People with DOGS!!?

Question

I have to work all week 8-5 and I have an 8 month old dog. I live in an apartment...are there any tips or ideas you may have to keep her somewhat entertained? BTW... I leave her treats, she has a Kong ball...and I leave the TV on for noise... but I know she is bored to death. Any suggestions would be great.

Please don't be rude... I am just wondering.

Answer 1

What kind of dog do you have? I have a black lab, and I work the same hours as you. At 8 months, your dog probably sleeps at least 15 hours a day. You don't have to be home all day to have a dog, so don't feel bad. Have you tried stuffing the Kong with peanut butter? That kills at least an hour right there. Make sure she has plenty of things to chew on, like bones and things. I come home, after a day of work and give Lucy a bone, and she will lay in the yard and chew if for at least an hour or two. So do that. She couldn't be to bad off, or your appartment would have been shredded by now. When I get home, I take Lucy to the park and she swims for a while and then we play fetch for a while. By the time we leave the park, she is ready to go, she falls asleep on the 5 minute ride home!
For your peace of mind, just know that if she has food and water, she is better off than millions of other dogs that are neglected or stray. And if she sleeps in a dry warm spot, and someone pats her on the head once in a while, she is more loved and cherished than hundreds and thousands of other dogs that are abused. You are doing all you can, I bet you she just appreciates the fact that you love her. And if you didn't you would not care if she was bored.
Honestly, if your dog is normal, she probably sleeps most of the day. Sometimes I go home for lunch and I sneak in and Lucy is laying in my bed sleeping, snoring like a chainsaw, and drooling all over my boyfriends pillow (just as long as it isn't mine, hehe).
Also, they have those treat balls that dispense treats when they are played with, those are too entertaining.
Don't tell, but something silly I do, I put milk bones in big plastic easter eggs, and hide them, when I come home, they are all in my bed broken open, bones all gone!
Just make sure you spend time with her when you can. You could also see if a neighborhood kid would walk her after school, that might be nice.

Answer 2

It's really hard leaving your puppy alone during the day! But, you know, you give her lots of attention when you are home and you do everything you can while you're gone. Just refresh her toys. She should have a variety and you shouldn't have them all out at once. Like give her several and then a special one that comes out once a week. Before I had my children, I had a little lhasapoo that I adored and felt the same way you do. She was my baby. She was more spoiled than any of my children are today, but then, they don't live past 20 and they don't rebel like kids do. They stay your baby forever. Unfortunately, when i moved in a house, i had her in the backyard while i was gone and she got out. someone left the backyard door open. she ran into the street and a ups driver hit her. I cried for a week. I didn't even cry when my grandmother died and I was very close to my grandmother. so, i am glad you have a companion. remember also that although she is a pet, she is also a guard dog. they will protect your property like an alarm while you are gone. neighbors will hear the barking and check for intrusion, so don't worry so much about being gone during theday. We all need our alone time.

Answer 3

You have a valid question/concern. If you can afford it, taking her to a doggy daycare. She can romp around all day long and get socialized at the same time. She'll come home just beat and happy. Another option is to hire a dogwalker, which probably costs about the same as putting her in doggy daycare.

If these aren't options, be sure to give her a nice, long walk/run (30 min. minimum, but longer is ideal, depending on the size/breed of your dog). Let her get her energy out before you leave so that she's tired and relaxed when you leave. She'll sleep for most of the time you're gone, and then when you come back, you can spend time with her and walk her again.

Good luck!

Answer 4

best source of entertainment is a stuffed kong. Melt some penutbutter in the microwave and then mix in kibble. Scoop it into the hole in the kong and freeze it overnight. give it to him in the morning before you leave. You could do doggie day care a coule times a week but they are very expensive.It sounds like you are doing every thing right, leaving the tv on and leaving her treats. The radio would be alot cheaper to leave on and she wouldn't know the difference.

Answer 5

Do an internet search for action interactive toys. My dog had a ball that you could put treats in, and she had to nose it open to get the treats out. She also had a cube thing with squeaky toys in it, she had to work at it to get the squeaky's out. Put peanut butter inside the Kong.

Otherwise, see if there is someone you know who maybe works a different shift and wouldn't mind Surprising puppy once a week with an hour long playtime.

Answer 6

Is there anyone who could drop by & play with the dog while you're gone? A neighbor, friend or a nice kid? When I was little a Japanese couple who spoke little English moved across the street & the wife loved making home made candy. So we did her the favor of walking her dog & she paid us in candy. I wasn't even in kindergarten yet but I still remember the great times we had walking Morgi the basset hound.

Answer 7

I think you might need more than one puzzle toy. We have both kongs and something called the Petstages Orka Jack that is sort of a similar idea, as well as a Buster Cube (dog has to work really hard to get treats out of that thing--so hard in fact that my lazy hounds gave up on it!) and a Giggle Ball (similar to a Buster Cube, but a ball obviously). I spend a good 20 minutes every morning packing the Kongs and Jacks in a way that they'll be really hard to get all the treats out of (I use my dog's kibble as most of their Kong and Jack stuffing so they don't get fat on junk food). I use a large assortment of items to pack in, from rawhide strips (you can stuff them into a Kong by rolling them up, stuffing them in the hole, then letting them unroll again inside the Kong), kibble, treats of different shapes and sizes (go PetCo Treat Bar!), peanut butter for extra stickiness and sometimes I add a little water and throw them in the freezer for a few hours. Freezing the toys makes the rubber harder and therefor more difficult to get things out of. What I wind up with are several multi-faceted puzzles that reward the dogs for working with them by getting food out of them, and make them so tired by the end of it that they have to sleep it off for a while.

You can also get Kong Dispensers (I think they are called, Kong Time, you can find them on the internet) that dispense Kongs out of them at set times, so in the middle of the day DING! Your dog gets a newly packed Kong to play with.

Answer 8

I have a friend that bought his cats a video that is made specifically for entertaining cats. His animals don't watch TV normally but are totally glued to the TV when he puts this video in. He said they have a video for dogs too. You might want to do a search on the internet for the video. The only other suggestion I have is trying a doggy daycare in your area. I don't know where you are from but in my area it isn't too expensive.

Answer 9

Sounds like you're doing everything right. Beyond what you're doing, the only suggestion might be to get another pet to keep him company?

I know...I have the "doggie boredom guilt" too, because I have the same situation. As long as you give him lots of attention while you're at home, try not to be too hard on yourself. Bored or not, sounds like he's got a pretty good life.

Answer 10

There's a ball you could buy that the dog has to push around to get the treat out. Entertains my dog pretty well. I bought mine at Petsmart.