Get Yer Mutt A-Movin'!
My obedience instructor once told me, "A tired dog makes a happy owner." I've never heard truer words ever spoken.
Dogs are active creatures - some more so than others. Most of the dogs who wind up in shelters because they are 'too much to handle' are simply bored. When a dog gets bored, she'll find her own ways to keep herself entertained. I have yet to see a dog take up knitting. More often than not, she'll decide that the best form of entertainment in town is the methodical and scientific dissection of your favourite pair of shoes.
The best way to stop your pup from puncturing your Pradas is to tucker her out. Take her for a walk. A half-hour walk entails so much more for a dog than just walking. There are smells, sounds, sights to discover, other dogs with whom to exchange intimate sniffing gestures, cats and squirrels to flush out, etc... If you find that she's still raring to go when you get back, don't call the vet asking for a prescription for Ritalin. Maybe you simply need to take her for longer, more frequent walks, or perhaps mix it up with some other sorts of activities.
Something to take into consideration is your type of dog. Is she part Chihuahua or part Labrador Retriever? While each dog has her own unique personality, a dog's lineage will help determine if she needs a leisurely stroll or a marathon run. The working dogs, cattle dogs, sheep dogs, hunting dogs - these are the types who need mental stimulation as well as lots of physical exercise. A bored Border Collie can wreak havoc equivalent to that of type 4 hurricane inside of three minutes.
Don't try to mentally stimulate your German Shepherd mix by handing him the Big Book of Sudoku. He needs a doggie-type job. Obedience classes are a great way to engage your pup. They challenge him to stretch his brain a little, retain commands, learn to read your signals, and they have the added bonus of turning him into a well-behaved mongrel while he's at it. You might even be able to get him his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) title, and perhaps put his newfound talents to use as a registered therapy dog. Agility and flyball are other alternatives. And all of these activities are open to mixed-breeds as well as the purebred dogs at the casual and competitive levels, just in case you discover that Rover is more talented than you first thought (after all, genius and lunacy are often confused).
I'll be taking a closer look at each of the activities mentioned above in the coming weeks, so remember to check back often. Better yet, you can subscribe to this blog to get regular updates delivered right to your in-box. Until then, why don't you log off your computer for a while and take Champ out for a romp?
Technorati Tags: Dogs ; Obedience ; Agility ; Flyball ; Canine Good Citizen ; Exercise ; Therapy Dog
Dogs are active creatures - some more so than others. Most of the dogs who wind up in shelters because they are 'too much to handle' are simply bored. When a dog gets bored, she'll find her own ways to keep herself entertained. I have yet to see a dog take up knitting. More often than not, she'll decide that the best form of entertainment in town is the methodical and scientific dissection of your favourite pair of shoes.
The best way to stop your pup from puncturing your Pradas is to tucker her out. Take her for a walk. A half-hour walk entails so much more for a dog than just walking. There are smells, sounds, sights to discover, other dogs with whom to exchange intimate sniffing gestures, cats and squirrels to flush out, etc... If you find that she's still raring to go when you get back, don't call the vet asking for a prescription for Ritalin. Maybe you simply need to take her for longer, more frequent walks, or perhaps mix it up with some other sorts of activities.
Something to take into consideration is your type of dog. Is she part Chihuahua or part Labrador Retriever? While each dog has her own unique personality, a dog's lineage will help determine if she needs a leisurely stroll or a marathon run. The working dogs, cattle dogs, sheep dogs, hunting dogs - these are the types who need mental stimulation as well as lots of physical exercise. A bored Border Collie can wreak havoc equivalent to that of type 4 hurricane inside of three minutes.
Don't try to mentally stimulate your German Shepherd mix by handing him the Big Book of Sudoku. He needs a doggie-type job. Obedience classes are a great way to engage your pup. They challenge him to stretch his brain a little, retain commands, learn to read your signals, and they have the added bonus of turning him into a well-behaved mongrel while he's at it. You might even be able to get him his CGC (Canine Good Citizen) title, and perhaps put his newfound talents to use as a registered therapy dog. Agility and flyball are other alternatives. And all of these activities are open to mixed-breeds as well as the purebred dogs at the casual and competitive levels, just in case you discover that Rover is more talented than you first thought (after all, genius and lunacy are often confused).
I'll be taking a closer look at each of the activities mentioned above in the coming weeks, so remember to check back often. Better yet, you can subscribe to this blog to get regular updates delivered right to your in-box. Until then, why don't you log off your computer for a while and take Champ out for a romp?
Technorati Tags: Dogs ; Obedience ; Agility ; Flyball ; Canine Good Citizen ; Exercise ; Therapy Dog
This entry was posted
on Friday, September 29, 2006 at 2:36 p.m..
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