Things to do with Fido

Things to do with Fido:

What better excuse do you need to go on an outing. Dogs love exercise and the sensory overload of walking in a new area. You can safely take him/her for a walk around the neighborhood and, if a male, he’ll leave his mark everywhere he can and enjoy every minute of it. You could go on a longer hike while getting good exercise yourself. It’s probably best to avoid the dog park, not for your dog’s sake but one should adhere to the “social distance” advice. Drive over and check it out though, it might be empty, could be just one or two people there, if so, let the dog(s) out.

The major pet stores have dog puzzles. Put the treats in and sit back and watch the fun as your dog tries to figure out how to get at them. This is a good mental stimulation activity for them and it’s also fun for you to watch.

Find time to groom them. Get any knots or tangles out of their coat, they’ll feel and look much better for it and will enjoy the interaction with their parent. Most dogs enjoy a good rub down. There are some great massage/grooming tools on the market. My favorite is the Zoom Groom. Stiff rubber bristles that massage the skin while getting all that loose hair out.

Now could be a good time to give your dog that training you keep promising him. A well trained dog is a joy to see while an unruly one can be a pest. Grab that bag of treats and get started. Basics first, sit, stay, come and one of the most important “leave it”. Remember positive reinforcement is the best training method. Your dog will respond well if you give them a treat and praise when they do things right. If there is more than one member of the family is involved in the training make sure you all use the same commands, different ones will only confuse your dog. Don’t mix commands, for example if you want your dog to lay down on the command “down” don’t use “sit down” when you want it to sit.

If all else fails then snuggle up to your best friend and share the love that they so readily give you.

Stay safe.