour the more exercise she gets. Vary the places you go to and try and offer stimulation like other animals, water and a change in scenery.
If you are going to be going out for a few hours always take your pet for a quick walk before you leave.
4. Feed Raw meaty bones: I am not a fan of feeding pelleted food to pets. I think it must be so boring for them. The raw food diet is a great way to offer stimulation. When feeding raw food we look at nutritional and recreational bones. Bones should always be raw so that they do not splinter. For recreational bones I recommend large meaty marrow bones. Pet owners are always wondering how big the bone should be. I usually say as big as the dogs head. Try feeding them frozen initially as it will take longer for them to eat and start off with 20-30 minutes of chewing on the bone.

If you found this blog interesting please comment . A simple “I found this interesting” or “ I would have liked more info on …….” would be perfect. I want to empower you with the knowledge to help your pets so feedback really helps me.

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