So last night was Halloween and this weekend is bonfire night. This time of year I do lots of prepping kongs.
For those of you that don’t know what a kong is. It is a rubber toy that can be stuffed with food so your dog has to work to get it out. A fantastic form of enrichment!
I give my dogs kongs on a number of occasions, when I leave them alone, when they are having breakfast or tea, when the weather is rubbish.
Kongs give my dogs something to do, an outlet for their energy and a use for their smart brains.
I also use a lot around this time of year as a distraction. When the doorbell is going every five minutes or when fireworks are going off constantly.
It also builds up a positive association so the doorbell/firework goes off and they get to eat there tasty kong.
My dogs had three kongs each last night. The tops and bottoms were plugged with peanut butter (xylitol free) and their kibble moistened down to make a mush. They were then put in the freezer so they were solid.
If I hadn’t given my dogs their kongs they would have got stressed and frustrated.
Preparation is key when it comes to our dogs. Whether that’s kongs or training. We need to do as much as we can to support our dogs.
You are only going to get frustrated by their ‘bad’ behaviour, adding more stress to the situation.
You can start your dog on the way to success today!
If you have a puppy come to our Puppy Life Skills course so your puppy can learn to deal with our world.
If you have an adult dog that isn’t coping well then contact me to organise a one to one to help your dog and decrease both of your stress levels!
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