Ideas to help a bored basset

DroopyandZippy · 11-10-2010, 12:08 PM

Hi everyone, I am new here. I can't believe it took me this long to find this forum. Anyway, I have a very bored basset. I actually have two bassets, but one is able to handle boredom far better than the other. If you have any ideas to help I would love to hear them.

My pups are very active and we train a lot. They are used to going on daily walks and going to training class at least once a week. We go to the park, PetSmart, PetCo, and anywhere else I can take them. Aside from walks, they are used to getting in the car and going somewhere at least 2-3 times a week.

The problem is I am 9 months pregnant and have been put on very limited activity. I am not supposed to drive and I can't take them for walks anymore. By the time my husband gets home from work, it is dark so he can't walk them either. Droopy is my hound that is having a hard time with his limited activity. He is my obedience dog and he is not enjoying his time off. I have been feeding him out of his Buster Cube and throwing treats in the backyard for him to sniff out and find. I have been doing a little obedience and some tricks at home, but it is not to the level that he is used to. I have also been playing clicker games with him like 101 things to do with a box and I have been training some silly tricks, but it is not enough for him. Since he is so bored, he is becoming far more mischievous and is finding his own entertainment.

Does anyone have any suggestions to help a bored little hound dog? Thanks!

Droopy Tri-M's Line of Longitude CD, RA, HH
(CGC and Therapy Dogs Inc.)
Zippy Ch. Kaleidoscope Code Breaker RN
(CGC and Therapy Dogs Inc.)

Cassidy · 11-10-2010, 03:11 PM

Don't know if this is what you're looking for- but we freeze some wet dog food into a kong and that keeps Fergus busy for at least an hour (we had 2 hours of quiet last night with a particularly difficult kong session).

SophieB · 11-10-2010, 06:05 PM

My Bassets will run up and down our passageway, that's the length of three rooms, fetching balls until they've become bored, so maybe you could try that for a bit of exercise, or do you have friend or neighbour who can be trusted to walk them for you until you are fit enough to resume walkies?! Our dogs also like pushing their 'Good Boy' balls around that I put treats into and the treats fall out of the hole, you could try that and put their dried food into them as they get exercise as well as 'play' and eating!

Mikey T · 11-10-2010, 07:02 PM

It sound to me rather than boordom from a lack of mental stimulation you have a dog that simple need more physical exercise than you can provide currently.

Dog parks and Doogy day care are oneway to get that extra physical exercise with like minded dogs.

Games like fetch (most basset do not natural retreive so the game because a game of pitch and get with only the human involved) and tug of war are high energy burners that require much less effort on the humans parts.

If you thing tug will create/encourage aggresive behaviors see Tug of War

and [url=http://www.4pawsu.com/tugofwardog.htm]To Tug or Not to Tug: Seriously, That's Still a Question?

Quote:

In 2002, a study was done to determine whether or not playing tug increased the incidence of aggressive or "dominant" behaviors. The researchers concluded that tug games had no negative effects on the relationship between the dog and human.

Have a dog that does not tug See

W TO CREATE A MOTIVATING TOY

from clean run magazine feature my "Macey"
[img]

Tug It Training Toy

Quote:

Tired of trying endless ways to teach your dog the wonderful game of tug? Finally there's a training device to teach a dog to tug that makes the process both fun and easy! The Tug It! is made out of nylon/polyester mesh so it automatically delivers food reinforcement as the dog clamps down on it. The harder the dog mouths the toy, the more food reinforcement the dog gets.

If your dog has a high prey drive (likes to chase moving objects) but is not a retrieve the Chase it dog toys are an excellent choice.

If you are still in need of further mental stimulation check ot this variety of Interactive Games

11-10-2010, 12:08 PM	#1 (permalink)
DroopyandZippy Junior Member Join Date: Nov 2010 Location: Florida Posts: 18	Ideas to help a bored basset Hi everyone, I am new here. I can't believe it took me this long to find this forum. Anyway, I have a very bored basset. I actually have two bassets, but one is able to handle boredom far better than the other. If you have any ideas to help I would love to hear them. My pups are very active and we train a lot. They are used to going on daily walks and going to training class at least once a week. We go to the park, PetSmart, PetCo, and anywhere else I can take them. Aside from walks, they are used to getting in the car and going somewhere at least 2-3 times a week. The problem is I am 9 months pregnant and have been put on very limited activity. I am not supposed to drive and I can't take them for walks anymore. By the time my husband gets home from work, it is dark so he can't walk them either. Droopy is my hound that is having a hard time with his limited activity. He is my obedience dog and he is not enjoying his time off. I have been feeding him out of his Buster Cube and throwing treats in the backyard for him to sniff out and find. I have been doing a little obedience and some tricks at home, but it is not to the level that he is used to. I have also been playing clicker games with him like 101 things to do with a box and I have been training some silly tricks, but it is not enough for him. Since he is so bored, he is becoming far more mischievous and is finding his own entertainment. Does anyone have any suggestions to help a bored little hound dog? Thanks! Droopy Tri-M's Line of Longitude CD, RA, HH (CGC and Therapy Dogs Inc.) Zippy Ch. Kaleidoscope Code Breaker RN (CGC and Therapy Dogs Inc.) Attached Thumbnails

11-10-2010, 06:05 PM	#3 (permalink)
SophieB Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2008 Posts: 839	My Bassets will run up and down our passageway, that's the length of three rooms, fetching balls until they've become bored, so maybe you could try that for a bit of exercise, or do you have friend or neighbour who can be trusted to walk them for you until you are fit enough to resume walkies?! Our dogs also like pushing their 'Good Boy' balls around that I put treats into and the treats fall out of the hole, you could try that and put their dried food into them as they get exercise as well as 'play' and eating! Last edited by SophieB; 11-10-2010 at 06:25 PM.

11-10-2010, 03:11 PM	#2 (permalink)
Cassidy Senior Member Join Date: Jul 2010 Location: Portland, OR Posts: 165	Don't know if this is what you're looking for- but we freeze some wet dog food into a kong and that keeps Fergus busy for at least an hour (we had 2 hours of quiet last night with a particularly difficult kong session).

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