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Preventing Boredom


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Our grey, Harry is fearful of the outdoors so we can only take him out on very short walks to relieve himself. He's also scared when he's in our back garden, which limits our opportunities for play.

 

We're now working with a behaviourist on building his trust in us before we begin desensitising him to the outside world.

 

We play a game with him daily, calling him for treats and hiding them around the house for him to sniff out, which he loves. He also has a couple of stuffed toys (Diane the duck and Olive the owl) which he picks up and plays with when he's excited or when he greets us when we get home. He doesn't often play with these for more than a few minutes though.

 

We've had Harry almost 5 months and as time goes on, he is gradually getting more lively and playful. As he can't get that stimulation outside right now, I'm looking for any suggestions of toys or games that we can keep him occupied with.

 

He has a Kong, which he loves. I also bought him a Kong Wobbler but he hasn't shown much interest in that yet!

 

He already gets lots of treats so I'd like to find something that isn't food-related or at least takes some time to get through if it is.

 

Would appreciate any suggestions.

 

Thanks,

Matt

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A lure pole? Greyhounds are usually very enthusiastic about these, the only thing is that using one indoors could mean a lot of stuff gets knocked over! But if he is enthusiastic, encouraging him to play with it in the garden could be a way of helping him overcome his fear of being out there.

 

I have not seen them for sale in the UK, but here is a page about them which includes instructions on how to make one. For a greyhound I would tie a fluffy toy to the end, and I would wave it around in the air as well as dragging it along the ground:

http://notesfromadogwalker.com/2012/04/24/flirt-pole/

Clare with Tiger (Snapper Gar, b. 18/05/2015), and remembering Ken (Boomtown Ken, 01/05/2011-21/02/2020) and Doc (Barefoot Doctor, 20/08/2001-15/04/2015).

"It is also to be noted of every species, that the handsomest of each move best ... and beasts of the most elegant form, always excel in speed; of this, the horse and greyhound are beautiful examples."----Wiliam Hogarth, The Analysis of Beauty, 1753.

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We use a cat teaser we got at pets at home, Jake loves it because it's fluffy and squeaks when it's knocked. It also has the advantage of being small for being used inside.

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