Give Your Dog A Job

Once upon a time, when they were a bit less domesticated than they are now, our dogs had a full-time job — simple survival. This involved scavenging for food, hunting for food, guarding their food and other survival necessities from others, and making more dogs.

Each one of those items on their daily “to do list” were big jobs. Their very lives depended on being successful at those jobs.

And here we are, tens of thousands of years after dogs began to be domesticated, which is a blink of the evolutionary eye. Most of our beloved canine companions, even those bred for a specialized job such as hunting or herding, are unemployed.

What’s worse, the behaviors some that some of these dogs were bred to do are positive nuisances around the house. Barking, nipping, digging … all have a function, but we don’t necessarily want our yard torn up or the kids herded.

Dogs who don’t have a job often go find one for themselves — chasing the cat, tipping the trash, and being a downright pest during your online meetings, while getting homework done, or trying to put dinner on the table.

If your dog feels constantly underfoot, it’s time to write a new “job description” that engages your dog’s brain in ways that can help give you a needed break and her some “legal outlets” for her natural behavior.

Working to eat

The furry forebears of today’s dogs hunted and scavenged meals. If you think about it, dropping food in a bowl twice a day (or worse, freely available all day long) isn’t really a kindness for your dog!

Instead, give your dog all or most of his food in slow-feeding bowls, puzzle toys, snuffle mats, or in training sessions.

Almost-empty plastic containers, such as for yogurt or cottage cheese, can be lidded and tossed into the yard as well. Dogs love to clean them out for you! Always monitor this kind of play to ensure no plastic is ingested.

Our dogs love “kibble hunts.” We throw a few handfuls of kibble into the yard and the dogs take off after it. If they have to dig through snow for the food, that’s just a free added bonus to their hunt.

If you’re like me, you have more boxes around the house these days. A super-thrifty enrichment activity is to put some kibble and perhaps a smellier treat such as cheese or dog jerky into a box and either fold the flaps shut (easier) or tape it shut. Most dogs will spend a lot of time trying to get the food out of the box. Again, watch to be sure no cardboard is eaten. (There will, of course be bits of cardboard in the yard to be cleaned up at some point.)

Continuing Ed

Training benefits dogs of all ages! Has your dog mastered the basics? Enroll in an online tricks, agility, nosework, or advanced manners class. A few minutes of training a day can be a fun break for your dog — and you.

Credentialed training professionals know that dogs learn new skills the way people learn a musical instrument or a card trick — starting with easier increments that build to more complex behavior, during regular practice sessions. And, like us, these skills can become rusty if not practiced routinely. I know when I pick up my ukulele after three months, I can only remember the first two chords I learned, so the best tip I ever got was to play the uke 5 minutes a day. Five solid minutes of training is a significant chunk of brain activity for your dog.

Chew on this, not that

A dog’s jaws are designed to crush bone to extract nutrients. While stuffed food toys relieve some of the urge dogs have to use their jaws, long lasting toys such as Nylabones are another outlet for their need to chew. You and your dog will be happier with a chew toy you select, rather than catching her gnawing on chair legs, baseboards, or your new cozy slippers.

Walkies become sniffaris

Because they have 100 million scent receptors in their brains (humans have about 6 million), sniffing gives dogs vital information about their world. In fact, according to Dr. Alexandra Horowitz of the Horowitz Dog Cognition Lab at Barnard College/Columbia University: “Perhaps because we humans are so visually-centered, it's hard for us to imagine what it might be like for our primary sensory ability to be olfaction. But that’s how it is for dogs: they sniff first, and ask their eyes to confirm or deny. Their world is made of scents more than sights.”

So let them sniff long and deeply when you’re out and let them follow their nose where it takes them (safely, of course). Trail walks with longer leashes (we use a 10-foot leash when on trails in the woods) gives them extra room to explore their world.

Playtime!

Your dog needs time to be a dog, which means interacting with friendly dogs both on- and off-leash. A dog who reacts badly when encountering another on-leash dog may be just fine at the local dog park. Consult with a credentialed trainer if you think your dog doesn’t like other dogs: on-leash reactivity is a common problem that we can help with.

If they’re not already naturals at it, dogs can also learn to enjoy fetch and tug, which mimic behaviors in the wild. Fetch is similar to chasing a prey object (dogs are wired to be predators, after all). During tug they’re practicing dissecting their prey object, same as when they are shredding those expensive stuffed toys. So let your dog shred those squeakies — that’s what they’re designed for.

Behavior that works for you

Bored dogs give themselves jobs — tipping the trash, chasing the cat, and getting underfoot. Use these tips as a reminder of jobs you can give your dog that will also allow her to be her best canine self.

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Janice Zazinski is a graduate of The Academy for Dog Trainers and owner of Daily Zen Dog Training. At this time, all private, one-on-one training sessions are live and online. Visit dailyzendogtraining.com for more.