Have fun with your pet
30/01/2008 Dogs don’t just enjoy going out for walks, they enjoy playing inside the house as well which helps to keep them occupied.
There are many commercial dog toys available.

Tip about toys:
Get a selection of toys but don’t give them to your dog all at once, give them a couple to play with and put the rest away somewhere. Every week or so take away the toys they already have and replace them with new ones. The old ones can then be put away to be used again at a later date. By rotating the toys the dog doesn’t get too bored with the same ones all the time.
Kongs are a good way to occupy your dog they are a hollow toy which you can place food in the middle so the animal has to manipulate it to get the food out. There are lots of boredom buster toys available including roller balls, buster cubes, pyramids, etc.
Tip about Kongs:
If you put the Kong in the freezer it will make it harder for the dog to get the food out thus occupying them for longer periods of time.

Basic obedience training can be a fun activity for the dog as it makes them think. Basics such as sit, down, leave and heel can make your dog easier to handle and challenge the dog into using their brain.

Tip about training:
When training your dog do it in short sessions no more than 30 minutes at a time as the animal may become bored and see it as a chore not fun.
Using small treats like a bit of ham as a reward when they do something right will help speed up the process.
Going to a few obedience classes first run by trainers will help to give you an idea of how to train you dog.