What's A Good Way Of Entertaining The Dogs?

[Pawfect]

In Summer it's a bit easier because I give them frozen blocks with treats inside & freeze food inside Kongs - takes them ages to get through them and when they do they're exhausted! ;)

However in Winter it's too cold for frozen treats, and it takes them no time to get the food out of kongs when it's not frozen. I scatter food around the yard in the hope they'll spend all day looking for the bits, but they're getting really good at finding it now so that game doesn't last long either. I had treat balls, but they keep burying them in the garden

Unfortunately I can't give them fresh bones because they might fight over them. Plus they're a bit picky with toys, so rotating toys doesn't help much cause they always want the same one (and will only play with it when i'm there).

Any other ideas to keep them busy outside while i'm at work?

Note - they're very good and don't get upto mischief or anything (plus sleep most of the time so the spies tell me) - I'd just like to keep them busy so they're not bored, plus keep their minds active).

*Sorry if this topic has already been done, but I don't visit 'General' often & couldn't find anything in the search*

[Enigma]

Bring them to my place and i will play with them ;)

[Pawfect]

Bring them to my place and i will play with them

Pity you're not on my way to work cause Princess Missy would LOVE to add you to her slave collection! Constant tummy rubs are a must ;)

(however Dex would drop you at the sight of your dogs - he's a small fluffy that thinks he's a grey! LOL)

[Genabee]

I would be interested to know of any responses to this too!

Have you tried suspending a tennis ball (or any dog friendly ball really) in a thick stocking from the clothes line? This keeps Genevieve busy for a while...

[GSD FAN]

Maybe hiring a dog walker to come and walk them or just play with them in the backyard???

[percyk]

if theyre not destructive then id not worry too much

mine have each other and they sleeep

thats what they do on the weekend if we arent out and about

you could walk them in the morning to make sure theyre tired and full of nice smellymemories from their walk

[Pawfect]

I would be interested to know of any responses to this too!

Have you tried suspending a tennis ball (or any dog friendly ball really) in a thick stocking from the clothes line? This keeps Genevieve busy for a while...

That's a good idea - will def give it a go. If the doggies don't like it i'm sure the cat would (in his enclosure)

GSD Fan - I don't really have the spare $$ to hire anyone, but I wonder if my G'father might be interested in visting them occasionally if I leave out some food for him :D ...might be worth a try

They DO sleep most of the time, so i'm not too worried.... but I like to throw a few suprises in to keep them guessing sometimes!

Edited August 2, 2010 by Pawfect

[piper]

1 trick I have used with kongs in winter to make them trickier to empty is to put a little cheese on top then put them in the microwave for a few seconds. Cheese melts down through the dry food and as it cools sets hard.

I stand the kongs up with the large opening at the top in a coffee mug when I put them in the microwave so that they stay upright and allow the cheese to go into them.

What about a sand pit - a clam shell or designated area of the yard and bury some food in ther for them to find? Start off with it on top, then just covered and gradually put it in deeper.

[helen]

My dogs love these http://aussiedog.com.au/index.php?main_pag...products_id=186 - they are treat balls but the beauty of these is that they have a marble or something inside so even if the food runs out the dogs still enjoy playing with the ball - just in case

[FranVT]

*deep breath*

Ice cube trays with a bit of sardines smooshed in the bottom or a bit of peanut butter, bit of water and frozen in summer or as is in winter, plastic softdrink bottle with lid removed and treats inside, big split raw beef shin bones, kongs full of stuff as piper said (I use peanut butter or in summer I fill them with water (plug both ends and remove plugs when giving to dogs), put some sardine chunks in there and freeze), if you have a lawn sprinkle bits of kibble around so they have to hunt for it, clam shells are great too, I have a bubble machine with bacon flavoured bubbles that emits a bubble every so often for Luuka to chase (thanks to CW EW for that idea), ummm gosh so many things! Not all at the same time obviously

[CareyJ]

My dogs love these http://aussiedog.com.au/index.php?main_pag...products_id=186 - they are treat balls but the beauty of these is that they have a marble or something inside so even if the food runs out the dogs still enjoy playing with the ball - just in case

I second this!

I'm sure it drives the neighbours nuts because it makes such a racket on the concrete!

[BCPuppy]

Marlin has long ago found all the places I hide treats and visits them all in turn before I even leave for work If you dont mind a bit of a mess, I put treats in small (stout) cardboard boxes and she has to rip them apart to get to them, old socks with treats in, the kong of course, anything she has to work for really. She got bored very quickly with the knotted rope I had hanging from the beams and now ignores it. Summertime the frozen treat blocks last about 5 minutes here and food goes off very quickly, so have to be careful what i put in them. She would be happy if I left a sprinkler on as that is the best fun in the world, but would come home to a complete mud patch! She has play dates with a friend the odd afternoon, we take turns in whose garden gets destroyed.

Edited August 3, 2010 by BCPuppy

[nikivds]

I give my guys buster cubes (http://www.bustercube.com/), bones and frozen kongs (yes, even in winter) I think if its too cold they will just wait for it to melt before they eat it but i don't think the cold bothers them because they attack the kongs as soon as I put them in there. Someone else posted a great idea in another thread (sorry cant remember who) about freezing a rope into the kong and tying it to the washing line so at some stage when it melts it will fall down on the ground for an extra surprise!

I'd like to know what I can do with my 14 week old ETT pup, he is crated while im at uni twice a week for about 3 hours in the morning and then again for 2 hours in the afternoon. I give him toys and a bone and kong but when I get back he hasn't touched the bone or kong and has just shredded his bed and fabric toys...the main worry for me is that the other day he threw up a piece of fabric from his bed and I'm worried some will get stuck in his intestines because I've experienced dogs at the vet where I work who have swallowed fabric leading to part of their intestines dying. Any idea how to encourage him to eat the bones/kong instead? When I get home he sleeps for a few hours so I don't think he sleeps at all while I'm away. I have crate trained him from the start and he is fine to stay in his crate for hours while I'm at agility trials but just not when he's left at home alone. I have thought about taking away his bed but I think it's too cold (even though he wears a coat in his crate). Ideas/suggestions would be appreciated! (sorry for partially hijacking the thread)

ETA: my older boys stay in a run outside with a small shed attached, I can't put envy in there yet because I don't trust him with the others yet incase he gets stepped on etc. and he currently fits through the pen bars

Edited August 3, 2010 by nikivds

[Pawfect]

Yay - thanks for all the ideas. I'm putting them all on a list and will try them all.

(can't wait to see the dog's response!)...