The routine is mostly the same today. You and your dog should now be beginning to
fall into a routine and a way of doing things that is becoming smoother for you
both. Remember that exercise! That’s super important so your dog will be
able to stay calmer in the house with you.
Find an hour of time for your dog to spend with you in the house, on
leash still, with you rewarding behavior you like.
If you find your dog is acting calmly and in ways that you
like, you can begin to drop the leash instead of holding it for the entire
hour. Use gates or barriers to keep him
in the same room as you, so you can still supervise him and reward good
behavior. And if he starts to do something
you don’t want him to do, calmly pick up the leash and move him away from the
area. Once he starts to do something you
like better, reward him.
Tonight you will feed your dog one of his meals in the
house. Measure out the amount of dry
food your dog normally eats at one meal and pour it into the empty milk or soda
bottle you saved from yesterday. Leave
the lid off, so the kibble can fall out of the top opening of the bottle. Now, give this toy to your dog. Help him see how to push the bottle around to
make the food fall out a few pieces at a time.
This is a great toy to keep your dog busy so he’s not pestering you, and
it will help to tire out his mind so he can be calmer in the house. If he crushes the bottle while he plays, it’s
no big deal. The food will still fall
out, and you can replace the bottle with another one a different day.
You can do this during the hour your dog is already in the
house, or in addition to it. Letting
your dog play with a food toy every day is a great way to stimulate his brain
and keep him busy. There are many types
of food toys and puzzles for sale in pet stores and online, but using empty
bottles is a cheap and fun way to keep your dog entertained.
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