Bored Doodle!?

[Jenna B. & Chianti]

I have a bored doodle in a cast! I am going insane, it is SO obvious she is bored out of her mind. Normally, I would take her for a walk, but we can't with her fractured leg. We've played, we've learned some new tricks, we've had a peanut butter filled Kong, we've people watched from the balcony, we've had a massage, and we've attempted to snuggle on the couch. Any other brilliant ideas for a housebound dog?

[Leslie J]

OMG... your poor girl! How about taking her for a ride in a stroller? Perhaps there is a way that you can buckle her in and take her for a walk. Does she like car rides? A visit to the pet shop (sitting in the shopping cart on a towel?

I hope she is up and around soon!

[Lori]

Or a wagon. My daughter likes to load our dogs into her old wagon and cart them around. They seem to enjoy it. I've found with our puppy that sometimes even if he can't go for a walk, just taking him somewhere like a visit to my dad's - which is a two and a half hour drive each way - is different enough and mentally challenging enough that it tires him out. Same with puppy training class...maybe this would be a good time to find a good trainer and get a jump start on training? I think dog's are like people in that respect - mental stimulation tires them out just like physical exercise does. It would definitely help with the boredom! I hope she gets her cast off soon!

[Amy K.]

I've seen some "puzzle" type dog toys at some pet stores... like a very large block filled with a few treats and they have to turn it certain ways to get the treats to fall out. There were also a couple mental stimulation toys like this featured on a fairly recent episode of "It's Me or the Dog" on Animal Planet. It was a episode with a dog named "Mr. Black," and the trainer was suggesting these toys for the dog who had become a destructive chewer because of boredom.

Hope your puppy is better soon!