How To Keep Your Dog Entertained At Home While You Work

For some dogs, the transition of having parents at home all day has made them the happiest dogs in the world. For others, this has increased their opportunity for playtime… meaning your dog may be demanding attention for more hours in the day than you can give. How can you keep your dog entertained while you work remotely? Is there a way to keep your dog happy and relaxed so that they don’t need constant attention? 

At Portland Pet Food Company (PPFC), many of us have developed techniques for keeping our dogs entertained and relaxed while we work. After all, as a company built on our love for dogs, we always have our furry companions by our side.

Give Your Dog Positive Reinforcement

Rather than fussing at your dog whenever they start whining, barking, or coming to you for attention, try to redirect their energy by getting your dog to lie down – rewarding them with a healthy dog treat. By doing so, your dog will begin to equate lying down as a positive action. Eventually, your dog will nap all day by your side! There’s nothing like looking down at your happy, sleeping dog to keep you motivated throughout the workday.

Keep Your Dog Busy By Rotating Their Toys

Some dogs, including Mikey, one of PPFC’s team pooches, gets easily bored with his toys. Hannah, his mom, found that by rotating which toys were available to him throughout the week, Mikey’s interest stayed strong – keeping him distracted for longer throughout the day.

Another way to keep your dog busy is to stuff their toy with a yummy treat, such as a few scoops of your favorite, nutritious PPFC dog food topper, then freezing it. Your dog will be distracted for hours trying to lick the toy clean, giving you plenty of time to work. This trick is great on a warm day, as it can help prevent dogs from overheating.

Get Your Dog Plenty Of Exercise In The Morning

Your dog may be more willing to relax while you work all day if given plenty of exercise in the morning. Try going on a longer walk, playing 20 minutes of fetch, or taking your pup to the dog park while you sip on some coffee. Just as kids need to get energy out, dogs can have a hard time relaxing if they have pent up energy to release. 

Mix Up Your Dog’s Routine

If you don’t have time to get your dog any exercise but are able to take a quick morning stroll, try mixing up the route every few days. Dogs don’t just need physical exercise; they also benefit from mental stimulation. Taking a new route will ignite your dog’s senses and give them new smells to take in. By doing so, your dog will come home feeling more satisfied and ideally a little less energized. You may benefit from a change of scenery, too!

Take Training Breaks With Your Dog

Schedule a five- or 10-minute training break to work on new tricks with your dog at least once a day. Dedicated training breaks are a great way to give your dog mental stimulation – and after a while, your dog will be the smartest pooch on the block! For dogs who haven’t had much training since they were puppies, a training session can be exhausting – especially when they are working hard to earn some PPFC treats!

Working remotely and doing school from home has become the new normal for many. With summer months coming to a close, dogs may start to get antsy and bored more easily, increasing their need for your attention. By infusing some of the above tricks into your daily routine, your pup should stay entertained and out of trouble throughout the day.

At Portland Pet Food Company, we bake all of our dog treats twice to ensure they are dry and easily breakable, so you can reward your dog throughout the day without getting crumbs everywhere. Our healthy, natural dog treats are available in seven flavors, including gluten-free and grain-free options. For your convenience, we offer a flexible dog food toppers subscription delivery service – save 25% off your first order, and 10% off all subsequent orders.

Tasty Food For Cats, Too
Check out our cat food, too! We have two flavors that cats love: chicken and pumpkin cat food and salmon and pumpkin cat food.