Getting back to normal can mean going back to work for a lot of us. But what do your doggies do while your away?

May 10, 2020

Does your dog have separation anxiety that makes it hard to leave them at home alone? Maybe your pup is just high energy and being in a crate all day isn’t a great option. Below are some tips to keep your dog happy, and not destroying your house (or shoes) while you are busy, away from the house, or just need some tv time to unwind at the end of the day.


  1. Kong Wobler -We use this on our dog when we want to do a home workout session. We just put his breakfast or dinner in it and it takes him around 15 minutes to get it all while he is in his crate. Tip: to make it take longer, put some peanut butter around the opening of the Kong so the food gets stuck on it until your pup licks it all off. You can also put a tennis ball inside with the food so it does’’t fall out as fast.
  2. A block of ice - Or, even better, chicken broth flavored block of ice. They can spend a good long time on this if you make it big enough. Of course you want to do this somewhere that can get a little messy. Bonus: this is a good way for your dog to cool off after being out in the heat that summer will bring. Remember they will need to go potty soon after they are done.
  3. A hollow toy you can fill with fun things like this Peanut Butter Dog Toy It works for even longer if you freeze the peanut butter inside it. We get these Pet’n Shape bones for Barry. Bonus: once he cleans out the middle part, it becomes a hollow bone we can put treats or peanut butter inside of. We freeze them until he gets everything off of the outside of them because they get kind of gross, but it keeps him busy for as long as we let him have it. Even after everything is out of the middle and off the outside he will just chew on it forever, if we let him. These are best to use when you can keep an eye on them if they are big time chewers.
  4. Break up the day for your pup if your going to be gone for long periods. Have a neighbor, friend, or even better, a dog walker (we have a really good recommendation for you), to let your pup outside for a potty break and to stretch their legs. You can even prepare one of the above options for them to get after the potty break to keep them busy after the visitor leaves.
  5. Sometimes your dog may require something more serious such as anxiety or calming meds. Talk to your vet if you think you have a more serious issue than just a bored dog. Our first lab had to be on anxiety meds because of his strong separation anxiety. It made a world of difference for us, and more importantly, for him. We have also used CBD oil, and there are many other calming options as well. Always consult your vet on this route.
  6. A fun, but a bit more expensive option is this Furbo Dog Camera You can check in on your pup with video at any time via the app, get barking alerts, talk to them to calm them down, and even toss a treat to them to distract them from that terrible delivery person.  


One of the best options to keep your dog’s mind off those new shoes, is to make sure they get plenty of exercise. Some dogs need to run, and sometimes run a lot. Find a place where you can get your dog together with a friend's dog or two and let them run and play for an hour. For us, fetch is king. If Barry starts carrying toys over to us constantly, wants to go in and outside, or starts looking for affection, we know he won’t stop until we give him something to do. If we go run him hard for 20-30 minutes, he will be out of our hair for the rest of the day. Sometimes we can get a lazy Barry all the next day as well. Of course, he will always go for more fetch, but he doesn’t have pent up energy that causes his nuisance boredom behaviors.


Please contact us if you have any questions on this these tips. Currently we are offering online training sessions to keep with the social distancing restrictions we are in. For more information please visit www.newmansdogtraining.com/online-training.


Also, follow us on Instagram @newmansdogtraining. You can also follow Barry’s adventures on Instagram @adventuredogbarry.