Treats, toys, jerseys and even fun ForTheFurry Dog Leashes work well to help make your dog happy. However, all this stuff, while fun, cannot replace the quality time that you spend with your four-legged buddy. Adding an occasional dose of a new bonding activity with your dog goes a long way in making and keeping it happy. While it is almost certain that just being with you triggers enough endorphins to get your pooch by, you’ll want to change things up to provide it with a pleasantly unfamiliar stimulation from time to time. While the ideas below are categorized according to the dog’s temperament, you and your dog can try out all of them.
Highly Active Dogs
- Visit the nearest national park: This presents a bevy of exciting outdoor activities for you and your dog.
- Hit the bike trails: Go on a leisurely bike ride along the trails with your pooch. It might take a little practice having your dog run alongside your bike on a leash, but you’ll get the hang of it. Make sure to practice on the easiest trail.
- Go on a trek: If you can’t get the hang of biking with your dog, go on a trek instead. Keep in mind that you don’t have to be in a national or state park to do biking or trekking. You can also do this in a city park.
- Visit a waterpark: Find the nearest pet-friendly waterpark near your home and visit it the next chance you get. Waterparks offer many water activities where your dog can expend all its pent-up energy.
- Take on running: Just in case you haven’t done so yet, take on running with your pooch. Watch your pooch’s mood and temperament improve with regular runs.
- Start it on an agility or obedience training class: Another good way of rechanneling the energy of your blur of fur would be to give it formal training to improve its discipline and focus.
Laid-back Dogs
- Take your dog to an off-leash dog park: Take your dog to an off-leash dog park to encourage your pet to get off its rump and frolic with other dogs. Apart from giving your dog good exercise, it will also teach it dog social skills, which will do wonders for its temperament.
- Take your dog fishing: This assumes that you haven’t gone fishing before because, if you have, you would have likely taken your dog out with you to your favorite fishing spot. Go with friends who fish regularly who’ll be happy to show you how it is done. Your dog will surely enjoy the open space, clean air, the smell of the water and a few bites of fish if you’re lucky.
Couch Potato Pooches
- Take your dog to a pet spa: Get it a good massage, grooming makeover, mani-pedi and other pet spa offerings that you think it will enjoy.
- Take it to work: If it is that chilled out, your boss will probably not mind it lounging around your cubicle. Office traffic, noise and smell offer a slightly different stimulus to its doggie senses, which may be fun enough for it. Don’t forget to ask your boss’ permission first.
- Lounge: Take a beach towel and go lounge somewhere that isn’t your apartment. The beach or the park would be a good place to go.
- Go on a staycation: Book a pet-friendly hotel room and laze the day away, ordering treats via room service.
The best thing about these suggestions is that you’ll benefit plenty from such activities yourself. Not only will these activities help you unwind, but they will also likewise help strengthen the bond that you share with your furry buddy.
