Curing the boredom...

[Kerri B. & Zoey]

Not mine (are you kidding...having a new puppy is ANYTHING but boring. LOL), but Zoey's.  Let me back up a moment.  Zoey has basically been on quarantine since she came home July 30th (she can basically be in the house and out in the backyard, which is not that large or interesting).  The reason being that due to a lot of ignorant pet owners in my community, Parvo runs rampant here, and you are taking a big risk by taking a puppy out in public before they have all their shots.  So needless to say, with each passing week, Zoey has more & more energy and not a lot of outlets to expend it.  We have 7 more weeks of this and I know my mom who is providing puppy daycare is going nuts.  I think the fact that Zoey might be experiencing some boredom only aggravates the negative puppy behavior that I'm sure many of you are experiencing (the nipping, the biting, the jumping, the barking).  Aside from bringing home the entire pet store to keep her entertained, anyone have any suggestions for curing this pup's boredom?  I am trying to work on basic commands & training with her.  Maybe the "work" will help wear her out mentally & physically.  If anyone has any other ideas, I'm all ears.

[Eva and Fenway]

Kerri, 

 

I was right there with you before Fenway finished her Parvo series. I did two things that worked for me. 

 

1. I put a lot of toys inside other toys (balls inside of those mesh-looking balls) or played fetch when possible. 

 

2. I signed her up for puppy class. I know this is still definitely a risk, but in my mind the tradeoff on getting her socialized and completely tired was worth it. She LOVED her class. I cannot even begin to explain how much. Also, she has a good basis for training now and is much easier handle than when she was new to me. It helped our bonding process immensely. 

 

 

Right now, of course, she's stuck mostly in her crate due to injury.. so I'm at a loss for how to help THAT type of boredom :)

[Nancy Pyzynski]

A puppy class or daycare that you could go to a couple of days a week might be just the thing for you.  In our experience, all the puppies had to be vaccinated prior to attending.  Our dog loved going, got great social time and learned how to be a well behaved, happy, social dog.  Best of all, she was blissfully tired at the end of the day!

 

[Kerri B. & Zoey]

Actually Zoey is enrolled to begin basic obedience, two days after she completes her vaccinations.  I am just too nervous to tempt fate and take her to a class or daycare before she has all them (my vet says they see multiple puppy Parvo cases a week - ughhh).  I am counting down the days to the first class.  LOL.

[Anne G.]

We went through the same thing and yes, it does seem like forever, but as they say "this too shall pass". Our puppy class required the full set of vaccinations so we just waited it out. We found a litter mate that lived about 20 miles away and we got together with them for a play date but that was about it. The good thing is now it seems like a distant memory.

[Jen & Ember]

I have a 10 wk old puppy and some of the ways we pass the time is by doing training (basic commands), playing (working lots on 'no bite'!!!), visit family that is closeby with vaccinated dogs and big yard to run in, trips in the car, and also crate training. Also, my big goal is that she is able to find things to entertain herself in non-destructive ways, so I have lots of toys that she can chew on and play with. When she goes to those toys and gets busy, I praise and give treats.  

 

I would like to get her signed up for a class soon. Need to look into that. 

[Kerri B. & Zoey]

Well I wound up getting a few new toys yesterday and put some of the older ones away (I think she might have been getting bored with them, so maybe putting them away for awhile & then reintroducing them back will help keep things interesting and not brake my bank account).  Yesterday she got to spend a good chunk of the afternoon outside while I put my new patio furniture together and also got to go on a car ride when we went to pick it up, so that kind of tuckered her out.  I'll just have to try & keep mixing things up and keep working the basics with her until we cross this hurdle.  Thanks for the advice everyone.

[Harper]

We played fetch inside the house (with soft toys only since they hit the walls) and when there are two of us available we would play keep away with a frisbee and Harper would get pretty tired jumping for the frisbee.  Those are the most tiring indoor activities we tried.