Boredom Busters

[poochmad]

We have a 5.5 month old spaniel whom due to the area we live in and being a show dog (i.e not desexed), must remain indoors for his own protection. (There have been reports of undesexed dogs being stolen. God knows what happens to them...)

We have created a large puppy 'pen' for him which is situated at the back of the house, on a tiled area and is 3m x 3m. We have tried to create the pen to be an exciting place, by tying toys to the gate for him to play with, rotating different toys - squeakys, soft toys, plastic bottles, etc on a regular basis. He also currently gets chicken wings frozen into a kong.

However, lately he has started to chew on the door frames (no surprises there). Of course we can see that this is due to boredom and ferverently wish we could allow him the freedom of the backyard, but fear that he would get stolen (we back on to a well used laneway and currently have low fences). Down the track we aim to enclose the carport to allow him more freedom, which we will also put in a clam sand pit and water clam for the summer time.

Upon doing research within this folder for 'boredom' I have been thinking about building a beam to run along the top of the ceiling and then dangling 'boredom busters' such as kongs stuffed with food, cardboard boxes and purchasing the home alone toy (biscuit ball on a bungee cord).

Besides doing any of the above, is there anything else (besides walking/training in the morning) we could try?

Looking forward to ideas.

Thanks.

Edited November 17, 2008 by poochmad

[Luke W]

We have a 5.5 month old spaniel whom due to the area we live in and being a show dog (i.e not desexed), must remain indoors for his own protection. (There have been reports of undesexed dogs being stolen. God knows what happens to them...)

We have created a large puppy 'pen' for him which is situated at the back of the house, on a tiled area and is 3m x 3m. We have tried to create the pen to be an exciting place, by tying toys to the gate for him to play with, rotating different toys - squeakys, soft toys, plastic bottles, etc on a regular basis. He also currently gets chicken wings frozen into a kong.

However, lately he has started to chew on the door frames (no surprises there). Of course we can see that this is due to boredom and ferverently wish we could allow him the freedom of the backyard, but fear that he would get stolen (we back on to a well used laneway and currently have low fences). Down the track we aim to enclose the carport to allow him more freedom, which we will also put in a clam sand pit and water clam for the summer time.

Upon doing research within this folder for 'boredom' I have been thinking about building a beam to run along the top of the ceiling and then dangling 'boredom busters' such as kongs stuffed with food, cardboard boxes and purchasing the home alone toy (biscuit ball on a bungee cord).

Besides doing any of the above, is there anything else (besides walking/training in the morning) we could try?

Looking forward to ideas.

Thanks.

He is teething so the desire to chew is going to be irrestistable

It's not necessarily boredom. Dogs chew. Teething dogs chew a lot!

I'd try some bitter apple spray on the door frames and get him some hide chews and some nylabones.

Added:

My dog LOVES this:

http://dstore.com.au/pets/Busy-Buddy-Bounc...ge/2598834.html

Edited November 17, 2008 by Luke W

[poochmad]

Thanks Luke. He currently gets pigs ears and raw hide treats...however, it appears he ignores these and concentrates his efforts on the door frame!

We'll try the bitter spray - presume I just get it from a pet shop?

Those chew toys seem interesting - are those 'rings' beef hide?

[fbaudry]

I cannot believe gorgeous Henschke would do anything like that! He looks so sweet and well behaved.... I guess he is teething big time at the moment. Archie my cocker turned 6 months on Saturday and just finished teething I think - luckily for us even when he was teething he was not much of a chewer, or at least not a destructive one... He spent hours on his soft toys but didn't destroy them at all. They were just a little bit bloody at time ( ) and we actually picked a few baby teeth from their fur!!!!

Maybe I should hold my breath on that though.... Our neighbours have a french bulldog who was the perfect puppy and has now decided at 10 months of age that it was time to become a chewer from hell!!!

Even when he was at the peak of his teething he wasnt really interested i chew toys (I tried rope, rubber bones, nylabones, rawhide). He would chew on a nylabone or rawhide bone whilst I held it and he was lying next to me, but would lose interest if I let go of it.

I think you are right in not allowing him more freedom if he is at risk, and I have found out with my two that the amount of space they have doesn't really help with boredom as they are so people focussed.

Besides kongs, I leave Archie something like 5 or 6 crunched up plastic bottles with a little bit of kibble in each (that's how he gets 50% of his daily food intake). As he does chew them, he is not at risk of ingesting plastic and he can spend hours tossing and turning them to get food out, and I take it by the time he is done it's time to sleep! He also uses a treat ball (i think it is the Kramar one) but I have found on a few occasions that he managed (God knows how) to close the opening through which the kibble is meant to come out...

What my two cockers love as well is ice blocks (flavoured with a little bit of broth, chicken stock, or vegemite) and will spend hours licking on them (and have very messy ears at the end of the day)

I try leaving him one of his favourite soft toys to play and sleep with, but he seems to ignore them until I return home, when they are duly picked up and suffer hours of silent abuse in my presence

I wonder if other spaniel owners have experienced the same?

[poochmad]

Yes, Fbaudry, he is cute...but man he's becoming a little bugger ...he's actually got all his teeth now...so what used to be little bite marks (when he had his baby teeth) is now becoming a lot worse now he's using his adult teeth...

ETA: I've given him plastic bottles before, but I have found that he starts eating the plastic and unless I'm there to supervise I'm not that keen to leave them with him knowing what he does with them.

Edited November 17, 2008 by poochmad

[Luke W]

Thanks Luke. He currently gets pigs ears and raw hide treats...however, it appears he ignores these and concentrates his efforts on the door frame!

We'll try the bitter spray - presume I just get it from a pet shop?

Those chew toys seem interesting - are those 'rings' beef hide?

Pet Shop or Vet for the bitter spray. Otherwise online.

The Busy Buddy comes with 2 different types of hide. You can buy refills seperately.

Type 1: Rawhide Washer Contents: Rawhide, Human Grace Glycerin, Non-animal Based Flavor

Typical Analysis: Crude Protein: 60.24%, Crude Fat: 0.07%, Moisture: 15.99% Dietary Fiber: 0.62%

Type 2: Cornstarch Washer Contents: Cornstarch, Rice Starch, Human Grade Glycerin, Wheat Gluten, Non-animal Based bacon Flavor

Typical Analysis: Crude Protein: 0.5%, Crude Fat: 0.2%, Crude Fiber: 2.0% max, Moisture: 13%

Barkly loves to chew his Busy Buddy - even without the RAW hides. It's his favorite chew toy. I think he fell in love with it when it had the hide rings in it, now he loves the white nylon end bits. I do put a hide ring it it for special occasions

[poochmad]

They look great - will definitely give them a go.

We've discussed other ideas and we're going to run a steel beam from the wall into the pen area and hang things off it like upside down kongs (stuffed with frozen treats), toys, etc. It will be like a little play gym!

[Gretel]

Aerogard on things you don't want chewed works well too

[Gayle.]

A few weeks ago, a friend of mine bought me a Kong Biscuit Ball for Benson. I stuff it full of bone shaped biscuits and give it to him during rest breaks at training, and it keeps him occupied for ages.

I had him at an obedience trail and the wait to go in the ring was never ending so I gave him the biscuit ball to keep him occupied. Another Australian Shephed owner came up to me after a while and asked what it was. She said "I've been watching him for ages and it's kept his mouth, paws and mind busy for ages. And he's an AUSSIE!!!!"

Aussies get bored fairly easily.

I currently have it stuffed with kibble and devon and in the freezer, cos I want to see how that works for warm days.

[fbaudry]

Yes, Fbaudry, he is cute...but man he's becoming a little bugger ...he's actually got all his teeth now...so what used to be little bite marks (when he had his baby teeth) is now becoming a lot worse now he's using his adult teeth...

ETA: I've given him plastic bottles before, but I have found that he starts eating the plastic and unless I'm there to supervise I'm not that keen to leave them with him knowing what he does with them.

Sorry I meant Archie doesn't chew plastic bottles; since Henschke does, I agree and wouldn't let him play with them unsupervised.

Luke, you should be getting a commission on the Bouncy Bones sales..... You convinced me and I just ordered one! the number of toys we have is getting out of control :cool:

[Monah]

Oh dear! Luke has some great ideas

My spin has been through a lot of our furniture etc, but at 18 months has settled down a bit, now concentrates on loo rolls if anyone is silly enough to leave one on the holder :p

I don't want to frighten you( ) but my neighbours 2 cockers ATE her laundry, walls, doors , screen, skirting boards etc. and they were only in there for bed, the rest of the time with the 4 kids or her all day!!! so not bored. Then, when I babysat them for 2 weeks last christmas, they ate my vinyl flooring and several less important parts of the house, not bored here either!! with 3 other dogs 4 cats and humans around ALL the time. They ate the floor when we went to a movie and I put them in a room together, an EMPTY room so they could not destroy anything, well, they did ;)

All I have to say is, GOOD LUCK

[dogon]

I don't want to frighten you( ) but my neighbours 2 cockers ATE her laundry, walls, doors , screen, skirting boards etc. and they were only in there for bed, the rest of the time with the 4 kids or her all day!!! so not bored.

Surely that's a 'puppy thing' not exclusive to the little cockers

[Christina]

Try the huge marrow bones. I get the butcher to saw them in half length ways & then across into 4 as my dogs are very small but you can have them left bigger. Keeps them busy for weeks & they still chew on them forever after all meat has gone.

Pups do just chew. You can only really move what you don't want wrecked & give them something to stick in their mouth.

[Luke W]

Luke, you should be getting a commission on the Bouncy Bones sales..... You convinced me and I just ordered one! the number of toys we have is getting out of control

If only I had shares in the company!

I'm sure Archie will love it!

[claireybell]

I totally agree with Luke about the Bouncy Bone. IT'S BRILLIANT! I would be lost without mine. I have a teething beagle and she never lets her's go. The little bugger even brings it to bed and rests her head on while she sleeps. I got mine from a pet supply store for $17.95 and it was the best money I have ever spent.

Another idea which has also worked with my puppy and which was suggested on the forum is an empty coke bottle (or any soft drink bottle) with bits of carrot in it. Jodie tears her's apart and loves it. Not as much as the bouncy bone but its still chewable

[poochmad]

Try the huge marrow bones. I get the butcher to saw them in half length ways & then across into 4 as my dogs are very small but you can have them left bigger. Keeps them busy for weeks & they still chew on them forever after all meat has gone.

Pups do just chew. You can only really move what you don't want wrecked & give them something to stick in their mouth.

I seem to have picked the worse breed in the world!!! Apparently so we've been told by the breeder, the breed has 'soft' teeth and to not give him bones...I guess marrow bones would be out of the question? Besides chicken bones are there 'soft' bones that could keep him occupied all day?

[Gayle.]

Brisket bones might keep him occupied for a while, especially the larger chunks from around the breastbone area. Brisket bones aren't weight bearing bones and they have a honeycomb type of construction, so are easy for dogs to crunch through. I'd be inclined to give one or two under supervision first to see how he goes, but ask your butcher for some larger ones.

[Gayle.]

I must have the only puppy in history who has never chewed anything she shouldn't. Honestly, Dusty is the BEST behaved puppy I have ever owned, or even known, for that matter. I can leave her in a room full of shoes, toys, clothes, etc and she never touches anything. She's never even chewed up her toys.

My daughter laughs when Dusty takes my slipper under the bed.....most dogs would chew it up, Dusty just sniffs it and licks it then brings it back out.

Benson, on the other hand.....loves unstuffing things and has destoyed countless beds (his, not ours!) but overall, he's been pretty good and not destroyed anything too valuable.

[Erny]

I know that you are looking for alternatives to keep your puppy mentally stimulated and it is great that you are mindful of the need to do so, but how long do you think you'll need to contain him in a 3m x 3m area and for what periods of time at any one stretch? That's not a very big space for a 5.5 month old who needs to stretch his legs and exercise throughout the day, IMO.

[fbaudry]

I must have the only puppy in history who has never chewed anything she shouldn't. Honestly, Dusty is the BEST behaved puppy I have ever owned, or even known, for that matter. I can leave her in a room full of shoes, toys, clothes, etc and she never touches anything. She's never even chewed up her toys.

My daughter laughs when Dusty takes my slipper under the bed.....most dogs would chew it up, Dusty just sniffs it and licks it then brings it back out.

Benson, on the other hand.....loves unstuffing things and has destoyed countless beds (his, not ours!) but overall, he's been pretty good and not destroyed anything too valuable.

Same here.... I wouldn't say mine are angels but Olaf (that we got as an adult rescue) never destroyed anything, and Archie (now 6 months old) is the same. I wish he would use his toys more when we're away as he seems to ignore them but he hasn't touched anything he shouldn't (except for 2 crappy plastic pots with dying plants!).

Even when he was at the peak of his teething he was never really interested in nylabones, ropes and other chew toys. He would gnaw on them politely if I held them for him but would soon get bored. On the other hand he still spends hours on his soft toys but amazingly hasn't destroyed or even damaged any. Olaf's first soft toys have been used on a daily basis for close to 4 years now and are still intact (just need a good wash every now and then)

I thought it was just the breed (they're meant to be soft mouthed) but obviously not, so I guess I should consider myself lucky in that regard!