There’s no doubt about it, these have been some very strange and worrisome weeks, its completely uncharted territory to us, dealing with a widespread virus. We have the guidelines and advice from HSE and WHO on good sanitation and hand-washing practices down hopefully and we are all doing our bit to help curb the impact the coronavirus is having on Ireland which is a positive. With Taoiseach Leo Varadkar’s speech earlier in the week to close all schools and colleges and advising us all to work from home where we can and many cafes, events, pubs and gatherings closed or cancelled, there is one being very happy about how much time we will be spending at home, our dogs! With this comes some other uncharted territory, working from home with our dogs and having our usual little shadows pottering about the house delighted to be seeing so much of us. However, how many times have you tried taking an important phone call at home when the postman shows up and your pup does his usual barking frenzy or tried working on a laptop only to get a paw lumped onto the keyboard or a nose pressed over the screen looking for some attention? So, with this in mind, from us to you, here’s our guide on keeping your four legged friend working while you are and making the most out of having to spend so much time at home! There is a mix of everything from mental stimulation to help tire your dog out for the day so they can nap while you work and things to keep your dog happy and distracted so you can get things done.
1. The Which Hand Game
This is where you take a tasty treat, give your dog a chance to have a smell then place the treat in one of your hands, close your fist and hold them in front of your dog so they can choose one. If they get it wrong, don’t discourage them, let them keep trying until they get it right. When they pick the right hand, let them have a treat and try again. Assign, the command ‘touch,’ every time your dog gets it right as it will be helpful for future training.
Our dogs have excellent noses but they need to learn to utilize them. Just like us they’re used to relying on visual cues in their normal day to day activities. Simple nose work games help hone in their natural sniffing ability, and it’s a nice mental workout. It’s also a fun game for us too.
2. Stuffed Kong and K9 connectable
Rubber Kongs and other mental stimulation toys are the active dog owner’s best friend. Make sure whatever stimulation toy you get it is of high quality and won’t break apart when your dog uses their powerful jaws to work away at them. Fill them up with all kind of doggy-favorite treats. For example, try oily sardines, natural greek yogurt, peanut butter, biscuit treats, carrot and apple slices, coconut oil, chicken pieces or mixing different kinds of varieties together. Try freezing the toys the night before you plan on using them so that they last extra long when you give them to your pup. Top Tip: Try feeding your dog his meals in a Kong so that they have to work for their food and meal times last longer, it also helps to slow down hasty eaters.
3. Make a scavenger hunt or play ‘find the treats’
These kind of games are brilliant ways of keeping your dog busy. Make sure you use extra smelly treats like cubes of cheese or bacon pieces and start off with easy places your dog will work out straight away and work up to more complicated places. You can even assign a command to your dog finding things for you like, ‘Go Find,’ or ‘Search’ and make sure you give them lots of praise when they find the treats. Before you start playing, get your dog accustomed to using his nose by dragging the treat along the ground so they can pick up the scent. All breeds will enjoy this kind of game, but hound dogs like beagles, basset hounds, retrievers etc. will go crazy for this kind of nose challenge. This game can also get larger and take place outside in the garden, as we are coming into brighter days, scatter the treats on the ground or in the grass, also a great way to feed them their breakfast! They’ll spend ages working their way and self rewarding finding the food and come back in wiped and ready for a sleep. This is something any school kids and teenagers can do and will really enjoy too!
4. Teach your dog the names of their toys
Many dogs are great at picking up the names of their treats, toys or different times of the day. How often has your dog reacted to words you’ve said around them that you never intentionally taught them. For example, Louis, a rescue American Bulldog and former PAWS dog gets excited when anyone ever asks ‘are you hungry?’ around him. Here’s how you teach him the names of his individual toys. Start off by playing with one specific toy and giving it a name while you do, like teddy or ball. After some practice & praise your dog will assign that verbal name with the chosen toy . Once your dog has learned that specific toy’s name you can test their skills by seeing if they can pick it out among their other toys. This is a game that can be played over and over, and expanded every time. Your dog will love pleasing you every time he gets it right and will enjoy showing off his smarts for you. You can start this by even just mentioning one or two toys like “teddy” or “ball” while you sit at the laptop and your dog will pick up the idea.
5. Master the basics of obedience training
Does your dog know the basic obedience commands like Sit, Stay and Come on command? Either way, the boring winter nights may just be the ideal time to perfect them. These commands can be more than just good to know for trick training but a good Stay can be very helpful at several times throughout the day, like getting in the car or feeding time, and can help teach your dog to have patience. Also, a good recall or Come command could save your dog from sticky situations like approaching something he shouldn’t, such as a reactive dog in the park or livestock. Even well trained dogs need a refresher course every now and then to help keep them sharp. There are lots of good dog training tutorials on YouTube such as Victoria Stillwell. Any kind of training is always advised to be done in ten to fifteen minute intervals throughout the day rather than block sessions once or twice every couple of days so this can be done in sporadic sessions whenever you get a chance or even just walking into different rooms, get your dog to Sit and Wait and allow you to enter a doorway first, making for a very mannerly dog who will get the idea quickly!
6. Play a game of Tug of Way with your dog
Another great thing to de-stress during these times of worry is a tug o war. It is extremely tiring, both mentally and physically. The good news is you don’t need a ton of room to play so it can be done indoors. Make sure your dog has a good “drop it” or “leave it” command and have some fun with it. It can also be a good workout for you too!
7. Enjoy a good grooming session
Although your dog won’t find a grooming session as exciting as a game of tug it is something that needs to be done from time to time. Our dogs need to be brushed, bathed, have their teeth brushed, and have their nails trimmed when they start to get long. It doesn’t have to be a long coated breed or even have any special tools, a good slicker brush suits most coat types and this is also something the kids can carry out.
Some dogs tolerate grooming better than others, and the more you practice using positive rewards the easier it will become. Don’t be afraid to hand out lots of treats during a grooming session – you want to ensure your dog will associate grooming habits with a positive experience. It can also be a great session of bonding time for you and your dog.
8. Create an indoor or outdoor obstacle course for your dog
Sounds messy but it doesn’t have to be. Have your dog jump over some towels, cardboard boxes, weave in and out of their toys and finish by lying down on a towel. Use your imagination and take your time getting your dog to perfect his way through each obstacle with lots of treats. You never know by the Summer, you could be entering agility trials but for now your dog will just relish getting your appraisal by doing something fun for both them and you. In the garden or in the park, you can have a mini obstacle course with logs, rock or a bench, get your dog to jump up, and then sit and wait for your cue to jump down again.
After a nice training, mental stimulation session or a good walk, the evenings are longer and we are coming into Spring, make sure to include some relaxation time like cuddling up on the couch with your pup. This will benefit you too. We all need to unwind and your dog will love lounging around with you after your day working from home with some training or mental stimulation just as much as you will. After all, that’s the best thing about working from home should you have to !
