Showing 2 posts tagged with "food puzzles"
Even A Well-Behaved Dog Is A DOG!
Dogs need to do Dog-Things. Puppies, like children need to do everything and they have short attention spans.
A common behavior concern is chewing! Punishing a dog for being a dog is a sure way to ruin your relationship with your new pup. Dogs need to chew. They should not be punished for being dogs.
Puppies and inexperienced dogs see the whole world is an unexplored chew toy. There are endless places to find new chews and hundreds of ways to sneak a chew. If your dog isn't getting the chew-fun she needs from her toys, your dog will find something new to chew.
My clients are constantly frustrated and overwhelmed when they focus all their energy on catching their dog chewing forbidden items (table legs, tissue, clothes, remote controls, etc...) Make your life easier; make your puppies day. Put most of your energy into creating chew options, not just limiting them. Make toys and chew puzzles fun and exciting for your dog.
Then watch your dog! I spend countless hours just watching my dogs enjoy their chew-time. Their chewing pleasure is a site to behold. You too can learn to marvel at their canine abilities to chew, nibble, rip and dissect.
Just pick the items they chew on for them and make them worth their while so they won't want to waste time experimenting for better options. Then take some time to appreciate what they liked most, what they were good at chewing and how they can lull themselves into a near meditative state on the perfect chew.
Or...
Just Bored?
Bad behavior can stem from boredom. A really easy solution is to feed your dog their meals through interactive food puzzles. Food puzzles are rapidly filling pet store shelves as new product compete to be claimed the most challenging, the sturdiest, the most fun for your dog.
When introducing a new food puzzle to a dog, follow these simple rules to ensure your dog's safety and pleasure.
- Always supervise the dog's first few sessions.
- Always give a new puzzle to a very hungry, well-exercised dog.
- Always make new food puzzles extra tasty.
- Never make a new food puzzle too hard -simple success will ensure your dog likes the new puzzle.
- Allow your dog a set time to try the new food puzzle, if they aren't interested, take it away and try again later when your dog is hungrier, or you have added better incentives.
Once the dog has used the food puzzle several times and discovered that it is easy and tasty, then you can start making it harder or using more of their food and less tasty treats.
Some of my favorite food puzzles include:
The Original Kong -Great for mixtures of wet & dry food.
Tricky Treat Puzzle Ball -Great for dry dog food, rolls quietly.
Busy Buddies (Saucer) -Great for kibble & for dogs new to food puzzle.
