Last Updated on 05/10/2024 by Aapt Dubey
How to Keep Your Dog Entertained and Happy When Home Alone
Leaving your dog alone can be tough for both of you. Here’s how to prevent boredom, anxiety, and destructive behaviors:
Understanding Why Dogs Get Bored Alone
- Social Animals: Dogs thrive on companionship and may feel lonely or anxious when left alone.
- Lack of Stimulation: Without mental and physical stimulation, dogs get restless and may resort to destructive behaviors.
Signs of Boredom and Separation Anxiety
- Excessive Barking: Constant barking or whining
- Destructive Chewing: Destroying furniture or household items.
- Overly Excited Greetings: Jumping and excessive energy when you return.
- Anxious Behaviors: Pacing, panting, or accidents in the house.
How to Keep Your Dog Busy and Content
- Interactive Toys:
- Puzzle toys filled with treats
- Durable chew toys
- Frozen Kong filled with peanut butter or treats
- Mental Stimulation:
- Play fetch or hide-and-seek before you leave
- Schedule a morning walk for exercise
- Leave on calming music or the TV for background noise.
- Appealing Environment:
- Provide a comfy spot with a view out the window
- Leave out safe, familiar toys
- Treats and Distractions:
- Hide treats around the house for your dog to find
- Offer a frozen treat-filled toy
- Companionship
- Consider adopting another pet (if feasible)
- Arrange doggy playdates
- Hire a dog walker or pet sitter
- Enroll your dog in doggy daycare
Things to Avoid
- Punishment: Scolding or punishing your dog for destructive behavior will only increase anxiety.
- Crating for Extended Periods: Crates should be a safe space, not a long-term solution for boredom.
Key Takeaways
- Keeping your dog entertained is essential for their well-being and your peace of mind.
- Combining mental stimulation, physical exercise, and interactive toys is key.
- Patience and understanding are crucial when addressing boredom and anxiety.
Remember, a happy, well-stimulated dog is less likely to be destructive or anxious when home alone.
Contents
Why Do Dogs Get Bored When Home Alone?
We all are aware of the fact that from the very childhood, our canines are bred to spend time and walk alongside humans.
The dogs have a habit of constantly living with their owner and having walking and potty sessions throughout the day with their owner.
Thus, the canine gets bored when the dog owner leaves for his busy schedule. Not only does the leaving of the owner distress the pet, but it also causes anxiety attacks in the pet, which can be very dangerous for the canine’s health. This might also lead to separation anxiety problems.
That’s why they always desire their paw parents’ attention and care, as they don’t have other animals or dogs to play with.
Hence, a dog owner should take steps to prevent them from getting bored at home.
What are the Signs by Which You Can Determine that Your Dog is Getting Bored?
To take preventive steps to stop the dog from getting bored when home alone, the owner should first know what type of bodily responses the canine gives when it gets boring. The factors by noticing which the dog owner can determine that their pup is getting bored are :
Excessive Barking
This is the most common sign noticed in dogs when the pet is kept at home alone. Dogs are bred so that they bark for communication with their bred mates and owners.
So when they are kept at home alone and not given any work, at that time, they bark continuously at anything that passes by the window or used to bark without any reason.
Hyper Greetings
Suppose you have noticed that your dog is getting over-excited whenever you return from work and seems to be over-energetic at your arrival.
In that case, it’s also a sign that he has passed the entire day by getting bored and barking at the predators outside.
Mischievous Behavior
The dog, which needs regular exercise and playing sessions to release the energy generated in its body, might behave differently when kept at home alone.
You might face a disturbing ambiance when kept at home, like brokerage of certain things, household chores spread here and there, and many other problematic things. This is a sign that the dog has been affected by boredom throughout the day.
Destructive Behavior
This is one of the most noticeable signs in dogs. Whenever the dog is kept at home alone, it gets an anxiety attack.
They began to chew the cones of the furniture and try to destroy whatever they got by their side.
If you get a destructive ambiance after returning home, then it means that your canine has suffered from boredom.
The above discussed are the most common signs noticed in the behavior of dogs whenever they get bored by staying at home alone for the whole day.
How to Keep a Dog from Being Bored When Home Alone?
Now, as we have discussed why the canines get bored by staying at home, it’s time to discuss by following which steps we can take to prevent our lovable pups from getting bored at home alone. The actions that a dog owner can pursue are :
Provide Them with a Beautiful View
Like humans, our lovable canines enjoy beautiful views and fantastic scenarios outside.
So, make your pet sit near a window from which he can explore an excellent view of the outside. He will not get bored throughout the day and will get engaged in watching that fantastic view outside.
Switch on the TV
This can be one of the most practical steps to free your dog from boredom. All you have to do is switch on the TV before leaving home.
You can also go for some cartoon channels or the channel that shows nature pictures to divert your pet’s attention towards the TV rather than the fact that he has been kept alone at home by his owner.
Keep Some of his Favorite Toys
There might be at least two to three toys in your home that are your canine’s favorite. Using these toys can be beneficial for you while trying to prevent your dog from boredom.
All you have to do is keep that favorite toy of your canine by his side when you leave home, and the dog will not get bored after this as he will keep chewing or holding these toys with his paws whenever he gets bored.
Put Enough Treats by His Side
These steps will help prevent your dog from becoming bored throughout the day. All you have to do is take a bowl and fill it up with some favorite canine treats.
Ensure the treats you put in the bowl are enough for the day. This will keep the pet engaged throughout the day and stop your dog from getting bored.
Fill Up a Toy with Peanut Butter
We know how much our canines used to love the smell and taste of peanut butter. Filling up a toy with peanut butter can work as a puzzle for our canines. He will get engaged in eating the peanut butter from the toy by inserting his tongue through that opening.
You have to scoop some peanut butter and fill it in the toy. You can also go for freezing the toy after filling it up to make the task more engaging for the canine.
Calm the Dog with Some Pheromones
This can be one of the best options to prevent the dog from boredom and help treat the dog’s anxiousness.
All you can do to help with this is use some dog-pleasing pheromones or cannabidiol. This will make your dog calm throughout the day and stop him from getting bored.
Go for Another Pet
If you adopt another canine or cat as your dog’s companion, this will work best. Both the pups will keep themselves engaged by playing with each other.
Keeping the pets together at home will also prevent them from getting anxiety attacks or destroying the household chores.
The dog owner must ensure that the new pet is adequately vaccinated, as this can even cause harmful effects on the other pet.
Provide an Ice Cube Filled with Treats
This can be the best option during the summer season. All the owner has to do is fill up a bowl with fresh water, put all the favorite canine treats in that fresh water bowl, and then deep freeze it.
The next morning, take that ice bowl from the freezer and give it to your pet. The pet will remain engaged in digging out the treats from that ice cube for the whole day. Thus, it will also stop him from getting bored.
Schedule Playdates
To keep your canine engaged at the time you leave. You must consult with your neighbor and schedule playdates for your neighbor’s puppy and your canine in a day. This will keep you tense-free all day and prevent your dog from getting anxiety attacks due to boredom.
Give Your Pooch in Doggy Daycare
The other most significant option is enrolling your canine in a doggy daycare. This type of center takes care of your lovable canine for the whole day until you are free; this process can be quite expensive, but if you are too concerned about your pup’s health, you should go with this.
A dog owner is suggested to follow all the steps mentioned above very strictly while learning how to keep a dog from getting bored when home alone, as this will provide them with the best results while keeping their dog free from boredom.
