Tanner is always bored..

[Angelnstuff]

Tanner always seems so bored and restless.. he has a Kong, the XXL one but he doesn't like it as much as the smaller one that he was more able to destroy he'll play with it when it has treats in it.. but usually gets bored after a few minutes without treats..especially if no one else is interested in it.. Ive tried to teach him to play fetch or something, but he gets bored with that too, no matter how fun i try to make it. he would rather just chew up whatever were playing fetch with. i need some more ideas for him.. Ive never had a dog that needed to be constantly entertained.. all the dogs we've had would be happy to just cuddle on the couch or something, Tanner wont usually just lay down somewhere unless hes being pet. and then if you stop petting him he gets up. hes only ever just layed on the couch with me once, and it took 45 mins of me ignoring him for him to get comfortable enough to sleep for awhile. any ideas?

[Angelnstuff]

hehe, just to prove me wrong tanner layed in the middle of the living room and chewed on his kong for an hour today with nothing in it figures

[Leo]

Are you giving him the black Kong for aggressive chewers or the red one for less aggressive chewers?

[Angelnstuff]

The black ones.. The first one we got him was a black large i think, and he started getting bits off of it in less than 5 mins, he loved that thing tho. he played with it till it was half gone, then i had to take it away, because, while he will chew the bits awhile and spit them out.. after he spits them out, allie comes and tried to eat them

[Formula86]

Have you tried obedience training? Or agility courses? Sounds like he is mentally bored. Try teaching him tricks. Also, take him for super long walks - it'll tire him out and help with the boredom. He'll be sleepy and not so full of energy when inside.

But yah, tricks, obedience, agility - those sound best to me.

[LuvMeBre]

Agility always tires out my pups, keeps 'em busy & they LOVE it!

[skayleah]

Hi Angelnstuff. Sounds to me like he needs lots and lots of exercise to wear him out like long walks and such. The thing with dogs is you never know what you get until you have it! Well, that really applies to all pets but we're talking about dogs so that's what I'm talking about. We manage a doggie daycare on the east coast and see all kinds of different temperments. People bring their dogs to daycare for many different reasons. Some to get their dog socialized with other dogs, some to get energy out (this is where your dog would fall), some because if they leave the dog at home when they go to work they will find a disaster area when they get home, some because they don't have the heart to leave thier dog in a crate all day, etc. There are many reasons. Do you have a doggie daycare in your area? Depending on the location, some can be pretty inexpensive while others in ritzy areas can be more expensive. We have both a full day rate and a half day rate. A half day is 5 hours or less at any point during the day and costs $15. Our full day rate is $26 and that is anything more then 5 hours. I know not everyone can afford to bring their dog to daycare but if you could get Tanner to one 2 or 3 times a week I think he may chill out a bit for you!! In some cases owners give their dog something called Triptophen (sp? sorry). You know how some people give their kids Turkey to relax them instead of going the Ritalin way? You may not know so now you do! Well the thing in the turkey that relaxes them is Triptophen. Well, I don't know if I have been any help to you but I do know that your dog needs a lot more exercise then what he gets. That's not to say you don't bust your butt exercising him but he still needs more. As far as the Kongs go, I don't care what size or color I give my dog, she tears it apart in record time! Have you ever tried a 'Chuck-it'? It's basically a long handle with a grabber thing at the bottom so that you can pick up the slimy ball without touching it then you can fling it large distances. Lots of people use them on the beach. If your dog knows how to play catch then you can get lots of energy out that way. You just have to stand around and keep flinging it with the Chuck-it when your dog brings it back to you. Good exercise there also. Well good luck and if you would like to ask me something then just private message me and I would be more then happy to help you. Take care and be safe! Tanya :-)

[Angelnstuff]

I wanna take him to some basic obedience training but havent been able to find one yet that i would be able to take him to on a regular basis, i know theres one a lady holds in the park so ive been trying to find information about that. And agility in the future would be great. I decided were gonna start taking walks everyday, even if its just around the block a couple times.
Today we took him around the block to davids parents house to play with there beagle, Millie. They loved eachother! i think millie is getting alittle chunky, and couldnt keep up with tanner so im thinking since they got along so well, maybe i could take tanner over there to play a couple times a week since its just right around the block. and maybe eventually take them for walks together.

[skayleah]

Well that sounds like a great start! I think you are definately going down the right track and I'm sure Millie loves the company. Something has to tire Tanner out and what better then a bunch of walks and getting to play with another dog! I wish you the best of luck!

[mulder]

the excercise is a GOOD point. you could also try teaching him things. i used to teach my dogs left from right. shake left paw or right paw. turn left or right when walking. stuff like that.

[Vanilla_Rat]

Yep,sounds like Tanner is a dog that needs alot of excercise or activity to keep him stimulated!

Try agility or even a hike thru the woods or a nice long walk.