Resting your pooch

But she’s a spaniel!!!???

If you are reading this then you have just left the practice being told to rest your hyperactive walk loving best friend! The thought of 10 days with no ‘walkies’ fills you with dread, and you have visions of your manic furry canine bouncing off the walls. So here are some suggestions to help you cope with the recovery period and make it out the other side without an unruly pet with far too much energy and a destroyed house!

Training

You may think you have done this already, but there are still plenty of things for your dog (and you) to learn. It has been proved that training and the subsequent mental stimulation reduces stress in your dog – reduced stress aids healing! Practice your basics sit/wait/stay. When you are a whiz at that then you can try ‘touch’ training, getting your dog to touch a point with their nose before a reward is given. You can even teach roll over/crawl/walk backwards. The list really is endless, and its very satisfying when you have achieved a new trick!
*Top Tip* try to vary your rewards, don’t always use the same treat, use fuss or toys, or even try Clicker Training!

Food Stimulation

There are three things that feature on your dogs daily ‘to do’ list – food, walks and fuss. When your hungry pooch inhales his bowl of biscuits in 3 seconds flat, this provides very little satisfaction and leaves them still feeling hungry – here starts the begging/scavenging/bin raiding! Dogs are natural scavengers, and it is unnatural for them to be offered their daily portion in one or two meals a day (although most adapt just fine). Try making their dinner last longer, to make them work and get more from their meals. You can scatter the biscuits on the lawn, use ‘Kongs’ or feeding puzzles, or play scent games, so they have to search for their food. This will keep them occupied for far more than 3 seconds, and they will then feel far more satisfied!

Adaptil

This is a Dog Appeasing Pheromone. It is designed to reduce anxiety and exciteability. If you have a dog that is a stickler for routine and gets anxious at change then it may be worth using a plug in version of a collar, to help make them feel more secure at home. This will help prevent separation anxiety problems developing, especially if you have taken time off to look after them, when you go back to work.

These are all just ideas. The list is endless when it comes to non-walkies fun you can have with your dog. It will hopefully prevent that inevitable deviation to naughty ‘puppy’ behaviour to get your attention, and leave you with a happy well rounded dog, with a perfect wound.