A First Time Dog Owner Needs to Know, is My Dog Bad or Bored?
It usually can't be helped when we have to leave our beloved dog home alone for periods of time on a daily basis. Have you ever had a dog that was completely bad when left alone? There are many bad behaviors that dogs can pick up. Dogs will do things like incessant barking, chewing on your belongings, and getting in the trash.
Your job as a dog owner is to not let these bad behaviors develop in the first place. Many times dogs exhibit this type of behavior because they are bored. I had to learn this lesson the hard way with my first dog.
My first dog friend was a little mixed breed dog. He was very smart. Both my husband and I worked, and our little dog had to fend for himself during the day. While we were away he would get into a lot of mischief. One of his favorite things was to get in the garbage and spread it all over our apartment. That was a completely disgusting habit that he developed. We never knew quite what to expect when we came home. He was pretty random in his destruction. One day we came home and found him wound up in the curtains. The curtains and grabbed him and wouldn't let go. Who knows how long he had been trapped.
What we didn't know was how bored and lonely our little dog got when we were not with him. He needed a lot more attention than he was getting. We learned that left to their own devices a bored dog will find things to do.
We learned things to do to help keep our dog happy. We provided him with toys to play with, and we would take him to the park for a romp. We also realized we couldn't give him the run of the house until he learned to be respectful of our belongings. Eventually he grew out of his destructive habits. It takes a lot of patience and love to provide entertainment for your dog. They need daily attention and play time with their owners.
Dogs need to know from the beginning what the word NO means. Don't let them develop bad habits like chewing on shoes. In fact a good thing to do is to put those shoes on your feet and take your dog for a walk. Both you and your dog will be a lot healthier and happier.
Source: Personal Experience
Published by Pat Bartels
Previously employed in the Human Resources field, Pat enjoys traveling and tweaking computers when she is not writing articles for Associated Content and Factoidz. She is fascinated with personal finance, th... View profile
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14 Comments
Post a CommentMy cats get mad when we leave to go away for awhile,and you can't hide it from them, because they eyeball the suitcases before we leave. We've actually packed our suitcases in a spare bedroom and hid them from them, to keep them from knowing we were leaving. I'm sure they know something is up with my father-in-law arrives, because then they know that we'll be gone for awhile while he watches them and the house. It's like having children at home.
The best dogs I've ever owned all had minds of their own sometimes.
It's so important to pay attention to your dog!
Great work on this.
Good work, Pat! Many dogs and dog parents should thank you!
We try to give our German Shepherd some exercise before leaving him alone in the house. If he gets tired from playing ball he will sleep while we are gone!
Allergies :( But if I didn't have them, I'm sure I would have a cat AND a dog.
I wish I had a dog - great article!
LOL @Nancy! My son went to Florida for a week. He is the primary care giver for our dog "Bessie". Bessie dug holes and got in the trash. She was a wreck (due to boredom) until he finally came home. I tried to engage her but to no avail.
My dog is just plain dopey!