Entertaining a bored dog...........

sammy_kaye18

Hi All

My pooch is suffering from boredom or depression i think.

Right my dog Bruno is 6 years old, hes a rescue dog and breed wise we think he is a jack russell x staffy. He looks like the jack but is quite stocky like a staff and when hes panting you can see the staffy in him. He was neglected by his elderly owners. The man in the house didnt like him much and he was neglected by the lady. He had no vaccinations, no training and basically wrecked everything. We adopted him 3 years ago now but lately he seems bored whereas hes normally quite a happy little dude.

During the winter just gone he did get very ill, his weight plummited, he was sleepign constantly, seemed depressed, suffering from the cold and just very ill looking in general almost lifeless.
We had numerous vet visits, blood samples etc done and they couldnt find anything. We jsut had to do our best and change a few things for him because we didnt knwo what was wrong.
He insists on sleeping against our bedroom door (he yaps in his sleep and it drives me nuts which is why he wasnt in our room), so we moved his bed next to a radiator which we kept on a low heat but enough so it got warm but nowhere near hot enough to burn or hurt him.
Instead of his doggy cushion that he had we replaced it with a folded up double duvet so he could snuggle into it.
We brought him small doggy jumpers (i dont agree with whole wardrobes but in this case he was ill and needed the extra layer) as he looked like skin and bones.
We were recommended to give him small bowls of warm milk to keep him warm and get his core temperature up (this soon adapted to a cup of tea and biscuits!:rolleyes: ) and changed his food from biscuits to a meat meal with biscuits.
He is much better and back to his old self health sense and the way he looks (if anything he is a bit fatter because he has been a bit spoilt) but its only recently he got the clean bill fo health again and the vet gave us the all clear to start walking him again.(he was that frail that any bug could of been really bad for him)
so he gets walked 2 sometimes 3 times a day depending on weather - he hates the rain yet lives in wales :rolleyes: and they are about 10 - 15 minutes each, and then at 1pm after little ones in school he gets an hour long walk where hes off running through hedges etc. Also whenever Im outside he is there with me (i live in a ground floor flat but its communal so he cant be left outside alone as its used by others but i have recently been given permission to put up a containg fence so he will have free access to our garden).

Lately though he seems a bit low, i spoilt him today adn brought him a black kong - e trashed the terrier size red one so i ignored the helpful :mad: woman int he shop adn brought a dalmation sized black one - it just fits in his mouth and hes like a loony playign with it trying to get the treats and food.

I was jsut wondering if anyone else had any other ideas/tips or ways fo keepign him happy so he doesnt seem so bored. Hate thinking hes bored.

WeirdoMagnet

How about clicker training? It will give him something to think about, so will combat the boredom, tire him out mentally, and will also help you with your general training and management (that you mentioned on your other thread), and you can teach fun tricks too.

Have a look at the following links...

• Clicker Solutions
• Click & Treat
• Clicker Training
• Learning About Dogs

and have a look at this video: A Really Quick Overview of Clicker Training.

We do a bit of clicker training, and amongst some of the things I've taught Tilly are: go to her bed, to have her nails clipped, we're working on tooth brushing, she can 'whisper' (a low growl), speak (bark), touch, etc etc.

Phoenixx73

Excellent reccomendation. The only way I managed to keep my Shepherd from being bored was to get her a companion.

Raksha

There are alsorts of food dispensing toys out there - Tug a Jug, Buster Cubes and Dog Pyramids are my three favourites - very simple and almost indistructable - the Tug a Jug is made from bullet proof plastic (wouldn't want to leave your dog alone with it in your best room though )
Use them to give your dog his daily meals - my dogs haven't been fed from a food bowl since last September, and I wonder why it took me so long to see the light..........

tiamai_d

I agree with the food balls and such! Food is usually the way to any doggy heart. there are also ones that record your voice.

The best toy I have found is an old towel ripped up and tied in some interesting knots. he would spend ages un-doing them. You could get inventive and hide parcels of food if he got good at untying them.

But you have to have a think, is he bored, or are you thinking he is bored? If he is getting walked, fed and attention then he shouldn't be bored. He may just be reacting to how you feel... You can't let him get into a hibit of being constantly entertained by you, he does have to learn that there is play time and rest time where it is expected that he will lie and do nothing.

Trollydolly_2

Just a quickie to say, if you fill the kong with treats and food and something squishy like peanut butter or dog meat then stick it in the freezer (might be handy to have two to swap round) It takes them ages to get the stuff out and they love it! Just makes it last a bit longer!
Hope that helps

cluuuuur

The Kong website http://www.kongcompany.com/worlds_best.html has some good Kong recipes on. I second the frozen ones, they're brilliant!

Nylabones are great for chewing too - chewing's been proven to help out stressed dogs, and Nylabones are often a hit. Check out the sizes and strengths first, especially since he ripped apart his original Kong - one of the larger bones would probably suit.

Company and additional training are always good for mental stimulation. Do you have a training class near you? He might enjoy something like flyball or agility classes that'll burn off energy, give him something to think about and increase his socialisation.

Our older rescue dog loves teddies (as long as they don't squeak). She will lie for hours and suck on them (really), never does a bit of damage to them, and knows the names of each of her 4/5 different ones. This seems to be her way of managing anxiety - though we've had her for over two years she is still quite an anxious dog, having suffered 6/7 years of abuse, and this really helps her. Younger rescue dog, on the other hand, is not a candidate for teddy-therapy unless we wanted a massacre on our hands - I'm not a fan of clearing up soft toy innards!

Trollydolly_2

Sorry just to add, if you decide to give your doglet a teddy then obviously dont leave it alone with one as there have been some serious accidents from teddy inards getting trapped in their windpipes etc.
My doglet loves his teddy but he only gets it when im home.

bw130270

How about these, haven't tried them myself but they look good.

http://www.companyofanimals.co.uk/nina-ottosson-toys.php

Buddy_Banana

Hi
Please don't give your dog milk as they are lactose intolerant (your vet will tell you), I also am from rainy Wales and have a Golden retriever and Doberman who get bored when the weather is so bad were stuck in!
Kongs and food puzzle balls will keep him mentally stimmulated and also a really cheap and fun game is bubble blowing!!! You can get bubbles from tescos, pound shops, woolworths etc, and it wears my dogs out in about 10 minutes! - beware, floor can get slippy!!!

Clicker training, as mentioned is also great fun and confidence building. It will build the bond between you and mental exercises will help tire your dog out also.

I have just done an essay about play for my Canine Psychology course and also found that play and mental stimulation can benefit health and help your dog live a happier and even longer life - less chance of menatl deterioration.

Hope this helps
Julie

Buddy_Banana

ps, my dobe is also underweight.. try a food that has meat listed as the first ingriedient such as pets at home own make - rather than something like bakers which is cereal based. I also add oils and fats from the roast chicken etc to the dry food and have seen an increase in weight over 2 weeks.