A Tired Dog Is A Good Thing: While pups
that suffer with behavioral issues are not cured by exercise alone, it can be
helpful in reducing anxiety, boredom and create a mellower home environment. So
when coming up with a plan for the new school year, take a look at the daily
exercise you were providing your dog over the summer. Did he/she receive one to
two hours of play a day? Did he/she go on a hike a few times a week?
Use Time Effectively with Exercise: Calculate
how many hours of exercise he was receiving a day and figure out how you'll
provide a similar amount with your new schedules. When I talk with working
families that own new and/or young dogs, it requires honesty about what they
can really give to their canine buddy and creativity about using their time
effectively.
Being Consistent: Whatever schedule you
do decide on, keep it consistent! This is especially important if you work
during the day, your young dog will need to get out for about an hour of
exercise before you leave. If you have access to a safe open space or dog park,
allow your dog the opportunity for high cardio play (i.e. - exploring or
running at top speed). This is more bang for your buck than leashed
neighborhood walks. If you can meet up with some doggie friends in the
neighborhood, even better!
Give Your Dog A Chore: When you do leave
your dog alone, give him an appropriate job to do. For example, consider using
food-dispensing toys like the Kibble Nibble or Canine Genius to get more mental
fun out of mealtimes. If your dog cannot have full house access while
unsupervised, use an exercise pen to confine him in a dog-proofed area along
with his food-dispensing toy, water and other activities like toys and chews.
Crate Train Before Using Crate: If you
want to use a crate, he must be crate trained ahead of time before leaving him
alone. Remember, your dog should not be left in the crate for longer than six
to eight hours a day. If you work long hours and your pup will need potty
breaks, consider coming home on your lunch break as your dog makes the
transition. Have a friend or neighbor check in on your dog to let him out to
run around your backyard.
It's All About The Training: Along with
all this change in your dog's life, consider enrolling him in a training course to provide a bit of structure and enrichment. Plus, it's a
great opportunity to spend time together learning new tricks — even if it's
just for a few minutes a day.
Transitioning to the school year schedule can be challenging
with new, young and even older dogs, but with an eye on meeting their exercise,
enrichment and companionship needs, we can all be off to a good start this
school year with a wag of our tails.