When you’re a dog owner, you wake up every day with the
reassurance that you’re the most important person in the world to your canine
friend. Of course, your dog is very special for you, too. Nevertheless, there
may be days when you get bored of the same old routine – feeding, watering,
grooming, throwing the ball or Frisbee, and taking your dog for a walk. So here
are some ideas to change things up a bit.
Visit an Off-Leash Dog Park
If your dog gets along well with other dogs, this is a great
opportunity for your pup to have fun and get some real good exercise. Even if
you have a home with a yard, your dog’s natural habitat is not very vast. So
this will be a fun experience for both of you. You can even use this
opportunity to practice getting your dog to come to you, although it will not
be easy with all the distractions around.
Doggie Play Date
Parents are always scheduling play dates for their kids, so
why not schedule one for your dog? You should obviously meet at a dog-friendly
location, which could be a park or an outdoor cafe or the beach. The dogs can run
around together, and you can have someone to talk to. The topics don’t even
have to be dog-related, but they probably will be at least some of the time
when two dog lovers meet.
Ride Your Bike
There’s one activity that most humans dislike but dogs love:
running. If you have a medium-size or big dog, they can probably never get
enough physical exercise. There is one way for them to run to their heart’s
content that doesn’t lead to exhaustion for you – a bike ride. If you can teach
your dog to run next to your bike without running into it, you can discover many
beautiful parts of town on your bike. Of course, safety is important and you
should stick to sidewalks or small side streets. And if you have to cross a
busy road, you can always get off and walk a little bit, too.
Explore a New Part of Town
Not everyone likes bike riding, but there’s nothing that
says you can’t explore a new part of town with your dog anyway. Look at the map
of your town (online maps will work just fine) and identify a new neighborhood
you haven’t been to. Then load up your car with snacks, a water bottle, some
treats, and your dog, and head on over. Seeing new things can be fun for both
of you. You’ll probably discover many shops you didn’t even know about. And
your dog can sniff to their heart’s content. You’ll probably both get a good
night’s sleep after that.
Explore a New Park
Every area of the country has state parks, and most towns
have at least one park to frolic in. It’s easy to stick to what you know and
visit the same parks over and over again. This may be your chance to do
something different. If your dog tolerates car rides, you could even travel a
little further and explore a new park outside of your hometown. As long as you schedule
frequent stops, a little road trip could be fun, too. If you don’t enjoy hiking
or walking too much, you can have a picnic instead.
Teach Your Dog a New Trick
The fun thing about dogs is that they love to please.
They’re also very intelligent and quick to learn what’s expected of them.
Contrary to popular belief, you can even teach an old dog new tricks. For this,
you’ll need a few delicious doggy treats and patience. For most dogs, it’s best
to keep the sessions short by working on one trick for a few minutes at a time.
You can do this several times throughout the day. It’s great to start out with
a command they know, like sit. Here are some fun ideas of what to teach your
dog next:
- Take it
- Leave it
- Bring it (leash, toy, slippers)
- Jump through a hoop
- High five or shake paws
- Speak
- Spin
- Open and shut the door
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