I know i often wonder if my pets are bored. My dog and cat don’t really play with their toys anymore like they did when they were younger.

Something my dog really loves, though, is raw bones that we buy from the grocery store. I like them the best because you don’t have to worry about them splintering or breaking into pieces they can choke on. We put them in the freezer and when we want to give Lucas one, we usually just give it to him right from the freezer and it keeps him busy for a couple hours. I like to give it to him right before we’re about to eat dinner. He loves cooked veggies so I try to just give him those, but he is sometimes too demanding when it comes to food and he’ll bark and whine at me until I give him something. So these bones help a lot, although we only give him one a couple times a week. BUT…. he has started to suspect what we’re up to and now will sometimes bring his bone over to the table where he can keep an eye on it, but still bother me for my dinner. Usually though it still works out ok.

We take Lucas for two walks everyday in the summer and once a day in the winter. He loves to play with the neighborhood dogs on these walks. Anybody we see, he likes to stop and play with them, and he’s made some good friends with some of them and they get really excited to see each other. Plus just all the stuff to stop and smell can be enough even if we don’t see anyone else. This summer we plan to take him to some parks and to the farmers market. We also have a doggie door out to the backyard and he’s in and out all day. This doggie door was probably the best idea we ever had and Lucas loves it!

Putting a Kong in the freezer is also a great idea. We used to do this a lot and I think we’ll have to start doing it again. We would fill it with vegetables that he likes and some unsalted broth from a can and freeze it. Then we gave it to him frozen and this would also last for a couple hours.

I found some other ideas on the American Kennel Club’s website that I really liked so I thought I would share them.

 

1. 1. A hidden treasure activity- get some cups and line them up. Don’t let your dog see you put a treat under one of them and then bring him over and let him sniff and figure out where it is.

1. 1. Same idea, but a little different- use a muffin tin for this one and cover the holes with tennis balls. Put treats under a couple of the balls and let your dog push the balls around to find the treats. I love this one!

1. 1. There are also snuffle mats, which I’d never heard of before, but I like the idea a lot. They’re these mats with hidden places to put treats and the dog has to sniff around the mat and find them. Yes, I realize these all involve treats and my dog tends to gain weight very easily and we have to be careful. But if your dog likes carrots or green beans or any other vegetables, those can be treats too. One of Lucas’s favorites are canned carrots, but any veggie will do. He does not like raw carrots, but as long as they’re cooked, he’s all set. So we get the unsalted in a can and he loves them.  Snuffle Mats come in all different designs and sizes and they are available for cats too.

1. 1. Here’s one that doesn’t involve food. An obstacle course- you can use anything, such as boxes, chairs, etc to build a little obstacle course. Then run, crawl, or walk through it with your dog and you’ll both have lots of fun together.