Boredom Busters for Dogs: 40 Tail-Wagging Games and Adventures

by Nikki Moustaki

Here’s a Dog Fancy book for dog owners who work more hours than they’d like to…and for dog owners who own super-active dogs without real jobs to do (like herding sheep or retrieving ducks for ten hours a day). Boredom swiftly sets in on the domestic canine, and what usually follows is destructive, bad behavior that drives owners bonkers. Before you and your dog go bonkers together, Boredom Busters for Dogs holds forty great solutions to enriching your pet’s world in meaningful, fun ways. Author Nikki Moustaki has collected a toy box full of great games, interactive toys, and pawsitively stimulating puzzles to keep even suburban Border Collie happy and out of mischief. The book presents enrichment ideas categorized by solo activities, interactive social exercises, and ways to enhance the dog’s environment by offering variations or his own special places to play. In the chapter “Solo Enrichment,” the author utilizes every dog’s favorite things—food and toys—to motivate him to play and discover treats on his own. In “Social Enrichment,” the old adage that “two dogs are better than one” is the common denominator for the games and activities used to keep canine pals occupied. “Environmental Enrichment” gives owners ideas how to provide their dogs with places they can call their own, including digging pits, wading pools, tire swings, and more. Activities for dog and owner are the topic of “Variance Enrichment,” listing a dozen enjoyable day trips and outings, from hiking and cruising around time to doggy dancing and agility trials.

Genres: Nonfiction, Animals

60 pages, Paperback

First published March 30, 2010

About the author

Nikki Moustaki is the author of The Bird Market of Paris: A Memoir, as well as twenty-five books on the care and training of exotic birds. She holds an MA in creative writing, poetry, from New York University, an MFA in creative writing, poetry, from Indiana University, and an MFA in creative writing, fiction, from New York University. She has received a National Endowment for the Arts grant in poetry, as well as many other national writing awards. She splits her time between New York City and Miami Beach.

Reviews

[Roxann]

I let my pooch, Ollie, rate this.

"Arf! Frankly, I didn't find many of these activities that engaging or stimulating. Perhaps it is because I am a Westie, and terriers need a lot of mental stimulation. I had mom donate it to the book charity after we read it. Not a keeper."

So, there you have it. Only two stars from Ollie, and donated away. He knows what he likes.

[Janet]

Short book emphasizing the 4 enrichment needs of dogs with suggestions on games and activities to fulfill them: solo, social, environmental and variance.