Bored dog? Try our expert advice
We found some of the best pet experts in metro Atlanta. Today’s advice comes from Kate Jackson of the Jabula Dog Academy. Meet all the AJCpets experts. And feel free to submit questions in the form of a comment today.
Q: I am away from home 10 hours a day. I purchased a female Shiba for my male, but he made our lives miserable for 3 weeks and I returned her to the breeder (he’s very possessive). How can I keep my dog entertained, while gated in my kitchen, so he doesn’t chew/destroy things? I can’t leave him out; he would destroy my entire house. But that is too long to crate. He is 9 months old. What can I do?
A: Before you leave for the day, make sure you have given him sufficient exercise. He should go for at least a 40-minute walk. Leave some toys out that will keep his attention and make him work for a reward.
Treat balls provide mental stimulation, as the dog has to interact with the ball to get it to drop a treat. Kongs are a good option also. Fill them with plain yogurt and freeze them. It will keep your Shiba busy. Make sure there are plenty of sufficient chew toys that taste good. You local pet store should carry a variety of these types of toys and treats.
When you get home, make sure you take your dog out and let him get rid of his energy by running around and playing. Enrolling him in an obedience class also will help give him something more constructive to do mentally.
Q: I have a 2 1/2-year-old mixed breed dog who has gotten really bad at barking and jumping when he sees other dogs during a walk. Any ideas on how to make him stop?
A: Your dog might be lacking some socialization. He may need to have some time in a fenced-in area to play and run with other dogs.
Provided he is not showing aggressive behavior towards the other dogs, he may just want a chance to run and play. It might be a good idea to take him to a dog daycare to satisfy his need for social time with other dogs. Also teach your dog the rules of leash walking by having him walk at your side and pay attention to you. Show your dog that you expect him to walk at your side and teach him to automatically sit when you stop. This will teach your dog pay more attention to you on the walks and less on what is going on around him.
Q: How do I get my dog to stop jumping up on people when they come into my house? He is being friendly, not mean.
A: Dogs jump up because they learn it gets them attention. Most dogs would rather have the negative attention of being scolded than no attention at all.
Consistently ask your dog to sit before you pet him. By doing this, you are teaching him that to get attention, he needs to sit. Again, be consistent and do this without distractions. When guests do come over, ask them to fold their arms and ask your dog to sit. If he jumps, tell them to quickly turn their backs and wait for him to stop jumping. Then ask him for a sit. If he sits he gets petted. If not, he is ignored. With enough consistency, you will teach him that sitting gets him attention, not jumping.
Photo by iStockphoto.com
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I have a comment for the person who’s dog is left home alone for 10 hours a day….WHY did you get a dog when you knew you would have to leave him for so long every day? I am a dog lover and can understand wanting a pet, but a cat would have been a better decision. AND…you were going to add another dog….how unfair to those poor doggies!
Have you thought about Doggie Daycare? What about a neighbor kid/teen who could come in and take your dog out for a walk after school?
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Sugar Momma, I have to disagree. My dogs are often home alone for 10 or more hours a day. If only people who don’t work full time could have dogs, not many people could have dogs. But my dogs have a whole level of the house to run. They have windows to lounge in overlooking a bird feeder and the back yard. And they have company. I have three dogs. I think the Shiba owner was on the right track with that, but gave up too soon. She should have called in a trainer to make it work. I think dogs are happier if they aren’t alone because they’re pack animals. Would I rather be home all day with my dogs? Sure. But I think they’d rather keep the nice roof over their heads, their very expensive dog food and treats and the AC, so it’s off to work I go.
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Boy, I’m glad I didn’t ask “Sugar’s momma” if I could get a dog. Apparently I’m not good enough to have one.
That being said, my puppy dogs go to doggy day care and they LOVE, LOVE, LOVE it!!!!
Ruff Daze in Douglasville!
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Whoa there people….I never said anyone wasn’t “good enough” to have a dog. And apparently you did not want to leave your puppies home alone all day since they are in doggie day care.
I also work 10plus hours per day away from home, but my college age children are still living at home and are in and out all hours of the day (and night), so our dogs are not cooped up all day by themselves. (we have 2 dogs). I’m sure adult dogs could handle being without their owners for that length of time….but puppies? They can’t hold their bladder/bowel for that long. And who is there to train them? Those are the dogs who eventually need doggy Prozac for separation anxiety. Still unfair, IMO.
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Gosh - my dogs are home during the day too for 8 to 10 hours. They are very well trained (and we worked with a top trainer for nearly 6 months on obedience and living happily as a pack - the dogs are both males and now are best friends). They have the run of the house, an indoor water supply, treats, bones, toys and a dog door that gives them unlimited access to a fenced in yard. They are artic dogs and so we keep the house air conditioned as though we were home during the summer months. I cannot think of a thing that they might need or want that we do not shower on them - including our love and attention whenever we are home. They also travel with us on vacations. My husband and I cannot have children and our dogs are our family. We cannot imagine our lives without them. How sad to think that someone deprive us of the limited family we do have.
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Dogs that are well-trained, well-socialized, and given plenty of exercise are perfectly capable of being at home all day - without the need for drugs. People are all too quick to look for an easy solution (a pill) to their dog’s behavior “problem,” when in fact, it is usually the owner’s problem.
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I do agree its unfair for the dog to sit at home all day alone for that long. Here is a creative idea I came up with. I want a fence but cannot yet afford the fence I want. I have a neighbor with a fence and dogs. I cut his grass every week for him and in exchange my dog hangs in is fence with his dogs each day while I am away. Great deal for me, takes me and extra 30 mins or so to cut his grass and he gets a playmate for his dog all day!
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Ron, what a great win-win solution! I love it. BH, you sound like great pet parents. We’re lucky now that we can trust our dogs with the house. They’re limited to one level just because of the alarm system. The shiba owner sounds like she has a dog with separation anxiety. My Whitley was like that. Nothing we ever did helped her. We had to keep her in one room when we were gone (which she destroyed.) It’s easier when they’re trustworthy like the three I have now. But when my oldest dog, Mini, got too old to play with Miles, my middle dog, I got Miles a dog (Loni, the dog you all helped name.) Miles was getting lethargic (and a bit chubby) not having a playmate. While I didn’t really NEED a third dog, he obviously did. He’s so happy now. They play and play and play. And his little pot belly is slimming down. They’re all happier now.
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I am the Shiba owner who requested this advice when my Shiba was 9 months old. I am receiving the advice today and my Shiba is now 13 months old.
First, for those who believe it is cruel and unusual punishment to bring a dog into your life only to leave it alone for 10 hours, let me assure you I gave that full consideration and in doing so, was without a companion for over 4 years. In the end, after much research and the assurance by a qualified breeder of the Shiba, an independent dog with cat-like qualities, I brought this puppy home and have never had one regret.
Fortunately, before receiving this published advice, I had already added toys, enrolled in weekly doggie daycamp and added morning walks as the weather cools.
I agree I did not give enough time for bonding with the female companion I brought home and returned. That I cannot change.
Today, I have a happy, healthy Shiba who prefers not to share me or his domain, is socialized with other dogs at doggie parks/ daycamp, stays gated in the cool kitchen indoors while I work, takes long weekend hikes with me as the weather cools, and is very much loved, cared for and successfully stable.
And yes, just this morning he begged me not to go to work, but I explained to him that we must maintain our happy lifestyles.
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Think of the dog - give her/him to someone who really wants a dog. Or start thinking of someone other than yourself.
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I don’t think that Shiba Owner necessarily did the wrong thing– the introduction of a new dog is never easy and doesn’t always go smoothly. We don’t know what the situation was, and it could have been dangerous for both dogs (so giving up the female back to the breeder may have been the best option). I admit to having given up a dog (to a family) after a few months’ time showed that this dog could not be socialized with our existing dogs and really needed to be an only dog.
My dogs are crated while we are at work– from 8:15ish to 5:30ish every day– and they are fine. Both in our house and in the condo we currently occupy, we have checked with the neighbors who don’t hear them barking at all.
We turn them so that their crates face each other, and when we can get home for lunch, we take them out and let them get some exercise (the condo has a dog park, and our house had a fenced-in yard)– but that is a rare occurrence. When we get home after work, again, they are walked out to go potty and fed, then they get to play in the dog park and inside as well. Generally our nights are spent doing whatever we do but also cuddling, petting, brushing, and playing with them. Of course they also play together, so they are definitely pooped by the time we go to bed.
I find it hard to believe that we are being cruel to them. If I had the extra cash, for sure I would take them to doggy day care or pay someone to hang out with them during the day, but I don’t… and I don’t know anyone that will do all that for free! My dogs spend time in their crates even when we are home and their crate doors are wide open, and we NEVER use the crates for punishment.
Yes, I trust my dogs enough not to go potty inside if I let them have run of the condo, but I prefer to know that they are safe in their crates and know that they are not getting into something they shouldn’t. I consider our condo pretty dog-proof, but you never know. If you can leave your dogs uncrated during the day, I think that is great, though.
I don’t mean to turn this into the “to crate or not to crate” debate, but if someone who works full-time and can’t afford doggy day care and/or have a friend/relative/neighborhood kid come in and entertain his/her dog(s) is not supposed to have any dogs, then we’d have a much bigger problem on our hands with shelter overcrowding.
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Shiba owner, and other readers. Just so you understand, we get a lot of questions for our experts, and we have a number of experts. Because we do these questions only once a week, and we try to keep an interesting mix of topics, it could be months before a question appears online. Some questions may never be answered. If something sounds like an emergency, we may contact the person who wrote it to recommend they go to their vet or a trainer. But most of these questions are general topic questions that we hope will help people learn about their pets, not only from the experts, but also from people who comment. That’s why we appreciate suggestions from you.
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My dog has a 200′ run installed between two large trees.He comes into the house on occasion,but he prefers outside and solitude.We live in the country,so this all fits together well.In the winter he’s brought in nights but during the day he wants outside.The dog appears,to me ,to be rather well adjusted.
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Thanks PetDish. I can appreciate the generalized question, and apparently one of hot topic.
If people would do better research of breeds when adopting a pet to better match the breed with their lifestyle, the world would have fewer unwanted pets. As a responsible pet owner, I believe I did just that. Many Shibas are dominant and prefer to be an only child. They are independent and can entertain themselves for extended periods of time given the right tools (toys). Shibas are not high energy indoors per se, but enjoy long outdoor hikes (3-5 miles). Just like all breeds, the Shiba is not for everyone but mine is perfect for me and I know me and my lifestyle are perfect for him (other than I have to work).
IMO, it is those pet owners who believe all pets are the same and have the same requirements that I believe eventually lead to unhappy and unfulfilled lives in both the human and the animal.
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My dogs seemed to be bored all the time. I put a picture of Tim Link On the wall. I informed my dogs that this person could read their minds and even communicate with dogs that weren’t alive. Now my dogs spend the day happily sitting and looking at the picture. They punch each other in the side and laugh like crazy. They act like they know something, but they aren’t telling. Go figure?
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I have an 8 yr old min. Schnauzer, a bichon that is 9 yrs old and a 5 month old Yorkie. The older dogs are very comfortable. They are free to roam several rooms all day. The Yorkie is crated during the day for his own good and for our sanity. I work from home but in a daycare setting. The dogs are checked on several times a day and they do very well. The yorkie is sweet but still learning. I take him out every 2-3 hrs for potty time but he has adjusted well. The only problem we seem to have with him is he has selective hearing and ignores orders when he is determined. I also bought my granddaughter a tiny yorkie that is the smallest dog that I have seen in my 54 years of life. Angel is happy and healthy but super tiny. She is less than a half pound at three months old. Beethoven is about 2 and a half pounds. I love my dogs and I shower them with attention. My three daughters are grown and gone so my husband and I now have the dogs. The Yorkie travels well as does the older dogs. We have those cute little coach bags for the yorkie and he enjoys going to the store, especially TArget.
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My doggies are home by themselves for about 8 hours. I open the blinds so they can see out the windows, and leave the radio on for them. We have to pick up everything except their toys, or stuff gets destroyed by the puppy. I got a brand new Southern Living in the mail on Saturday, absentmindly left it on the sofa while I went out and ran errands, and came home to find it sprawled all over my living room floor. I hadn’t even opened it yet.
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I have an exceptionally well behaved 6 year old boxer. I love him to death, but I’m worried about him being too mellow. I want to be able to play with him but he doesn’t want to play our usual games, like hide and go seek or just wrestle. I just found out a couple months ago that he has hypothyroidism, but I don’t want his health problems to take over his life. It seems like he just has no desire to do anything but sleep. When I take him to dog parks he runs a little, then kind of just bums around and watch or get pet by other people. He doesn’t play fetch or want to go for runs with me. He seems so depressed and board. I feel really bad that we don’t do things together anymore, and I want him to be playful and energetic like he use to be. What can I do to get him interested in life again? What games can I play with him in doors? What can I do to make him happy? I’m a full time student and work full time so what would be the best things to do at home during the evening?
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