How to keep your dog healthy and stimulated in the comfort of your own home
It’s the weekend. That precious time of the week that usually means we can relax and not set an alarm. But for many of us, in this strange and uncertain time, we need to stay at home with a single walk a day for our furry friends, keeping us and them safe and well.
Many of us are concerned about how to keep our canine companions fit and healthy whilst ensuring that we maintain social distancing, so Naturediet have come up with a few tricks and tips to help.
- Environmental enrichment and mental stimulation. These are great to prevent or tackle unwanted behaviour – and to keep your dog’s brain active. It’s also a great opportunity to build on your relationship with your dog. Learn a new trick, play hide and seek, or simply rotating their toys can engage your dog’s brain and keep them happy. You can read our blog post about new trick ideas here
- Dinner time! Why not make dinner time a game? If you feed dry, perhaps put their food into a Kong or treat filler and make toy time but with food! If you feed wet, perhaps consider using a Kong or lick matt to use some mental energy.
- Don’t forget to count calories Like humans, unless a dog burns enough calories, they are likely to put weight on. With less walks, this means that your canine companion is burning less calories, so just keep an eye on their waistline. If they are putting on pounds, just slightly reduce their food amount. If you’re unsure about how much to feed, then you can see our feeding guides here
- And Sleep… Most of our dogs are used to being left on their own for a period of time each day – whilst we work, before the dog walker comes in, or when we nip out for the weekly shop. Dogs may not be used to having their human companions round them 24-7, so just be considerate that they may need extra sleep. Think about having a relaxed period of the day where you sit and watch TV or read, allowing your dog to sleep by your side and get in those extra zzzz’s.
