Dog
and cat pet tips - on Pets.ca
Cat illness, dog is sick, behavior problems....Once
a week Pets.ca will publish a pet tip.
Tip - 7- Dog boredom
and inappropriate chewing
These days many of us
are busier than ever and leave our dogs completely alone for
long periods of time, sometimes for 12 hours or more. Then we
come home to find that the dog has been chewing on all our favorite
shoes, clothes, furniture legs, wires etc. Then of course it
is the dog that gets yelled at, scolded or heaven forbid
hit.
First off this really
isn't fair to a dog, and if you have this busy a lifestyle, and
you are thinking about getting a dog, maybe you shouldn't. Other
pets may well be more appropriate. Dogs are pack animals by nature;
this means that they need companionship and don't like being
left alone for long periods.
If you are in this scenario
perhaps you could ask a neighbor or friend to walk or play with
your dog in the middle of the day. If you can afford it, a dog
walker is a great idea.
The number one
cause of inappropriate chewing when you are not home is boredom.
At
the very least, provide your dogs with good toys to amuse themselves.
Many toys can be stuffed with peanut butter or other dog
treats. This gives the dog something appropriate to do when you
are not
around. Another tip is to keep the television or the radio on.
Talk radio is thought to be better than music and is soothing
to most dogs. Nothing though, can replace human interaction,
not even a second dog, which is not a good idea if you don't
even have time for the first one.
See the
other pet tips here:
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