keeping a dog occupied

david75

Id like to hear any ideas or methods you guys have for keeping your dogs occupied and happy. I work from home and therefore always with my almsot 3 year old boxer, he has the run of the house and garden and gets up to the phoenix park every day where i let him off and we go for a ramble for an hour or two.

but when he's home, he just seems really bored..sleeps a lot and really isnt interested in toys(never was).
Am i misinterpreting it? id like to have him stimulated and not bored if that makes sense...we were gonna get another little dog to keep him company, he loves other dogs..

any ideas appreciated.

mymo

Kongs!
The best invention ever, stuff some of your dogs food allowance in, or use left over veggies, sardines, peanut butter, with some dry food, he'll spend a couple of hours getting the food out!

I have to freeze mine now, as Oliver discovered if he chucks his at the wall, food falls out in lumps!
Just take it out of the freezer 5 mins before you give it to him, makes it last longer too.

david75

we had a kong! he ate it! well, chewed it up over a few months...ill get another so
thanks for that

tk123

david75 wrote: »

but when he's home, he just seems really bored..sleeps a lot and really isnt interested in toys(never was).
Am i misinterpreting it? .

Is he bored or just content? My dogs will sleep all day if I'm working from home and only get up when I'm taking a break. I don't think they're bored/depressed/unhappy tbh I think it's important for a dog to be able to switch off and relax instead of being on the go all the time.

david75

Hes a happy little chap all the time especially if anyone comes in and especially when hes outside..i love it when i'm down, i bring him up to the park and he's just SO happy and tearing around and smelling everything and ofcourse the sticks..me right arm and shoulder are worn out throwing sticks
also read somewhere that its normal for dogs to sleep anywhere up to 18 hours a day. I wouldnt know who to be listening to..
maybe hes happy out, just im misinterpreting it..

david75

This..one of very many near misses..
[IMG][/img]

Ashbx

Ah id say he is fine! After 3 years, its what he is used to! My dog is three also and is left alone about 4 (or maybe 5) hours a day. She sleeps the entire time. I walk her before I go to work in the mornings. When I get home, I play with her for a while with a ball or something. Give her a kong while I chill out for a bit and then off for a nice ol walk! At the weekends, when I have more time, I tend to go out for a nice long walk up the mountains.

My dog has got into such a routine of this that it is all she knows and she is happy out! Im sure your dog is the same and is perfectly content!

There is nothing you can really do when you are out of the house to keep your dog entertained. Other than putting on the radio for a bit of comfort noise, all they want is to see you!

aonb

OP, if your dog is getting exercised every day, then when he is home it is absolutely normal that he will sleep and chill out and wander about the house and sleep and pretty much nothing else all day.
Since you are working at home, when you take a break, Im sure he is up and about moving around with you?
If he has access to the garden for toilet it sounds like perfect doggie-heaven to me. What more could he possibly want/need/ask for: walks, your company all day, his bed, food - a recipe for doggie bliss.
Give him a bone (good for teeth/gums/calcium) a couple of times a week and life is even better.
He sounds like a very lucky dog

Hooked

aonb wrote: »

Give him a bone (good for teeth/gums/calcium) a couple of times a week and life is even better.
He sounds like a very lucky dog

A raw meaty bone, mind...

As for everything else... You sound like you're describing our 3 year old husky. Walked every morning at 7am - my OH works from home, and I'm back for lunch round 2-ish (they both go bananas as they know it's feeding time). Did I mention he's now accompanied by his almost 6 month old brother?

All they do all day is sleep. No interest in toys, etc... But do play fight when I'm home at lunch as they have 'an audience'. Out again after work for walk number 2. Then it's cushions out and in on the floor for the evening.

A tired/sleeping dog is a happy dog!

tk123

Hooked wrote: »

But do play fight when I'm home at lunch as they have 'an audience'.

Same here!! :rolleyes::pac:

Whispered

tk123 wrote: »

Same here!! :rolleyes::pac:

Ha and here. Anyone know why they show off?

david75

Thanks for the replies folks. All helpful.
This is what I mean though. We got back from the park about two hours ago and he might just be knackered but he's sorta bored n mopey. Hope you're right and he's happy out and maybe I'm having trouble adapting to the fact that as a pup(until recently) he was bags of beans n happy n crazy n following me everywhere in the house n inquisitive. He's almost three. Just want the best for him.

tk123

Honestly I'd say he's fine - he just sounds like he's relaxing. Bear in the warmer weather will knock him out too.

Hooked

Exhibit A.



Exhibit B.



Exhibit C.



Trust me OP... Your dog sounds super content. I've given 3 examples above of how we regularly find ours...

Pat Mustard

david75 wrote: »

This..one of very many near misses..
[IMG][/img]

FENTON! FEEEEENNTOOONNNN!

Lovely looking dog.

Yeah, some dogs look bored when they're at rest.

maggiepip

david75 wrote: »

Thanks for the replies folks. All helpful.
This is what I mean though. We got back from the park about two hours ago and he might just be knackered but he's sorta bored n mopey. Hope you're right and he's happy out and maybe I'm having trouble adapting to the fact that as a pup(until recently) he was bags of beans n happy n crazy n following me everywhere in the house n inquisitive. He's almost three. Just want the best for him.

Im sure hes fine, but if his behaviour has changed quite suddenly there would be no harm in a vet check. My dogs sleep a lot too around the house, but at the same time if Im busy working, up and down the stairs etc. they follow me everywhere to poke their noses into what Im doing. So if you're worried no harm in an overall health check with your vet:-)

kylith

If mine aren't walking or eating they're snoozing, preferably in the sun if they can find any.

cocker5

OP,

My cocker was a crazy dog until around 2.5 / 3 years old, he was a bundle of energy and mischief and then literally in the space of 4-6 months he totalled chilled out!
Now he spends I’d say he spends 95% of the time chillaxing, snoozing or general lounging around on the couch!

He’s 9 now and is well exercised, I too used to worry about him being bored but he loves just chilling out.
if your dog wasn’t happy he would let you know through other ways usually destructiveness or something!

He looks like a very well cared for and happy dog to me

strandroad

My dog is 2.5 and the transition from pup to adult is pretty much as you describe. He's getting plenty of exercise but while he would pester us around the house all the time, he now loves to snooze or cuddle and by his body language you can tell that he loves it. It's the age when it happens!

robocode

My lab is coming up on 1 year now, and despite all the kongs, walks, swims, rubs, high quality food etc. he looks like he has the weight of the world on his shoulders most of the time. I think some dogs are just like that

david75

Thanks folks. I'm probably just over thinking it.

And mustard, I've had many many FENTONNNNNN moments:)
Trick is not to run after him. He just thinks your joining in. Best to stay still(as counter intuitive as that may seem) and just call him back. He's very good he doesn't go as far after them as he used to. Little swine:)

Actually while we're on that, if the rangers in the park see a dog bothering the deer, they're allowed shoot it on sight no warning given. Haven't had that thankfully.

Ashbx

david75 wrote: »

Thanks folks. I'm probably just over thinking it.

And mustard, I've had many many FENTONNNNNN moments:)
Trick is not to run after him. He just thinks your joining in. Best to stay still(as counter intuitive as that may seem) and just call him back. He's very good he doesn't go as far after them as he used to. Little swine:)

Actually while we're on that, if the rangers in the park see a dog bothering the deer, they're allowed shoot it on sight no warning given. Haven't had that thankfully.

My trick is to run the opposite way! My dog comes sprinting to me then....sucker!!!

david75

that works too but don't do it too often or they wise up to it

ncmc

I think you're probably over thinking things David, I think we can be guilty of giving our dogs human emotions sometimes. I don't think they experience boredom in the same way we do. Of course they need exercise and a change of scenery, but they don't need to be entertained 24/7 like humans. I've had my eyes opened as to how much my 8 year old cocker sleeps since being on maternity leave! I thought she'd follow me around the whole time, but she's happy to sit and snooze by the window. She'll follow me if I go to the garden or the bins but most of the time she's happy on her own. She's like a mental patient if we take her to a big field, she turns into a puppy again running round like crazy, but then she'll zonk for the rest of the day.

I remember when she hit 2/2.5 I took her to the vet as I was worried about a change in her mood and activity levels. He just told me 'she's not a puppy any more' which I found so sad! I think they definitely calm down a lot at that age.

Sounds like you're doing a great job and that he has a lovely life.