One of the best things about self-isolation

One of the best things about self-isolation is spending more time with pets and family, and if you're lucky to have one, finding a new appreciation for your back yard.

While snuggling up on the couch with your pooch can be nice, there are many ways to keep your dog busy, as well as keep your sanity in check while in self-isolation.

Whether you live in an apartment or a house with a yard, there's an abundance of clever and inexpensive ways to stimulate your furbaby for hours on end. 

Hide and seek

Keep your dog's brain and body active by hiding treats inside and outside of the house for your dog to sniff out and find. Hide treats in spaces that your dog does not usually venture, or that presents somewhat of a challenge to access. Keep it interesting by finding new places every day, and your pooch will happily spend hours hunting down their next treat. 

Puzzle toys

Keep your dog engaged and entertained with puzzle toys. There are a huge range of treat-dispensing toys such as the electronic treat ball or Kong toy wobbler. These toys reward your dog's inquisitive behaviour and will keep them captivated for hours on end.

Fetch

An oldie but a goodie - playing fetch is great for so many reasons. It allows your dog to burn loads of energy as well as teaching them important skills like how to drop things on command.

Here are some tips to keep it interesting for both you and your pooch:

• Try and alternate toys
• Praise your dog at each step (when they follow the toy, pick it up, return it to you etc).
• When your dog returns with the toy, say ‘give’ or ‘drop it’ and reward your pooch with a treat when they comply.

Train a Greenhound

Why not use this time to train your greyhound to become a fully-fledged Greenhound.

The Greenhound program assists your pet in transitioning from a race dog to a family dog by allowing them to become accustomed to life inside a loving home. What's more,  Greenhounds do not need to be muzzled in public upon completion of the program.

The program covers a range of activities including:

• Socialisation with other pets
• Leash etiquette
• Socialisation with small children
• Toilet training
• Obedience training
• Play/mental stimulation

You may already be familiar with most, if not all, of these types of activities which are all part of healthy pet life when you bring a new pet into your home. So, with all this time up your sleeve, why not put your greyhound through the program, so they can enjoy a muzzle free life.

 You can find more details on the program here.