Destructive Chewing? Hyper Dog? Try Some Exercise & Enrichment

Do any of these less than desirable behaviors sound familiar to you?

* Destructive chewing, digging or scratching
* Investigative behaviors, like garbage raiding
* Hyperactivity, excitability and night-time activity
* Unruliness, knocking over furniture and jumping up on people
* Excessive predatory and social play
* Play biting and rough play
* Attention-getting behaviors like barking and whining

If so, then I highly recommend the ASPCA website's free Virtual Pet Behaviorist Tips & Articles. The ASPCA lists all of these behaviors as a result of lack of exercise and play.

The following two articles offer tips on how to set your dog up for success when he's home alone and how to keep him entertained with his own interactive toys (like a Kong stuffed with food, for example) so that he won't resort to chewing on your socks.

They also list a several ways to exercise your dog that don't require a lot of energy on your part. These include food puzzle toys, hunting for dinner, fetch, Hide & Seek and my own dog's new favorite: Find It.

ASPCA's Fun, Easy Ways to Exercise your Dog

ASPCA Tips: Enriching Your Dog's Life