5 FUN THINGS TO DO WITH YOUR DOG AT HOME DURING THE PANDEMIC

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With the continued self-quarantine in place due to a possible second wave of COVID-19, and for all those rightfully following it, getting the right amount of exercise for their dogs can be a massive challenge. While the physical and mental stimulation that 2 walks a day can provide your dog can be hard to replace, with the current scenario, it’s important to find ways to keep your dog amply stimulated indoors to avoid the destructive and frustrated behaviour. Finding fun things to do with your dog at home that you both can enjoy is an excellent way to keep everyone occupied while bonding with your pet.

1. Train an old dog some new tricks or a new dog some old tricks

   A dog is never too old or never too young to learn something new. Teach your dog to help you in cleaning up the floor by teaching him to drop toys in the basket or to assist in laundry or to fetch a bottle of water. It’s also a great time to catch up on commands he already knows and apply it in daily life, like, practicing “Stay” while you’re cooking, “leave it” while you’re having a snack, perfecting recall and so on. Your dog never lets you be bored; now’s a good time to return the favour.

   Your dog never lets you be bored; now’s a good time to return the favour.

   

2. Stock up on some mental stimulation toys and games

   Working for food comes instinctively to any dog, irrespective of breed or size. We as owners just try to make everything easy for them under the pretext of “pampering.” This eventually results in a bored and a frustrated dog. Make your pup work for food by putting it into mental stimulation toys like Kong Wobblers, Bento balls, puzzle toys etc. If you don’t want to start by investing in a mental stimulation toy, there are other means as well. A muffin tray and a couple of balls should also do the trick. Hone your dog’s sniffing skills by hiding food in different places in the house and let him sniff it out. You can also make ice cubes out of his favourite treats and give one a day as a reward for good behaviour or while you Netflix and chill.

3. Become a dog masseuse

   Just like us, our canine friends love a spa experience too! Doggy massage can help to provide strengthened immunity, increased circulation, stress relief and improved digestion in them. You may not be able to get him something exotic like a Thai massage, but definitely something more gentle and easy will be available for your deserving best friend. Apart from physical benefits, massage can also soothe your dog’s nerves when he’s feeling nervous or anxious. There are multiple videos and short courses online to learn basics of canine massage. Make sure to find a credible one. Dog massage tips by certapet.com is a good read.

4. Initiate a 14 day challenge for you and your dog

   Nothing works better to ensure consistency than taking up a challenge. My cat and I have taken up the “Beat the junk” challenge. Every time she catches me eating junk food, I have to do a 1 minute plank and give her a treat. Shoot! She just caught me eating chips…

5. Do a DIY

   DIY projects are one of my favourite activities to do with pets. They not only keep me creative and resourceful, but keeps my pets entertained as well. It’s a fab bonding exercise as well. You can read about a few ideas in this article by mydogsname.comA few of my favourite DIY projects to do with dogs would be the following –
   • Making a tug toy out of my old denim jeans
   • Baking 1-2 ingredient treats like Sweet potato jerkies, peanut butter cookies, cranberry and blueberry cookies etc
   • Making a dog tshirt out of old tshirts
   • Soda bottle treat dispenser (just poke a hole in it and voila!)
   • An old cloth wrapped around a plastic bottle or a bottle inside a knotted sock, peanut butter flavoured

There are hundreds of DIY projects you’ll find on Pinterest and on Google. I’ve listed out a few easy ones for the lazy bones out there! I’d love to hear from you on what you and pets are up to during your self-quarantine. Do comment below on more ways that you might have used to keep yourself and your pet entertained during this time.