Boredom Busters!

Colder weather plus the coronavirus have definitely made for more time at home for dogs and people alike. Keep boredom at bay with these ideas to keep things fresh and exciting for you and your dog, whether you’re indoors, in your backyard or out on your daily dog walks.

#1 Create the best game of chase ever in your own backyard. Dogs that love to run and chase will go wild for SwiftPaws Home, an easy to set up at-home lure course that provides excellent, healthy exercise and lots of fun. Dogs delight in chasing the fast-moving flag, wearing off pent up energy in the process. You decide on the size of the course (200-300 feet), the speed (0-30 mph) so you can easily adjust the play style to suit energetic working dogs or slower seniors. ($389, swiftpaws.com)

#2 Stuck at home? Keep your dog entertained with the award-winning iDig from iFetch, makers of the automatic ball launcher. The innovative iDig provides an outlet for the innate desire to dig and hunt, while keeping brains and paws busy. How it works: Load with toys or treats and watch your dog dig away for the treasure. Different flap designs provide varying levels of digging challenges, providing mental and physical stimulation. Suitable for big and little dogs. ($80, goifetch.com)

#3 Add some goal setting to those daily walks. Instachew’s new leash helps you monitor daily activities, track your steps, and provides a summary of where you walked your dog! An LED torch light makes it safe for you and your pup to go for walks early in the mornings or at night, plus you can personalize the pattern of colours for the side ring. A hands-free design means you can wear the handle on your wrist and the app allows you to connect with other dog owners! ($75, instachew.com)

#4 Enliven that game of fetch! The Flingerz Ball Launcher is adored by dogs big and small. Dogs love chasing the irresistible whistling ball as it soars through the air. The lightweight handle makes for easy, hands-free pickup of the super-durable, fun to chew, easy to throw ball—perfect for epic games of fetch! ($20, flingerzpet.com)

Giveaway! The first 50 people to message Flingerz on Facebook will receive a free Flingerz!

Teach your dog to retrieve toys by name.

#5 Trick training. Pass a rainy Saturday learning some new tricks! Tricks are great mental exercise and awesome for bond building. Three to try:

• Sneeze on command. Wait for your dog to sneeze and then “capture” the behaviour by saying “sneeze” and giving a treat and verbal praise. Dogs learn to “sneeze” on command amazingly quickly with a bit of repetition. This one’s a crowd pleaser!
   
• Take a bow. Use a treat or toy to lure your dog into the “play bow” position (or wait until your dog naturally assumes this position), say “take a bow”, treat, and praise.
   
• Retrieve toys by name. Start with just two toys. Give them names and ask your dog to retrieve one of the two by name. Treat/praise for a correct response. Gradually add in more toys. Chaser, a Border Collie, could correctly recall the names of 1022 different toys.

#6 At-home agility! Agility is beloved by dogs and their owners alike. It provides mental stimulation, exercise, and is incredible for building a bond, requiring you and your dog to work together as a team. Reap the benefits with an at-home agility set. Beautifully designed for dogs to tunnel through and run up and down the exercise ramps, Gyms For Dogs' Home Run Bridge Club is an all in one multi-functional play product featuring incline and decline ramps for agility training and play time, plus an elevated training platform and underneath tunnel/shade area. (From $1790, gymsfordogs.com)