While the days may be getting a bit longer, February is still firmly in winter, and we tend to spend more time indoors than outside. Some of us embrace 'wintering' but does that include your dog?
After the long, dark month of January, when we probably did hardly anything more social than nod to a neighbour when taking out the wheelie bin, your dog may also be feeling the monotony. I'm sure you responsible dog owners have been taking out your furry friend(s) for a good long walk each day, no matter what the weather. But if they are then spending the rest of their day indoors, lazing around with the curtains closed, they may well be a bit bored.
How can I tell if my dog is bored?
If your dog is experiencing a bout of boredom blues, you will notice changes to their behaviour, although some are more subtle than others. All dogs are different, but the key signs of boredom are:
restlessness - rather than curling up into a ball and having a good sleep, they are up-and-down, up-and-down, not settling anywhere. They may watch you more avidly than usual - and not just in the hour leading up to their feeding time; laying down but their eyes are suddenly wide open every time you move.
repetitive behaviour - constantly trotting around the house following the same path, room to room, or person to person.
being naughtier than usual - always on the go and getting into everything from the bin to your sock drawer.
digging - running out into the garden to dig a hole whenever they can slip out of the door.
chewing - from chair legs to anything that's been left laying around. If your dog is no longer a puppy, chewing is a sure sign of boredom and pent up energy.
These things are all distractions your dog is finding as they still have an excess of mental, and possibly physical, energy.
Boredom Busting Tips
If this is ringing some alarm bells in your head, then fear not. There are plenty of ways to entertain your dog and mentally wear them out.
Change your walk
Ideally, you should take them for a walk more than once if there's nothing else going on that day. That isn't always possible, so try changing where you walk, or even the time of day. Walkies isn't just about physical exercise. Allowing your dog to root around in the undergrowth, sniffing all the smells, is the best thing for them. Just walking a different route will give your dog new smells to experience and new people / dogs to meet, and it's a change of scenery for you too.
Teach an old dog some new tricks
Has your canine companion been giving you the runaround more than usual, or their selective hearing become even more selective recently? Now's a good opportunity to reinforce some basic training, like recall or simple sit and stay commands. If you want something more challenging, how about trying some real tricks like doggy dance moves (yes it's a thing! Just search 'heelwork to music'). If you need a more realistic target, then set up a couple of agility obstacles in your garden or your local park. You don't need any fancy equipment; just put some sticks in the ground for your dog to weave through or a bit of wood across some paint cans for them to jump over. Training not only builds the bond between you but you can both have great fun too!
Playtime!
Just simply having a good old game of tug or catch with a ball can also do the trick. Another easy game that will mentally stimulate them is playing 'hide the treat'; starting with easy places and progressing to harder to find places, so they rely on their keen sense of smell to discover it.
Just taking a bit of extra time out of your day to focus on your dog, will do you both the world of good and help you make it through the rest of winter remaining the best of friends.
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