How to Entertain a Bored Puppy

A bored puppy with nothing to do can get itself into trouble by chewing on off-limits items such as shoes, rugs and furniture to entertain itself. Prevent these types of destructive behaviors and hyperactivity by spending time with your puppy each day. Play games to both entertain your pup and stimulate its cognitive, physical and social development, recommends the Purina Beneful website. Choose engaging activities that reinforce your pet's training and help it to form an emotional bond to you, while helping it burn off excess energy.

Things You'll Need

  • Dog-safe bubble-blowing toy
  • Dog toys
  • Dog treats
  • Lung whip for horses
  • Leash
  • Flying disc
Show More

Instructions

    • 1

      Blow bubbles for the puppy to chase. Purchase a dog-safe bubble blowing toy that produces beef or chicken-flavored bubbles, safe for the puppy to chase and ingest. You can use this toy indoors or outdoors.

    • 2

      Play hide-and-seek with the puppy's favorite toy. Allow the puppy to smell the toy, then hide it in an easy-to-find spot and say, "Find it." When the puppy finds the toy, coax it over to you and then praise it verbally when it brings you the toy. Give your pup a dog treat as a reward for its behavior. Continue the game, making the hiding spots harder to find, to challenge your puppy.

    • 3

      Attach a dog toy to a lunge whip for horses. This creates a toy that you can dangle in front of the puppy and pull along the ground for it to chase.

    • 4

      Take the puppy for a walk on a leash to help it exercise, experience the outside world and burn off excess energy. Walk at a moderate pace and keep the walk to about 15 minutes, to avoid overexerting the young dog. A puppy's bones are still developing until it reaches 18 weeks old, and strenuous or excessive exercise can cause bone or joint damage, according to the VetInfo website.

    • 5

      Bring your puppy to a local dog park to meet and socialize with other dogs. At these parks, you can usually find an off-leash area to play with your puppy. With the leash off, you can throw a flying disc for your puppy to retrieve and bring back as part of a game of fetch. When the puppy brings the disc back to you, give it a dog treat and verbal praise to reward its behavior.