Keeping Your Pooch Happy

In today's world most people don't have much time to spend with their dog. With a hectic lifestyle a dog can be left alone for many hours without stimulation which can lead to inactivity boredom and overall unhappiness. Boredom signals Boredom can lead to behavioral problems such as separation anxiety as the dog dreads being left alone again. Dogs can become destructive - as an attempt to amuse themselves, and as a behavioral problem. They start to bark incessantly, and can become aggressive. Five points that can improve the happiness of your dogs Obedience work, Exercise and outdoor play, Play, Exposure to the World, Chewing Objects Obedience work 'Work therapy' is often used to quiet a dog down. It is essentially hand signals and commands that bring dogs under better control. It reinforces the handler's status as leader of the dog's pack. Every act of obedience by the dog acknowledges the handler's authority. You can train your dog yourself, or attend obedience classes, or even send your dog to training school. Exercise and outdoor play Providing the dog access to once or even twice a day running exercises can do wonders to your dogs overall mental health and happiness. Allowing your dog to be free and not bogged down by a leash would improve the exercise but is not essential. A fenced park or any other open, but safe area, would be best for this. Play There are many indestructible toys available, some of which you can hide food inside that you can leave with a dog on its own. Regular play sessions with other dogs are a good idea as well as with the owner with a tennis racquet and ball, or a frisbee. Canine neighborhood playgroups have enormous benefits, as long as the dogs' temperaments are complementary and the owners prepared for the possibility of vigorous chasing, barking and digging, at least until they have settled down into a routine. Exposure to the world Allowing dogs to watch the world go by has a pacifying effect on them. Dogs that are let out to the front yard for short periods tend to bark, so by allowing them long periods of access to the streetfront they will eventually settle down when their need for stimulation is satisfied. This will depend on the nature and the variation in stimulation perceived. Chewing object Direct a dog's natural chewing behavior onto a large raw bone such as shins and shanks, or a rawhide bone or similar chewing toy. If your dog buries its bone, provide more so that there is not the need to store them for a day when they are scarce.