{"id":257204,"date":"2020-05-11T07:00:00","date_gmt":"2020-05-11T05:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/germistoncitynews.co.za\/257204\/lockdown-boredom-keep-your-furry-friends-stimulated-and-entertained\/"},"modified":"2020-05-10T10:15:25","modified_gmt":"2020-05-10T08:15:25","slug":"lockdown-boredom-keep-your-furry-friends-stimulated-and-entertained","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/develop.citizen.co.za\/germiston-city-news\/news-headlines\/2020\/05\/11\/lockdown-boredom-keep-your-furry-friends-stimulated-and-entertained\/","title":{"rendered":"Lockdown boredom – keep your furry friends stimulated and entertained"},"content":{"rendered":"

By: Werner Roos, dog behaviourist and trainer<\/b><\/p>\n

While in lockdown many South Africans are still scrambling for ways to entertain themselves and their furry companions, who similar to their owners, are adjusting to their new normal.<\/p>

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This has meant not going for their regular park walks, or even going for a jog around the neighbourhood.<\/p>\n

And some still can’t do it.<\/p>

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According to pet store Canine & Co, the lockdown can be stressful for pets too, but that does not mean you should despair as there are many activities that you could adopt to stimulate your dog and ease the discomfort due to their disrupted behaviour.<\/p>\n

They\u2019ve put down a few creative ideas to kick-start some indoor fun.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Scatter feeding<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 This is a easy way to keep your furry family busy for a longer period of time. Dogs naturally love to hunt, so making them earn their treats and food by looking for them shouldn\u2019t be seen as punishment.
\nJust make sure you don\u2019t play this game with a ravenous dog.
\nAlso known as \u2018nose work\u2019, this game is also a quick way to get them moving, exercised and ready for bedtime.
\nUse part of their normal daily food portion so you don\u2019t overfeed them and are still ensuring they receive their daily nutrient quotient.
\nStart the game off by dropping some of the food or snacks while they are watching you and then work at spreading it over a larger area.
\nThe game can also be made trickier by making them sit or stay while you scatter the food and then letting them know when they are allowed to start looking for the food.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Nose work\/nose games<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 This game can be quite fun once your dog has learnt and understands the command to find the treats, and you can even keep him or her in another room while you hide his treats, so you make the scavenger hunt more exciting.
\nTo make this game extra rewarding, make sure you use some delicious and high-reward treats such as ACANA Freeze-Dried Dog Treats. Start off by having your dog watch as you place them around the room and then ask him or her to find the treats once you\u2019re ready to go.<\/p>\n

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ALSO READ:<\/span><\/p>\n

Pet owners urged to vaccinate their pets against rabies<\/a><\/p>\n

Covid-19: SPCA animals need your help in lockdown<\/a><\/h4>\n

\u2022 Interactive dog toys\u00a0<\/b>\u2013 Given lockdown and the unavailability of toys, why not try making your own toy treat dispenser?
\nRelieve your pet\u2019s boredom and yours through interactive play.
\nSimply place some dry dog food or treats into an empty two-litre cooldrink bottle and let your dog roll the bottle around, letting the treats fall out.
\nMake sure you are with your pet when they are playing with any type of toy, to ensure safety.
\nPost lockdown, you could look at purchasing your own toy treat dispenser.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Frozen treats<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 Fill up an ice tray with some delicious meaty broth and freeze these for your furry companion.
\nHe\/she will appreciate this on an warm day while playing in the garden.
\nIf you don\u2019t have meaty broth, you can also look at freezing some of your dog\u2019s dry food in plain water in an ice tray.<\/p>\n

\u2022 Basic obedience training<\/b>\u00a0\u2013 This is an activity you can practise with your dog every day.
\nSit, lay down, shake, stay and come here are the basic commands to start with. We all love a well-mannered pooch, but training your dog to obey a new command is a great challenge for them and also provides a good workout for their brains. Remember not to spend a lengthy period of time doing this, but rather five minutes at a time.<\/p>\n

Hopefully these training tips will motivate you to get over any lockdown slump you and your pet are going through.
\nWhile lockdown has been extended, we hope you make the most out of it by implementing a few, if not all, of these handy tips.<\/p>\n

Issued on behalf of Canine & Co.<\/i><\/p>\n

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* Notice: Coronavirus reporting at Caxton Local Media aims to combat fake news<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n

Dear reader,<\/em><\/p>\n

As your local news provider, we have the duty of keeping you factually informed on Covid-19 developments. As you may have noticed, mis- and disinformation (also known as \u201cfake news\u201d) is circulating online. Caxton Local Media is determined to filter through the masses of information doing the rounds and to separate truth from untruth in order to keep you adequately informed. Local newsrooms follow a strict pre-publication fact-checking protocol. A national task team has been established to assist in bringing you credible news reports on Covid-19.<\/em><\/p>\n

Readers with any comments or queries may contact National Group Editor Irma Green (irma@caxton.co.za<\/a>) or Legal Adviser Helene Eloff (helene@caxton.co.za<\/a>).<\/em><\/p>\n

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Hav<\/strong>e a story?<\/strong><\/p>\n

Contact the newsroom by emailing: Melissa Hart (Editor)\u00a0<\/span>germistoncitynews@caxton.co.za,<\/a>\u00a0<\/strong>Leigh Hodgson (News Editor)\u00a0<\/span>leighh@caxton.co.za\u00a0<\/a><\/strong>or Busi Vilakazi (Journalist)\u00a0busiv@caxton.co.za.<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n

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