Keeping Your Dog Entertained

Let's face it, sometimes we get bored.  Well, sometimes our dogs get bored too!  How do you know when your dog is bored?  Well, generally they sleep when they're bored (Did you know that dogs can sleep 18 hours a day?! Whoa!).  But some dogs (especially puppies) tend to act out when they are bored.  This is where counter-surfing, cupboard raiding, tearing up your important papers and digging up your yard come into play. 

So, how do you stop this atrocious behavior?  You give the pup something to do!  The best option is working on training or going for a nice long walk, but if you are working or otherwise  busy when your dog needs something to occupy his mind, there are lots of things out there to help you out!

A favorite in our house and the one I generally fall back on, is the Kong toy, which can be found in most pet stores.  I fill them up with their food (make sure you measure so you can subtract it from their daily serving.  All calories count!)  and then seal it in with some natural peanut butter.  Pop it in the freezer for a bit so the PB hardens and... TADA! Instant free time -- uh, I mean playtime.  Yeah.  Also, these bounce really funny and go all over the place, so they make "ball" more interesting, fyi.

There are also many interactive dog toys popping up on the market recently, such as:

• Nina Ottosson
• DogIt Mind Games

I have not tried the 2 above, yet.  But I will review them as soon as I do.

What are your favorite Interactive Dog toys?