I love dogs! Especially my dogs! As a pet parent it is your job to make sure they have everything they need; proper vet care, food, exercise AND ALL THE LOVE! Here are a couple things that I like to do help enrich their lives.
Hiking
This is my absolute favorite way to help my dogs live their best lives! We pack a lunch and we go for short hikes or hours long of hiking. We get to see the best views, have the best bonding time AND we both get exercise! Winning! Please remember that before you embark on your first hike be prepared with enough water, proper attire and make sure that you and your pup are both physically fit enough to handle it. (Planning a post about what to pack on a day hike in the future!)
Running/Walking
Take your pet out for a walk, go to the park or go on a run! These are all really great ways to enrich their lives. My oldest dog, Hannah, no longer can hike or run with me anymore so her favorite thing to do is go walk to the park. She loves to sniff around and for her it is not about the distance or the speed it is the experience of being out of the house and getting to do something. Just remember that just like hiking your pet needs to be conditioned to running/walking long distances and so do you! So start out slow you got this!
Outdoor Dog Approved Restaurants
I LOVE taking my dogs out with me everywhere. Zephyr loves to meet everyone and Hannah just loves to hang out wherever we go. There are a ton of dog friendly places to go and some of them even have dog items on the menu! Something to remember is that your dog should be well behaved while at a restaurant. Yes the whole world is aware that dogs bark but nobody wants to hear your dog barking nonstop while they want to enjoy their lunch. This also means not jumping on the waiter/waitress or on the table or on guests that walk by. Did you know that not all dogs are dog friendly?!?!? Just because a dog is out in public does not mean it is meant to be your dog’s best friend. For example my sweet little Hannah does not want to be every dog’s BFF, Zephyr on the other hand is pretty down. But Hannah likes to sit nicely, like the little princess she is, (except in the picture in the heading that is her signature sleeping position) and does not appreciate other dogs invading her space. It is SO GREAT that your dog likes other dogs but just remember not all dogs do.
Keeping Your Dog Busy Indoors
Sometimes the weather sucks (luckily not so often in SoCal) or you are stuck inside doing homework or working. (I FEEL THE LAST ONE) You can’t always take them out to have awesome adventures I get it trust me and that does not make you a bad dog parent. I could write a novel on what makes you a bad dog parent from what I have witnessed in the veterinary field and less adventure time does not make that list. My favorite indoor activity is some sort of puzzle or kong toy! It is a great way to keep them distracted and engage their mind. If your pet is working on some weight loss goals you can even put their kibble in the toys to let them eat their meals that way. But it is a great way to let them have some treats and it is always hilarious to watch their little minds work. Zephyr loves to throw his kong toy across the room and go chase it down to see if anything fell out. Another really fun game that I like to play on those sad dreary days of rain (Can you tell I don’t like rain?) is hide and seek. One person holds the dogs in the living room and someone else will go hide somewhere. The person that hides will call my dogs just once and then my dogs take off searching for whoever is missing. It is super fun for them and it helps release some physical and mental energy. Ps if you do this please tag me in the video on Instagram @kaylie.health.horses I would love to see it!! Here is a link to one of the kong toys from Amazon that I have. If you are interested in trying a puzzle toy. This link is to a puzzle toy from Amazon that is a beginner level puzzle toy.
Dogs add so much value to our lives. The least we can do is make sure that their lives are enriched to the fullest.
*The links that I share in my posts are a part of the Amazon Affiliate Program and I do have the chance to make commission based on sales.
