Low-Cost Ways to Keep Your Pup Occupied at Home.

Low-to-No Cost Ways to Keep Your Pup Occupied at Home.

You love your dog. Your dog loves you. But since being pushed into quarantine with the majority of Americans working from home, your pet may have turned into a loud, obnoxious, attention-seeking co-worker. Here are five low-cost ways to keep your dog occupied with busy work so you can finally get your real work done.

1. Tuna Popsicle

Get some plastic, disposable cups normally for filling condiments and pour water until the cup is filled 3/4ths of the way. Then, take some canned tuna and pop in the rest until the cup is full. Mix around the tuna in the water, then place the cups in the freezer until frozen. When you pull them out, you can easily pop the frozen tuna treats out of the cups and let your dog lick its way through. (You can also do salmon or peanut butter, though peanut butter can get pretty messy!)

2. Water Bottle Toy

Take an old water bottle, pile in some kibble, then squeeze the bottle to contort it. Set it on the floor and watch your dog bat it trying to shake the kibble pieces out.

My dog is a lazy grazer of her kibble, which usually sits in her bowl for hours before she decides to reluctantly eat. But when I put the same kibble in a crinkled water bottle, she's suddenly on a mission to get out every last piece to eat.

3. Old Pillows

Tired of throwing away money on $20-$30 "indestructible" dog toys that barely last through the morning, only to find your once-polished family room turned into the scene of a stuffed animal massacre? (Never again will I buy a horse-shaped dog toy after finding its chewed-off head in my bed, Godfather-style.) Instead, go to thrift stores like Goodwill and Salvation Army to pick up $2-$4 pillows and let your dogs go to town on those.

4. Frozen socks.

Dogs are weird creatures. They like disgusting things. This next one can't be explained much more beyond those two sentences. Take a clean (unwanted) sock, rinse it in the sink, then place the water-soaked sock in your freezer. Once frozen, the sock will be crinkled in such a way that dogs love to play with while licking. It sounds bizarre-- and the sight of your dog licking your iced-over garment will confirm this-- but you're going to have to just trust me on this one. Essentially, dogs love all things frozen.

5. Hide-A-Treat

This is the only one on the list that's something which requires spending a little money at an actual pet store for, but it's well worth it. These are little maze-looking devices where you can hide treats in for your pup to root around for. This one describes itself as a "brain teaser" for your dog, with various degrees of difficulty. It gives your dog a cute little task to complete, and makes them "work" for their treats a bit more than the usual "Sit! Stop that! Be a good dog!". I like to set this up for my dog when she's barking for attention. The time it takes her to complete the toy isn't very long, but is just long enough for her short-attention-span brain to forget she was previously screaming for attention and usually lays down once she's found all the treats. Thank Dogness.

I hope these methods help keep your dog distracted and happy, keep you focused and peaceful, and you both content co-habitators!

If you like my tips, feel free to leave one of your own.