Re: [pyrnet] Bored Baby

["Tracy Bassett" <espinay@bigpond.com>]

<<Hi all, I need some advice about what to do with my Pyr/Maremma cross.
Juma is three years old and bored out of her mind. >>  Stacey


Hi Stacey, here are a few suggestions:

Fencing off an area for Juma may help a bit if you can do it.  She doesnt
really need the whole 2 acres all day.  This will remove the temptation of
all those lovely and inappropriate 'toys' she is finding for herself.  I
have one acre here, but during the day when I am out my dogs are in their
'day yards' (when I am home, they are inside with me and have access to the
rest of the property).  These yards are chain link so they can see what is
going on.  They take up about 1/4 of the property (3 yards in all so they
are all quite big).  In their yards they have their sheds for shelter plus
extra 'shade areas' (tapaulins) and wading pools in summer. They also get an
assortment of things to keep them occupied.  I tend to change things around
so they dont have the same things all the time.  Here are a few ideas:

*Large cardboard boxes.  I hide a few treats in them most times, but the
dogs just love to rip and tear and jump on them.  Of course their favourites
are the boxes that the chicken frames come in as there is usually still the
smell of chicken on the cardboard!

*big beef leg knuckle bones.  Get them whole if you can - the ones that look
like dinosaur bones.  Lots of fun and exercise chewing on those knuckle ends
and holding them down while they do it.

*Kong toys.  You can stuff them with all sorts of treats to keep Juma busy.
The Kong website has lots of ideas for this.

*Freeze ice in an icecream container.  Put something like pieces of fruit or
other treats in it before you freeze so Juma has to crunch/lick through the
ice to get to them.

*Buster cubes have been found useful by some folks although I have never
used them.  If your dog is treat driven, these are good as they have to work
to get the treats out of the cube.

*I sometimes leave whole apples or something similar for the dogs to play
with/munch on.

*Have a selection of toys.  Only put one or two out in the run at a time and
change them around reasonably frequently.

*A brown paper bag with a treat/toy in it can be fun to rip up/discover.
Hide it in the kennel/shelter perhaps.

Having another dog as a companion can help, although beware ending up with
two trouble makers!

An animal of another species can be good too although Judith's goat idea did
not work for me :-/. I have a young Cashmere wether who was raised with the
dogs and even travelled 800km in the back of my car curled up between the
legs of my Pyr Milou.  Unfortunately he turned into a very pushy young man
who one day pushed the very patient Milou just too far!  They are now sworn
enemies (a girl can only take so many butts in the butt afterall).

Tracy Bassett
Murrumbateman, Australia
espinay@bigpond.com