Leaving your precious doggy home alone for the typical 9 to 5 job or longer is heartbreaking for both you and your pup. Being separated for that long is sometimes inevitable, and you may find that your pup misbehaves at home during those times due to boredom, sadness, anxiety, or anger. We understand that you love your precious fur baby and that you want him or her to be as happy as possible every day!
We are so glad that you are taking the time to research ways to keep your pup occupied and happy while alone, and we are here to help you as much as possible! We will take a look at how to keep a dog entertained while at work, why entertaining your dog is important, the consequences of an under-stimulated pup, and some fun activities for your dog to do alone.
Why Entertaining Your Dog is Important
It is crucial that your dog is entertained and stimulated both physically and mentally every single day. Even when you are at work your precious dog needs to be sufficiently entertained to stay happy and healthy.
An amused pooch is one that will feel content and this will prevent any anxiety, misbehavior, depression, and obesity from occurring.
Consequences of Not Entertaining Your Pup
In life, there are consequences and rewards for every choice we make. Making the choice to provide only a minimal amount of fun while your dog is home alone has many consequences such as anxiety, depression, obesity, and general misbehavior ( i.e. chewing up things around the house).
The anxiety that occurs from a lack of sufficient amusement presents itself in the following ways:
- Clingy behavior towards family members
- Becoming restless and sad right before your scheduled time to leave home. Dogs are creatures of habit. They pick up on your daily routine, so they’ll know what parts of the day to dread and what parts of the day to look forward to.
- Misbehavior right before it’s time for you to leave home. Your pup might think that chewing up things at home or hiding important belongings will either delay or prevent you from leaving home at all.
When a dog is home alone and is bored, he or she usually ends up chewing and eating objects that are not good for them. The ingestion of objects could lead to a trip to the vet, a foreign body becoming blocked, an upset gastrointestinal system, a physically damaged home, and a frustrated and concerned dog parent. We don’t want any of these to happen to you, and we are sure that you want to avoid these situations too!
How to Keep a Dog Entertained While at Work
There are several great ways to keep your lovely doggy occupied while you’re at work!
Below is a list of several activities that usually entertain dogs enough to keep them out of trouble.
Popular Indoor Activities for Dogs
- Playtime with toys that have snacks: Playtime with toys such as a Kong is very fun and rewarding for dogs! This toy is completely safe to chew on and the fact that it’s a chew toy is great because it is something that pups can take their anxious and bored feelings out on. Also, placing treats inside of the Kong and other treat-dispensing toys are great for leaving a few accessible snacks for your dog to munch on when they get a tiny bit hungry.
- Eating Out of Puzzle Bowls: A puzzle bowl is a great way to feed your dog when you’re away if he or she has a tendency to overeat when alone. This bowl also helps dogs overcome the bad habit of swallowing food whole and it greatly encourages dogs to chew their food thoroughly before eating another piece of food. The bowl not only slows down quick eating behavior but also forces dogs to use their highly intelligent brains to work for food in a rewarding way. This bowl will make breakfast, lunch, or dinner more fun for your pup! Or you can get an elaborate interactive dog food puzzle toy to keep your pup busy and well-fed.
- Playing with a squeak and chew toys: We highly recommend that you leave a bin of your pup’s favorite chew and squeak toys to play with. Your pooch will have fun taking out the toys and spreading them around the house just like toddlers do with their toys for fun! Chewing on these toys is fun and stimulating for dogs, and the fact that the toys squeak or make a sound adds extra fun to their day! No one wants to be left home alone without their favorite stuff. Also, no one wants to be home alone in pure silence. These toys offer the noisy fun that puppies and middle age dogs desire!
- Leave out Nylabones: Nylabones are great for chewing and teeth cleaning. They are also a fun activity to partake in when alone. We know some dogs who will gnaw away at these bones for at least an hour! Another great thing about these bones is that they come in many different flavors and sizes.
- Furbo Dog Camera: Leaving a video chat camera in certain parts of the house is a genius way to be with your precious pooch while also being physically present at your job. You can consistently schedule a 10 to 15-minute video chat with your pup any time that you’re on a break at work. Your dog will be able to see and hear you and you will be able to see and hear your dog! This is a great thing that your pup will look forward to during their alone time. This might even discourage your dog from misbehaving at home not just because he or she will be entertained enough, but also because they are smart and they might think that the camera will allow you to see into every room in the house. Therefore, your pup wouldn’t want to be caught doing anything that he or she is not supposed to be doing.
Check out this video for some great tips on how to help your dog relax while you are at work.
Other Fun Activities for Dogs Home Alone
Besides toys and treats, there are other ways for your pup to have fun while you’re at work!
- You can hire a dog sitter or dog walker to occasionally check in on your dog a few times a day.
- You can also set up doggy play dates on your longest work days to make time fly for your pup.
- Another fun activity is to attend a doggy day camp.
All of these ways are fun and include the attention, love, physical and mental stimulation that your pooch needs.
Overall, we really hope that you keep in mind the necessity of your pup having fun and being stimulated while you’re at work. We hope that you try some of our tips out and that everything goes well for you and your precious pooch!
P.S.Know someone else with a dog that needs to be entertained at home alone? Please share or pin this article! Thanks! 🙂
