Dogs Best Friend

Dog Behavioural & Dog Training Blog/Tips

Selina McIntyre, Dog Behaviourist & Dog Trainer, Dogs Best Friend, N.Z.
3.07.21 Dog Behaviour. Dog Training. How does this dog behavioural consultant feed her dogs? How does this Dog Behavioural Consultant feed her dogs?With enrichment.We split our dogs daily feed portion up and alternate between all of the methods below for feeding – variety is the spice of life!- Placing biscuits in a maze like dish to be pushed and licked out (ours is a Trixie feeder but other brands are available).- Stuffing lamb mince into Trev and Lily’s Kong’s and freezing them (these also get trapped inside ice blocks in Summer with some veges.)- The biscuits in a Wobble Toy, wobbled and rolled around the room.- Scatter feeding outside on the lawn (especially great when I am running late in the mornings but great for stimulation, especially for dogs that were bred to be more inclined for scent work).- Biscuits hidden in a snuffle mat. Trev and Lily search and snuffle their way around their mats to find the hidden biscuits buried in the fabric.- A biscuit portion could be in a feed ball (from experience make sure you get a sturdy one here and that biscuits flow easily around in it – so possibly a slightly bigger size than you think, dogs once they learn about a feed ball, LOVE IT!)- We are more likely to use on the weekend, when there is more time, a ‘pull-out’ Hol-ee Ball. These balls can be purchased in many pet stores and online. Cut up a medium sized old rag into strips (just smaller than the width of the holes) and roll up biscuits (or treats) into each rag strip. Your dog pulls and tears out the fabric from the holes to get to the biscuits.*Pent-up energy of any form, including mental energy, has been linked to tension and anxiety in dogs, so it is well worth enriching your dogs life with mentally stimulating tasks. Selina McIntyre, Dog Behavioural Consultant & Dog Trainer, Dogs Best Friend.
Do small dogs need to go for walks?The Walk -The walk is the best form of mental stimulation.Pent up energy of mental or physical forms has been linked to tension and anxiety. [Read More…]
16.04.2018
Insert a few minutes into your day for Hide and Seek/training with your dog (yes training can be built into your day also).This is mentally enriching for your dog, a fun way to work on ‘Obedience Commands’ and simply great for your relationship.
I truly enjoy playing Hide and Seek or ‘Sit, Stay, Come’ with our dog Trev. [Read More…]
29.05.2017
*Put small dog biscuits into a used plastic bottle with the lid off (such as a juice bottle). It should take him/her ages to roll the biscuits out.*Scatter feed part or all of your dogs meal. [Read More…]
Admin - 17:15:50 @ Entertainment for your dog
28.11.2016
Entertainment for your dog -Lock your dog inside while you hide raw hides or meat/raw chicken wings in the garden or doggy sandpit (sandpit just for raw hides).One of my clients freezes Jimbos chicken mince in a Kong and it entertains her dog for two to two and a half hours, whilst it licks it out.In summer, homemade ice bricks floated in a ‘blue shell’ paddling pool. [Read More…]
Admin - 18:43:56 @ Entertainment for your dog

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