Like most dog parents with a new pup, they turn to the internet to search for meaningful and impactful ways to get their puppies’ energy spent. Other parents don’t know why their dog is pulling at their pant legs, destroying the toilet paper, barking at every noise in the hallway or going bonkers every time a guest comes over. Boredom and lack of mental (and sometimes physical stimulation is likely to culprit). There’s nothing like an energetic puppy to get you flustered when you have an important task at hand.
New York Dog Nanny encourages attending puppy meet-ups through the city as found on Meetup.com, Nextdoor.com, or Facebook or in addition to purchasing a variety of chew toys and chew toy supplements (kong stuffer, physi-pet) for that extra mileage you can get from a toy/treat and exploring playing dog-human games in your apartment.
1. The Kong:
There’s a good reason why a puppy kong is the most popular item on dog sites like chewy.com and petco. Puppies all go through a teething stage and it’s very necessary for their gum health and comfort to be able to chew on various textures up to 5 hours a day (wowsa).
Some pro-tips for making sure your pup has a win through this teething stage is getting a puppy kong (made specifically for this age group in either pink or blue). The texture is exactly what helps soothe a teething pup as well and the shape also makes for endless fun and entertainment beyond lapping up food from a bowl.
For extra fun you can put organic plain yogurt with berries inside and freeze it, use organic peanut butter and freeze it, or put dry kibble or wet dog food inside and mix the two and freeze it to get more mileage out of each stuffed kong.
2. The Snuffle Mat:
This winner is a way to add minutes (not necessarily hours) of fun to an activity your puppy or dog does at least twice a day. While this item is great for dogs for are fast eaters, its best lauded by dog moms and dad who have a dog who needs more entertainment, mental stimulation and the element of working for food (all dogs are born with a job).
Added bonus for picky and fast eaters is to sprinkle either a softer treat like Wellness Puppy Bites or Stella and Chewy’s freeze dried and dust it over the mat. We also recommend getting sample sizes (or the smallest) sizes of dog kibble and creating a party mix and throwing that into the mix once or twice a week. Variety is a win, and it’s king for dogs who are smart and it makes meal time all the more fun (for both parents and pups).
3. Rope Toys (playing Fishing)
Rope toys can be a fun and engaging way for dogs to play with one another or for you to hold it up and let the pup jump (be mindful of dogs developing hind leg strength, over stretching/extending) as well as where you play- we recommend carpeted area and only for a few mins at a time.
Ever see someone playing with a cat using a string and a toy at the end, let’s call that fishing. Guess what? Dogs love it to. Not a fan of tug-o-war (sorry everyone), but that’s THE ONE game that is a no-no with pet parents because it establishes a pecking order that well to be honest, is one where the dog thinks he/she is up for a promotion (or worse yet, a chance for you to go for a promotion) when you ideally are alpha in the home.
4. Physi-pet
Puppy Playing with toy attached to Physi-pet
This is a bonus toy that will allow your pet to get extra bang with their favorite toys/games. Why and how? Just clip your pups favorite toy or game to the devise and they then play with with added resistance.
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