Beat the Boredom – and the Heat!

Welcome to July in Texas! Triple digit days are fast approaching which means shorter walks, fewer trips to the dog park and potentially, a restless dog. But just because the weather is no fun, doesn’t mean your pup can’t have any! A bored dog is a stressed dog, so we wanted to share a few tips for keeping your doggo occupied in the A/C during the hot summer months!

Frozen Treats

Even the early morning hours are starting to get overwhelmingly hot! After you walk your pup but before you head out the door for work, give your pup a nice frozen treat to keep them busy.

Take a KONG toy or water bottle, set it in a dish or bowl so it doesn’t spill and place one of your dog’s favorite treats inside. Then, fill up the toy or bottle with water or low-sodium chicken broth and freeze. It’s that simple! If your pup needs an extra incentive to get started, put a little dab of peanut butter on the opening. Remember to place a towel down so it doesn’t make a huge mess! This treat will keep them cool, while stimulating their mind and exhausting them at the same time.

Scavenger Hunt

What’s more fun than finding hidden treats all over the house? While your dog is otherwise occupied or in another room with the door shut, take the opportunity to hide treats for them! To prevent your dog from overeating, you can use regular kibble from their daily allotment or use small frozen pieces of fruit like watermelon, banana or blueberries. Just make sure the fruits or vegetables are dog-friendly and appealing to your pup before you go through the trouble of hiding them.

 You can use upside-down plastic or paper cups to conceal treats where they won’t make a mess. When you’re ready for your dog to start the game, lead your dog to the first treat and they’ll get the message. You will be surprised at how quickly they learn the game!

Training

Instead of your weekend trek through the park, try your hand at training your pup. This requires a bit of patience on your end, especially if your dog has never learned any commands, but it’s a great way to stimulate your dog while providing them with the attention they crave. Training should be a fun game that you and your dog are looking forward to playing. Remember to phrase your training goals based on what you want to see rather than what you don’t want, (e.g., I want my dog to sit when people approach versus I don’t want my dog to jump on people). By clearly defining what you are looking for it will be easy for you and your dog to figure out the training game. We highly recommend using clicker based training when working with your pets.

Check out the playlist below to get started on the basics:

Your dog is still going to need entertainment even when it’s too hot and muggy outside for playing in the sunshine. All of these things are also great for a rainy day when it’s too muddy to play outside and you want to save your furniture! So get playing, and remember to provide your dog with exercise and enrichment every single day to keep them happy and healthy!