8 Ways To Keep Your Dog Entertained Throughout A Lockdown
When it comes to the Coronavirus, we’ve all had enough at this point. But that doesn’t mean we’re not all facing our own battles behind the front door of the house.
For one, what if we’re self-isolating and we have pets during lockdown in need of their daily walk?
And it’s not only physical stimulation we should be thinking about, but also mental stimulation. Both play an essential part in how to keep your dogs safe during lockdown by alleviating their stress and anxiety.
For example, if a pet is pacing, circling, repeatedly adjusting his position or changing his sleeping patterns. Any of these could mean they are experiencing restlessness in the same ways we would.
That’s why the team here at Hiputee are lending a helping paw in this challenging time. In fact, we’ve come up with 8 different types of at-home activity for you and your best bud to try. Because, where pets are family, it’s just as important to know how to keep your dogs entertained during lockdown.
1. Enhance Walkies with New At-Home Routes
Now, going for a morning walk with your pup isn’t quite the same as it used to be. Especially when leaving the house is becoming more questionable.
As well as this, everyone is trying to adjust to this “new normal”. So, a great way to create new routines with cardio exercise includes putting the collar and lead on. Then, it means walking around your home (whether it’s a house or apartment).
Of course, we do suggest trying to spice things up a little. For example, by creating a specific route that could stimulate your fluffy pets during the lockdown. Both in the mental and physical capacities such as placing hidden treats or moving furniture around to create “newness”.
Maybe even incorporate a bit of hide-and-go-seek into the mix!
2. Use Dog Puzzle Feeders
There are a few good reasons to get your hands on a new puzzle feeder. Especially when learning how to keep your dogs entertained during lockdown.
For example, they promote fitness, balanced weight, slowed eating, safe digestion, cool behaviour, reduced stress, lowered barking, maintained attention spans and more.
Even better, it means entertaining dogs during lockdown doesn’t have to become a full-time job. And it won’t be taking you away from any other work-from-home duties you might have.
But when shopping, a tip is to ensure you choose the difficulty of a puzzle feeder suitable for your pet. If it’s their first one, maybe don’t go for the Rubik’s Cube-looking device and maybe head towards the maze.
3. Make Sure They Get Enough Sleep
It’s worth noting adult dogs get 12-14 hours of sleep, daily, while younger pups will need a few more zzz’s. As well as this, our fluffy friends normally catch up on their sleep at home while we’re out at work. But that isn’t something we can say for all the pets during lockdown.
With us being at home, our dogs aren’t used to seeing us around all the time. With this, they’re more likely to remain stimulated or look for attention.
Yet, a key trick for how to keep your dogs safe during lockdown is making sure they’re getting their sleep. After all, good sleeping habits lead to a healthy and happy life. This, of course, applies to both us and our pets during a lockdown.
A way to do this is to try and track the balance of sleeping hours throughout the day. Alternatively, you can think about creating a new quiet zone with a new bed. And place it in a spot where they’re not going to be disturbed by you, the kids or anything else.
If you’re not sure how to go about getting the next best bed for the quiet zone, have a look at our other article where we go a little more in-depth; “How to Find the Right Pad for your Pooch”.
4. Teach and Old Dog New Tricks
So, there are a couple of things to keep in mind.
Training is the perfect solution for how to keep your dogs entertained during lockdown. This is because it provides a high level of mental stimulation. That said, depending on how you approach training time, it can add to the level of stress they may be experiencing without being able to escape on all fours into the great outdoors.
So, try to make your lessons brief and easy to understand with a hint of fun stirred into the mix. Try to make them last around 4-5 minutes in up to 3 sessions throughout the day.
And you’ve got so much choice for entertaining dogs during lockdown with at-home tricks. From a high-five and a roll-over to speak and dance.
5. Stock Up on Medication and Low-Energy Treats
We’re all in the same boat of having lockdown thrown at us without much notice. But essentially, if you’re wondering how to keep your pet safe during lockdown, follow the simple rules such as stocking up.
When it comes to entertaining dogs during lockdown, it’s worth knowing you’re in a smaller space to explore. So, it’s important to have medication and bandages at the ready. As well as this, have some treats to help keep them stimulated for those tricks we mentioned earlier.
Even if you’re not out for your daily walks or exploring concrete jungles, you should always prepare for the worst. Some annoyances such as fleas, ticks, heartworms and Toxoplasma Gondii can make their way into the home no matter what.
So, grab an extra month’s stock of necessary medication atop any diet plans for your pets during lockdown. That said, if you want to learn more about protecting your pet against these annoyances, have a read of “Toxoplasma Gondii Symptoms in Dogs and its Treatment”.
6. Get a New Toy for Something Different
While on the hunt for how to keep your dogs entertained during the lockdown, don’t overlook the simple approach. Consider getting them a new toy or two.
For example, our Round Chew Wood Bone Toy or Rectangular Wood Toy.
One tip from the team for entertaining dogs during lockdown regardless of how long you’re in it is to grab a couple of toys so you can rotate them each week.
This way, you’re sure they’re clean and your dog is always stimulated by the next best thing in the house.
7. Play Games of Tug-of-War Together
Tug of war is considered one of the best games for most dogs. While some people associate it with aggression problems in dogs, there’s no solid evidence to prove it.
In fact, it can be the perfect exercise that also strengthens the bond you have with your pets during lockdown. It also infuses confidence in your timid dog and decreases negative behaviours. For example, when your dog mouths you, hand them a tug to reinforce rewards outside of nipping.
So, indulge your pet in a game of tug-of-war with toys like our Knotted Big Handle Figure Toy or our Dumble Rope.
8. Practice New Forms of Doggy Massage
Finally on our list of the 8 best ways to be entertaining dogs during lockdown is the doggy massage.
Also known in the four-legged community as the canine massage, they can be done at home!
They give your barking bud some great benefits including stress relief, relaxation and reduced nervousness. In fact, more veterinarians these days are prescribing it as an effective physical therapy to assist in rehabilitation and reduce pain.
And that’s a wrap for the top 8 ways to keep your dog entertained throughout a lockdown.
We hope this article helps to give a better understanding of how to keep your dogs safe during lockdown. And we hope you’ve now got some ideas under your belt for how to keep your dogs entertained during lockdown. If we can give one last tip, it’s to savour these close moments together while locked in the house.
When you’re heading off to work again, you’ll miss not having your best friend by your side; after all, entertaining dogs during lockdown isn’t just good for them, it’s a stress-reliever for us, too.
At Hiputee, we’re dedicated to providing the best quality products for your pets to make them feel forever loved. We believe that pets are working hard to bring joy to our lives, so it's time to give them the same happiness back with new beds, toys and pet houses!