Kids Page

So you're back to school again. You can't sleep late. You have homework to do already. You see different people. You can only go outside at recess and you may not get to eat what you like to eat for lunch. It is an adjustment you have to go through every school year.

Your dog goes through an adjustment when you go back to school, too. Dogs are social creatures, just like people. They need the others in their packs just as you need your friends and family. For some pets, you may be their most important pack playmate. Your dog may get lonely. He may get bored and sometimes even worried and anxious when you are gone.

Dogs that get very worried, anxious and agitated may have their own version of a "meltdown." They scratch walls, chew up things, run around, bark and sometimes even lose their housetraining. Although the results are bad, the dog is not being bad. He can't help himself when he is that upset. The problem is called separation anxiety. Serious separation anxiety may require the help of a veterinarian and an animal behaviorist.

However, you help a normal dog cope with his feelings when you are gone. First, don't make a big deal out of saying goodbye to your pet when you leave or a huge deal of saying hello when you return. If you get the pet over-excited when you go, what is he going to do with those feelings once you are gone? He may not have good coping skills, and that can create a problem.

Instead, try to make leaving a happy time by giving him a toy that will keep him occupied while you are away. The best toys combine food with the toy. They make the dog figure out how to get the treat out of the toy. Kongs and BusterBalls are the best-known treat-dispensing toys, but there are many others. There are even puzzle toys for dogs which require them to figure out several steps in order to get to the treat.

You can make some cheap treat dispensing toys of your own. Just as a Kong can be stuffed many times with a smear of peanut butter, a little bit of it on the very bottom of a clean yogurt cup can give a dog a bit of fun. Some people take their dog's dinner dish out in a clean, secure backyard and scatter the kibble as widely as possible. The dog must run around and sniff out his dinner. Wild dogs are used to having to scour around for food, so many trainers think the mental and nose exercise is good for dogs, too.

You can make for your dog a treat dispenser with water and leftovers from dinner. Small bits of beef, pork, chicken, turkey (no bones, please!) can be mixed with some kibble and tossed loosely into the bottom of a clean yogurt, cottage cheese or small plastic food storage container. Then cover with water and freeze overnight. These frozen treat logs can be tossed outside when your dog goes out to play. Just remember to supervise and retrieve the plastic when done, because the plastic itself can be very dangerous if eaten.

You can make some cheap treat dispensing toys of your own. Just as a Kong can be stuffed many times with a smear of peanut butter, a little bit of it on the very bottom of a clean yogurt cup can give a dog a brief bit of fun. Some people take their dog's dinner dish out in a clean, secure backyard and scatter the kibble as widely as possible. The dog must run around and sniff out his dinner. Wild dogs are used to having to scour around for food, so many trainers think the mental and nose exercise is good for dogs, too.

Another treat dispenser you can make for your dog is made from the protein parts of last night's left overs. Small bits of beef, pork, chicken, turkey (no bones, please!) can be mixed with some kibble and tossed loosely into the bottom of a clean yogurt, cottage cheese or small plastic food storage container and then frozen overnight. These frozen treat logs can be tossed outside when your dog goes out to play. Just remember to supervise and retrieve the plastic when done, because the plastic itself can be very dangerous if eaten