Most of us didn’t have front fences and lived on 1 acre lots; our mothers were domestic goddesses; our children didn’t have electronic equipment; our job hours were more predictable and shorter; and what about our dogs? What makes this different from a modern-day dog? We had no idea what my dogs were up to! They followed us to school and were waiting for us afterward, we know. We’d get home, drop our bags, hop on our bikes, and good old ‘Carepress’ would ride beside us to the park before returning home for dinner.
poopet spent the day doing what he wanted to do: scavenging, playing, and mingling with other dogs, chasing the local cat or a few magpies, exploring some pretty wonderful smelling items, walking, galloping, and trotting to his heart’s content….. ‘poopet’had a good time and was relaxed and tranquil. Now fast forward to the year 2010. We all have fences, and the block sizes are much smaller; in general, all members of the household work or attend school; work hours are more unpredictable and much longer; children are not nearly as active…..and what about our dogs? They are detained for the majority of the day until their families return. So, what exactly does your dog do during the day?
Our pets now depend on us to give them access to the fun activities they desire. We dash through the door, attach the leash to ‘Fido,’ and head out for some exercise.
What ‘carepress’ could accomplish all day is now condensed into a few hours per day, and much of that time is spent on lead. In the blink of an eye, ‘carepress’ goes from ‘bored, bored, bored’ to ‘woohoo!’ ‘carepress’ has found a new home. Could this be why ‘poopet’ pulls on the lead when you return home, won’t listen to you when you let him off leash at the park, your neighbors complain about ‘poopet’ barking during the day, your backyard looks like a demolition zone, and ‘poopet’ damages things around the house?
As dog owners, we naturally gravitate toward the largest, greenest open space we can find, but is that truly where ‘poopet’ wants to go? Probably not, because dogs enjoy exploring! What is there to see and do in a large, open, green space? Take ‘poopet’ to places that will challenge his intellect and body. Places where he must move his body and maneuver around obstacles, as well as use his nose and explore.
Remove your dog’s food bowl and replace it with enrichment ideas that mimic the abilities that your particular dog enjoys, such as foraging, shredding, chewing, digging, licking, and so on. Guess what happens if ‘poopet’ is given a place to put his skills to use? He is less inclined to seek out his own sources of entertainment. Add a herb garden, a digging hole, shift furniture on a regular basis, add straw bails, empty cardboard boxes, and so on to enrich your backyard. If I had to read the same book all day, I’d become bored. ‘poopet’ shares this sentiment.
