Our 11 month old puppy is doing so good. He is so much fun. We have definitely come over so many hurdles still working on a couple but I know we will get there. I think we have been blessed with a great dog. Our issue though we are having right now is between about 3:30 - 5ish he gets very hyper, he has a lot of built up energy and he just starts getting the zoomies, he'll play bite some which we do not allow. To explain a little both my husband and I work from home and I think he knows that it's getting towards the end of my day and he just gets excited because his dinner isn't long after I'm done. We give him a kong around 3:15 and the reason I give it to him at this time is because I run a daycare and it was a time I needed to keep him calm when the kids come in for snack and it helps and he actually is very mellow now with the children, they love him he loves them. So I don't know if we should give him his kong a little later if that would help but it usually only lasts him about 10 min. Does anyone have any recommendations on something he can do on his own that would get out some energy? We can't play catch or anything with him as we are both working not to mention weather is terrible right now. We need something for him to do during this time. ANY toy we give him he will just keep bringing it to us to throw and obviously we can't.
Hi @mom2labs Sounds as if he is a very friendly dog. The firm https://www.nina-ottosson.com/ makes good puzzles for dogs. They are expensive, at least in Australia, but the toys come in different levels with the higher levels offering a more demanding puzzle. If you buy a few different ones, then you can give a "new one" each day for the working week. AussieDogs makes very good environmental enrichment dogs with the plastic graded for intense chewers. https://aussiedog.com.au/# Some of the toys are designed for self-amusement. You can increase your expertise at packing the Kong. If you can barely put it in the Kong, then it should take more than 10 minutes to get the contents out of the Kong.
Do you freeze the kong I fill mine with some wet dog food and dry food in the centre then freeze over night. I also have one of the big green food puzzels we put down in the morning when we are getting ready to keep her amused for a while.
Yes Oakley is a very friendly dog, and well behaved, we are still working on the initial reaction when people come over but he is getting better. We have noticed that with some new people that come over he seems afraid of them. Not sure if that is normal or not. Well I think I pack it pretty good, but with that being said maybe I should get the largest kong, at the time I only needed him occupied for about 10 -15 min but maybe now I'll get the bigger one for him. Yes I do freeze it. That's a good idea, I will look into the puzzles, but I worry that he'll be getting too much food to close together if I give him his kong around 3 then more food at 4 then he eats his dinner at 5:30, isn't that too much? I do take into account the kong and other snacks with his regular meals.
Hi @mom2labs sounds like we're at a similar stage. Exhausting but entertaining isn't it? One thing we've found helpful is something for Luna to chew. Often she's got lots of excitement and no outlet, so chewing on a wooden chew really settles her. Coffeewood chews and Ancoroot chews have been great. She'll gnaw herself to sleep sometimes
I take the food for the kong from the food allowance so not giving her too much. Willow gets wet and dry food. She gets the dry in the puzzel then the wet when she has finished that. She nibbles the door frame if we don't get up early enough or she is left in the kitchen while we are upstairs getting dressed.
