Hiya,

I'm going to be going back to work soon and Jake, my 10 month old
Border Collie will be on his own for about 5 hours. Separation anxiety
isn't a problem, he is fine, but I don't want him to be bored.

How many treats can he have without it being bad for him. I had
thought a frozen stuffed Kong daily, either no fat yoghurt and banana,
or meat/gravy. But there are also other things he could have - meat
filled bones, pigs ears etc. Would one of those type of treats a day
be too much for him? He's a big dog and I don't want to overload him
on calories and or rubbish.

Thanks.

Lynda

Lynda wrote:
I'm going to be going back to work soon and Jake, my 10 month old
Border Collie will be on his own for about 5 hours. Separation anxiety
isn't a problem, he is fine, but I don't want him to be bored.

I'd suggest feeding him one of his meals in a buster cube:
http://www.sitstay.com/store/toys/toysd.shtml#buster

You can also stuff his kong with his own food, and reduce what you give in his
bowl accordingly. Plug the ends with something freezable.

Other good chew items would be nylabones (durable, not flexible):
http://tinyurl.com/5hbyo

And sterilized beef bones:
http://tinyurl.com/46lz9

I'd choose the stuffed one. The stuffing is crap junk food, but the bone used
for it is sturdier than the unstuffed ones.

You want to be careful what types of toys and chews you leave him alone with.
If there's anything he can rip pieces off of and swallow, use it only when
you're home.

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http://www.canineaction.com
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"Lynda" wrote in message
...
Hiya,

I'm going to be going back to work soon and Jake, my 10 month old
Border Collie will be on his own for about 5 hours. Separation anxiety
isn't a problem, he is fine, but I don't want him to be bored.

How many treats can he have without it being bad for him. I had
thought a frozen stuffed Kong daily, either no fat yoghurt and banana,
or meat/gravy. But there are also other things he could have - meat
filled bones, pigs ears etc. Would one of those type of treats a day
be too much for him? He's a big dog and I don't want to overload him
on calories and or rubbish.

if i can't watch my dogs, they only get stuffed kongs. if i'll be gone less
then five hours, i usually melt some cheese in the kong, then i stick it in
the fridge till i'm ready to leave. it takes them forever to get the cheese
out, and they love it. i usually don't reduce their regular food when i do
this, as it doesn't take much cheese to keep them occupied.
if i'm gone for longer, or if i'm gone during normal meal time, i usually
stuff the kong with half a small can of dog food (or however much will fit),
with a few kibbles thrown in for good measure. i freeze it until ready to
serve. then i remove the appropriate amount of food from their normal
feeding.

i've heard good things about buster cubes, if your dog isn't a big chewer.
my dogs would probably chew it open and choke on the pieces.

-kelly