With everyone in isolation at home, some of us have resorted to traditionally dreadful tasks to mask the seemingly never-ending boredom. On the other hand, some of us have been blessed to spend every second with our dogs. I have found that my 8 year-old labrador isn’t as obedient as I thought he seemed. Then it came to me, now is a great opportunity to really get down to it and spend time training your dog.
Learning new tricks takes a lot of time and repetition, so good thing we have all the time in the world now! If your dog knows the basics, get creative! Some fun tricks to teach your dog could be to roll over, open/close doors, play dead, stand on their hind legs, and even pose for pictures! If you have an older dog who has mastered all of the basic tricks and manners, keeping their brains exercised is great for promoting healthy minds at old age. It is extremely important to keep your dog’s mind stimulated.
If your dog needs to work on their manners, taking a few afternoons to run through some training routines can be fun for you and your dog, and takes much of your bored time! Practice makes perfect, and sometimes your little furry genius needs much of it. The internet has tons of DIY training exercises for any kind of dog (my favorites are by Cesar Millian).
No matter what you work on, be sure to practice separation anxiety relief for your dog. Once this isolation is over and our lives go back to normal, you might not be routinely around your dog for every minute of the day anymore. This will require some adjusting for them, so it would be best to tackle preventing separation anxiety before it has the chance to start.
Why not fill your boredom with activities that benefit you and your dog? Don’t take this opportunity for granted! You and your dog’s sanity will thank you later.
