Many Breeds of dogs get separation anxiety when away from their owners. Our two rescued German Shepards do not like to be away from us at all (including in the backyard.) They are just waiting for us at the door many times to get back into the house with us. Many of these breeds are also working dogs that have a need to stay mentally stimulated and busy. If not, boredom can cause your dog to become unhappy and can even act out. When your dog acts out, it is important to ask yourself what is affecting them to cause this bad behavior. The solution can often be something as simple as utilizing interactive dog toys, especially when you are busy and do not always have the time to play with them or work with them. This is especially true if your dog is food motivated (Another topic we will hit on soon). Interactive dog toys are an important tool in our toolbox to help achieve happy pups and parents. Realistically, we can’t spend 24/7 with them even if we want to. (Although we spend a tremendous amount of time with them giving them all the love and spoils). We love dog toys that you can stuff! Specifically, the toys that are more difficult to get the treats out of. They love the challenge, and it is very mentally stimulating. Another approach we also absolutely love to use is stuffing our home-made mixture inside an interactive toy and freezing it. This is also a great time to add healthy dog ingredients into their treat time. There is no limit to the ingredients you can create including peanut butter, fruit, vegetables, favorite treats, etc. (We love to add frozen blueberries to ours). As always do the research to make sure everything you use is safe for them to eat. Peanut butter that contains Xylitol should not be given to your pup and some fruits and vegetables. It is very much one of their favorite treats and they get so excited even though we are leaving the house. This is a great point because it makes a time when they usually would not be happy about into a time that they enjoy. The interactive toys keep them busy and stimulated for a great length of time. Another great product for stimulation is Himalayan Yak Dog Chews. It is a natural high protein low fat alternative to raw hides (We do not give any raw hide products to our dogs). It is made from hardened Yak Cheese. Do not let this cheese product fool you. It lasts longer than any other chew that we have ever given to them. Thank you for reading the Dogg blog post today! This is a topic that we are planning to dive deeper into soon!
