Many dog and pet owners have struggled thinking of fun ways to keep their pets entertained during quarantine. There’s only so much playing fetch that you can do in the garden! Being stuck inside all the time might have even caused some dogs to become more anxious and even depressed, so it’s even more important that they are kept stimulated by activities and things to do. If you are looking for activities to keep your dog entertained, read on for some great ideas that you can do together.
Practice Behavioral Training
Keep your dog focused and mentally stimulated by teaching them new tricks. If you have already mastered the basic commands, try more complex behavioral training. Food and kindness are great forms of praise and even better motivators and remember an old dog can learn new tricks!
A good brain game can also be just as tiring as a long hike. On top of teaching tricks, keep them mentally stimulated by using a variety of solo, interactive and group games – like hide-and-seek, finding treats, and even agility training in the back garden.
Make a Natural Dog Shampoo
With dog grooming becoming more difficult as quarantine restrictions continue, groom your dog at home yourself. One important type of dog grooming is bathing, and it’s easy to make your own natural dog shampoo from scratch. Using just water, dish soap and vinegar, you don’t need to buy a lot of ingredients to make a good shampoo at home.
Find different homemade dog shampoo recipes for dogs with dry skin, dogs that have fleas, or dogs that are bathed too regularly and just need a dry shampoo wash to avoid drying out their skin.
Assess Your Dog’s Body Condition
For dog owners who have working and sporting dogs, assess your dog’s body condition at home by calculating the working dog nutritional requirements. These types of dogs must maintain an ideal body condition and a healthy weight. Although an ideal body condition score (BCS) for performance dogs hasn’t yet been determined, Penn Vet Working Dog Center recommends that dogs like these should have a BCS of between 4/9 and 5/9 on a 9-point scale.
Less is indeed more for canine athletes, and a BCS like this will help minimize injuries and maintain optimal health and performance.
Even if you don’t have a working or sporting dog, you must help them maintain a healthy weight. A recent study that examined 50,787 pet dogs over 12 popular breeds found that overweight dogs had a higher risk of death and a shorter median life span than dogs with a healthy weight. This was regardless of breed. One solution is alternating your dog’s diet plan; diet supplements can also provide a much-needed boost for specific ailments.
Try New Types of Exercise
Dogs need lots of exercise, which also helps their owners keep fit as well. Especially since quarantine means everyone has been stuck inside their home for the last few months. Although fetch is a great way to tire out your dog and not use a lot of your own energy, try new types of exercise that involve more than just retrieving a ball or toy.
Swimming is a popular choice for dogs with stiff or painful joints since it avoids the dangers of repetitive impact. Take your dog hiking and enjoy the fresh air. On these outdoor adventures, there will also likely be more swimming opportunities for them.
If you don’t have time to take your dog hiking or on a long walk, try tracking tasks in the garden. Tracking tasks keep dogs mentally stimulated but are more complex than simple fetching and retrieving games. Use an item of clothing that you wear regularly and hide it somewhere in your home. Then, let your dog track and find the item. You can also do this task in the neighborhood park if you want to get out of your house for some physical exercise that day.
Keeping your dog healthy, mentally engaged, and entertained during quarantine is difficult, especially for dogs that are used to going out every day for long walks and socializing with others. But with the right activities, it will be easy to keep your dog stimulated. If you follow the activities above, your dog will be distracted, and any additional anxiety as a result of quarantine will be easily relieved!
