4 things to practice with your pup during stay-at-home orders

By Hope Bidegainberry on April 28, 2020

Young German Shepherd puppy practicing her head tilt with grass on her tongue in the back yard.

Spending all this time at home presents a unique opportunity to work on certain skills and habits with your dog. As you practice social distancing, here are four things you can be doing now to help out your pup:

• Give your dog alone time 
  • Scheduling alone time is critical to preventing behavior issues for when you are not home all day. You can also prevent the onset of separation anxiety.
• Vary your walking routes 
  • Avoid walking the same route every day. Drive through different neighborhoods and let your dog experience a variety of different environments.
• Brain games!
  • Instead of feeding your dog out of their bowl, hide their food around the house for them to find. Also teaching new tricks can provide mental stimulation.
• Curb undesirable behavior 
  • Does your dog jump on people? Pull the leash? This is the perfect time to teach your dog what you want them to do instead.