Over the last few years, working from home has become a normal
part of life. One of the biggest benefits of this way of working is that you
can be with your pet all day, but this can come with one small downside – your
pet may expect your undivided attention all day. To help you get some work
done, we’ve put together a list of five ways to keep your dog entertained
during work.
Spread out meal times
Instead of having one meal time in the morning and another in
the evening, spread out your pup’s feedings through the day. To avoid you
having to get up several times a day to feed them, you can make use of
automatic feeders, such as these:
- TRIXIE TX2 Automatic Food Dispenser: This bowl has two compartments, each with its own timer and ice pack so your pet’s favorite Freshpet recipe will stay cool until it’s time for them to eat.
- PetSafe 5 Meal Dispenser: With this bowl, one serving is ready to eat when you prepare it but four additional ones can be scheduled to open at different times throughout the day.
- WOPET 6L Automatic Pet Feeder: This bowl allows you to use your smartphone to schedule up to 15 meals at a time, so you can set it for a few days in a row.
In addition to giving your pup small meals throughout the day, you can make these meals extra special by mixing up the recipe you give each day – check out our full line of Freshpet recipes for dogs here.
Set up a scavenger hunt
around your house
Interactive toys and games are great at holding your dog’s
attention, but often require a lot of time and energy on your end to set up and
use. That’s what makes a scavenger hunt a great option – you simply set it up
and your pet takes care of the rest!
Simply take a selection of your pup’s favorite toys and a handful of Fresh dog treats and hide them around your house. Be sure to mix up the level of difficulty, with some items being easy to find and some being quite difficult. This allows your pet to quickly pick up on the game by having some easy finds early on and keep them motivated to search for the harder-to-find rewards. You can set this up a few times a day, using different hiding spots around the house to avoid it becoming too repetitive.
Prepare some
long-lasting frozen treats
Between scavenger hunts, you can also offer your pup some toys
that will keep them busy – independently – for extended periods. During the hot
summer months, we recommend going the frozen route so your pet gets some extra
hydration while they play.
- Homemade frozen veggie and fruit treats: You can use pet-safe silicone trays to create icy treats in an assortment of flavors. Dice up their favorite pet-safe snacks, such as carrots, green beans, pumpkin, blueberries, peas, or watermelon, divide them evenly into the mold, add some water, and pop them in the freezer until completely frozen. You can bring this to the next level by also adding in little pieces of your pup’s Freshpet recipe! But please note that if you freeze your pup’s regular Freshpet recipes you may see slight changes in color and texture when they thaw, but this won’t change the nutritional value or taste of our meals.
- Frozen Kong: You can bring your Kong game to the next level by simply freezing them. All you need to do is line the inside with peanut butter or a thin layer of their favorite roll, then add in a mixture of fresh dog treats or some of the pet-safe foods we listed above. Once the Kong is stuffed, you can pop it in the freezer and leave it there until your pup needs some entertainment.
With both of these frozen treats, you’ll want to give them to
your pup while they’re sitting on a large blanket or towel to catch any
moisture.
Consider fostering or
adopting another pet
If you had been considering adding a new member to your pack, it
can also have the added benefit of keeping your dog entertained during your
work hours and beyond! Dogs that have a playmate in the home rely less on their
pet parents for entertainment because they have a four-legged friend who is
always ready to play with them. If you’re not ready to bring home a new pet for
life, consider fostering. This is a great way to help pets in need as well as
see if having another pet in the house helps keep your pup occupied while you
work.
If you do go the foster route, be sure to check out our list of everything you need to know about becoming a foster pet parent.
Sign up for doggy
daycare
If you think that your dog needs some serious 1:1 attention that
you can’t provide during your work day, consider enrolling them at a doggy
daycare. This is a great option as you can better focus on work knowing your
pup will have a blast running around with other four-legged friends for hours
on end. You can even try splitting daycare services with a neighbor who has a
friendly dog. This way you know that every other day you’ll be able to focus
without interruption.
When choosing a doggy daycare, ask the same questions you would when looking for a dog sitter so you know that you’re choosing a top-notch one!
Have other ways to keep your pup entertained while you work?
Share them in the comment for other Freshpet parents to try!
