3 Signs Your Dog is Bored (And What to Do About It)
Do you think your dog is bored? If you answered yes there’s a pretty good chance they are.
Like us, our dogs get bored when they’re not given things to do throughout the day. But unlike us they’re pretty limited in what they can do to entertain themselves. They don’t have a job, they can’t go to the park on their own, and they don’t get to go out and walk by themselves.
We’re their main source of entertainment. We dictate when they eat, play, and exercise. And if we don’t give them enough to do they’re going to get bored, and bored dogs get into trouble.
If you think your dog is bored there are some ways to tell, and there’s a lot of options to help remedy it. Here’s 3 signs that your dog is bored, and what you can do about it.
1. Exhibiting Destructive Behaviors
If your dog is exhibiting a lot of destructive behaviors chances are they’re bored. Or at the very least boredom (and a lack of physical and mental activity) is what caused those behaviors to begin with.
Excessive chewing, barking, digging, getting into the trash – these sorts of destructive behaviors are often caused by dog boredom. If you’re not giving your dog things to do they’ll find ways of entertaining themselves. And that includes habits like chewing up shoes and digging up the garden; things us humans aren’t too keen on.
To stop destructive behaviors we need to give our dogs something more constructive to do. We often focus on punishment, and then fail to follow up by teaching them what to do instead. It’s our job to teach our dogs about what’s acceptable and encourage good habits.
Use Doggie Boredom Busters
When Laika was younger she was always getting into mischief (the magic of puppies). To stop her from tearing up the house I’d give her something mentally stimulating to do such as a food puzzle or a Kong stuffed with frozen treats.
Little boredom busters like that might not seem like much, but adding in little “games” like that to our dog’s daily routine is mentally exhausting for them. We’ve all heard that a tired dog is a good dog – but it’s about more than just physical exercise.
While many behavioral problems stem from boredom the answer isn’t necessarily just adding in more physical exercise. When it comes to mental stimulation it doesn’t take much to tire out your dog; a frozen Kong will tire out my dog as much as a 30 minute walk.
A good combination of physical & mental exercise is what helps keep our dogs happy and entertained. In addition to your daily walk add in a few training sessions or interactive games throughout the day. If you’re not sure where to begin here’s a list of 33 ways to keep your dog busy indoors.
Another one of my favorite doggie boredom busters is teaching your dog to chase bubbles. It’s easy, inexpensive and fun. Just make sure your dog doesn’t ingest too much; it can cause an upset stomach.
2. Attention Seeking (Barking or Whining)
My dog’s certainly not shy when it comes to letting me know that she’s bored. She’ll come right up to me and nudge my hand, and if that doesn’t work the whining and grumbling begins. Our dogs know exactly how to get our attention, and barking at you (demand barking) works extremely well.
Some dogs don’t even bother with the whining or barking; they’ll get right up in your face (or onto your lap) if they’re bored. These are attention seeking behaviors, and they’re a good indicator that your dog is bored and looking for something to do.
If you want to help cut down on them interrupting your evening TV program you’re gonna need to give them a routine, so they know exactly what they should be doing at any given time. Whether it’s walk time, play time, or nap time — you can enforce a schedule for your dog that matches your own.
It may sound like a daunting task, but it’s quite easy to do, and the best part is it won’t take your dog much time to adjust to the new schedule.
Give Your Dog a Daily Routine
The way I managed Laika’s attention seeking was by setting up a daily routine. She knows when it’s time to walk, eat, relax and play. It’s amazing how well dogs like schedules; if Laika had a daily planner I’m sure she’d give our 2pm tug time a bunch of bone flavored stickers every day. By walking her in the morning and encouraging her to relax until 2pm she’s learned that “Morning time = napping on the couch time.”
Dogs are creatures of habit, so by providing them with a consistent daily routine they know what’s expected of them. By feeding our dogs at the same time every day we give them security; they don’t have to worry about when they’ll get their next meal. And the same is true for activities and exercise; a consistent routine will teach your dog when it’s time to play, walk and relax.
This dog knows it’s fetch o’clock. Dogs love having a consistent routine, and it’s a easy way to teach your dog when it’s time to play and when it’s time to relax. Find a routine that works for you and your dog.
3. Following You Around (Velcro Dog Syndrome)
Does your dog follow you around everywhere? It may be due to boredom. We’re our dogs main source of entertainment, we make all those big decisions like when it’s time to go to the park. So when we get up to go and do something our dogs are inclined to check it out.
Not all dogs who follow you around are doing so out of boredom. Some dogs just enjoy being close to their owners, and some dogs have been bred to be dependent (lap dogs). If your dog is calmly following your around it’s nothing to worry about; it’s up to you to decide if you find it endearing (I fall in that camp), or if you’d rather encourage independent behaviors.
When my dog Laika was younger she followed me around everywhere, and she certainly wasn’t calm about it. She’d get this excited look on her face like ‘OK what are we doing? Are we going to the park? Are we going to play frisbee? Whatever it is I’m so ready!’ That was a big cue that she was looking for something to do (and that I anthropomorphize way too much, but that’s a subject for another day).
Provide Your Dog With Enough Exercise
If your dog gets excited every time you get up it’s time to figure out why they’re getting so pumped up. Chances are they have some excess energy to burn off. Does your dog get enough physical exercise? Does he have some mentally stimulating things to do throughout the day?
Do you take your dog for a walk every day? If not that’s the best way to give your dog some physical & mental exercise. It’s such an important part of your dogs routine, and for most of our dogs it’s the one time of day they get to go out and explore and see what’s going on in the outside world. Another easy way to give your dog more physical exercise is by playing a game of frisbee or using a flirt pole.
If your dog gets plenty of physical exercise they might be looking for some more mental stimulation. A couple of my favorite ways to mentally tire out my dog are by using a Kong stuffed with healthy treats or playing a game of find the treats.
Our dogs depend on us for their entertainment. To keep your dog from getting bored make sure you’re providing them with plenty of mental & physical exercise every day.
What Do You to Do Keep Your Dog From Getting Bored?
How do you keep your dog from getting bored? Do you have a routine for your dog’s walk and games? Do you have any favorite doggie boredom busters?
Please share with your friends 🙂
This post contains affiliate links, if you make a purchase I’ll earn a small commission.
I really enjoyed reading this wonderful post of yours. I have learned a lot from it. As for your question, how do I keep my dog from boredom? Well, whenever I got home from work, I always meet and greet her with a dog treat then cuddle with her until she cools down from her excitement. Whenever we are about to go to bed and sleep, we have this routine that I played with her like hide and seek. There is this blanket which she loves to play with and cover herself with it. I tried to roll it on with her to make her like sushi, haha. I guess that’s it.
Thank you. And your routine with your dog sounds fun (especially the sushi blanket part lol). The bed time routine is very important around here; if it’s past 10 and I haven’t helped Laika settle onto the couch with her blankets she’ll start whining and nudging me as a reminder 🙂
I take my 3 year old German Shepard on 2 long (at least 45 minutes) walks and one shorter walk a day. We do a little playtime in the backyard, but she still seems bored. Any suggestions? Thank you!
This is a constant concern for us. Living on a boat, Honey has a lot less freedom to choose.
But one thing that helps her is meeting new people. Right now, she’s sitting in the cockpit flirting with a couple in a canoe.
I have three dogs in the house,but the problem is my husband and I are to busy to take them walking.We have huge backyard and they’re still playing one of my dog he is 1 years old sometimes he just want to lay down on the floor his face looks like he is bored.I just want to make sure is he really bored or he just lazy.Thank you
It depends what breeds you’ve got but I don’t think your dog is ‘lazy’ per se. A big backyard doesn’t replace quality interactive time exploring new things or training with its human. Think of the puppy as a toddler. Without stimulation it’s going to be bored. Have you trained them to walk to heel on lead?
I think dogs have basic needs which includes being walked. I’m out most days from 8am-7pm but the pooch gets walked for an hour before and after those times and I get someone to go into her during the day. I’ve had to adapt my whole life to meet her needs as well as my own but starting the day with walking the dog has improved my wellbeing as well as hers.
Maybe you could look at your routine and have a think about some small adjustments which could counteract your busy life?
Good luck!
If u know how to stop2 dogs from chewing on everything . They 9mos sister & brother Boston’s. I have had at least 12 dogs in my life. I love these but at78 they are so distinctive. Wish We had only one. We thought they needed to have each other since we’re not young
I hate to say it, but obedience training helps exhaust my dogs and seems to avoid boredom later on in the day. I have three hooligan low-rider dachshund mutts. With training, they are all different: One loves it; one hates it; one is nervous for the first 10 minutes and then enjoys it unless we do something new. We sit, stay, I walk around them while they stay, and we do turnarounds in different directions. Sometimes, god forbid, we do down (which they all hate). It forces them to concentrate in a way they don’t otherwise and by the time they are done they are exhausted. Even the one who hates training seems to be happier for the rest of the day (until she decides to jump on the kitchen table and find something interesting to eat).
Hi, I really loved this post. It was pretty helpful to me, but I still have some questions because my dog doesn’t seem to act like most dogs! Her name is Belle and got her less than a year ago at a shelter. No one knows how old she is for sure, but we’re thinking she’s an older dog (maybe 6-8 years).
Her favorite thing in the world to do is cuddle. She could cuddle all day if we were willing to do it with her. She hardly ever barks. We take her on walks every day, but she doesn’t do much else. She doesn’t know how to play, and never seems to want to whenever we try to teach her. She’s also pretty hostile towards other dogs. We’ve tried taking her to dog parks before, but she just stands in one place and growls every time another dog comes near her. However, she’s the complete opposite around people – she’ll cuddle with anyone and everyone. The closest she’s come to getting along with other dogs is when we gave her to sitter while we were on vacation.
I’m not sure how to entertain her. At home, she just sits on the couch or in her bed all day. Whenever we open to door to go somewhere, she’ll get super excited and run towards the door. I feel bad because I don’t feel like I’m entertaining her as well as I should be, mainly because I don’t know how. Do you have any thoughts or suggestions? Thank you so much!
Hi Emma,
Bella sounds exactly like our girl, which we also got from the shelter and behaves very similarly. Has her behavior changed or have you found something that entertains her? In the beginning Yazzie for example would only spend 5 minutes with a Kong but now it’s about 20-25 until it’s empty..she is quick! She only plays a little as well and only if we’re right there with her.
Thanks alot will try as much to give my dog entertainment
Didn’t know its so important thanks alot again
Omg my dog always does this thing and didnt know what to do
Thanks alot for the information
I love using stuffed Kong, and the great thing is you can put all sorts of healthy treats in there and freeze it to make it last longer. Apple slices, Peanut Butter (without xylitol), freeze some broth, etc. When I’m trying to work at home a quick game of tug or blowing bubbles for her will wear my dog out for an hour or so. Minute by minute it seems to be one of the easiest ways to tire a dog out.