Combating Boredom In Your Service Dog

From Service Dog Training

Recently I noticed that my service dog, Kain, was starting to slow down at work. When I would get up from my desk, he wouldn’t get up until coaxed, and in the halls he would walk as slowly as possible, definitely not his usual hard-driving personality. I wondered for a bit if his age was starting to show, he is, after all, approaching 8 years old, which is getting up there for a giant breed mix. However, after watching him chase squirrels in the back yard and jump around at dinner, it certainly didn’t seem like a lack of energy was the problem. I had one other idea, and it turned out to be correct. He was bored. The life of a graduate student during comprehensive exams and finals is neither exciting nor particularly active, and both Kain and I had gotten into a rut. I’ve added a few things to our daily routine to alleviate the boredom, and I give them here for your own use, along with a couple of other ideas.

-Use a new or special reward occasionally for a normal task. This can make work more exciting for the dog.

-Do something differently while working; take a new route around your building or change up your schedule a little.

-Give the dog a new toy or bone to work on during your downtime. A puzzle toy can help occupy spare time.

-Teach a new task or trick. This will give your dog something new to work on.

-Set aside some time to play a game or interact with your dog outside of work.

-Try a new activity with your dog. Take a rally or agility class, or find another exercise you enjoy.

--Tiffany Huggard-Lee 09:59, 29 May 2010 (CDT)