Ways to keep your Labrador Retriever busy

Labrador Retrievers are known for being a very energetic breed, and as such, we do require constant exercise! As well as physical stimulation, it is also important to occupy our attention span as well. Giving us a number of exciting interactive toys and treats can help keep us happy, while helping to deter negative doggy habits (such as chewing on your shoes or furniture!). Even with a lot of toys, however, us Labrador Retrievers still need to interact with you, our owners. Try to make time to play with us at least three times per day.

VARIETY
The best way to keep your Labrador Retriever busy is to give us a constant variety of different toys! You can rotate a new toy into our toy collection every week, or introduce the new toy during playtime as a surprise. Above all, we will love any toy that you give us, as it presents an exciting new opportunity for interaction.

LONG-LASTING TREATS
The best kind of treat to keep our attention is a treat that will last for a long time. Treats that aren't consumed immediately will become very interesting, as it represents an interactive puzzle for us to solve. The best long-lasting treats can come in the form of pig ears, rawhide toy bones, animal hooves, and flavored meat-filled bones. Us Labrador Retrievers love any type of food, and will be more than willing to spend time consuming a long-lasting treat! This can also help us to cope with being left alone for a period of time, as it serves as a good distraction. Having a lot of available chew toys can help us to better deal with separation anxiety about being left alone.

CHEW TOYS
Many dogs are known to be constantly chewing on things, and Labrador Retrievers are no different. Us Labradors actually have a breed-based oral fixation, which is one of the main reasons why we make such excellent retrievers. However, this also means that we need constant acceptable objects to occupy our chewing needs! Having a variety of chew toys can help prevent us from chewing on wires, shoes, or other household items. This can also help prevent bouts of destructive chewing, as we will sometimes want to chew on objects when we are feeling depressed or lonely. Try to always have chew toys available for us Labradors.

INTERACTIVE TOYS
Aside from being active, Labrador Retrievers are also very smart. We are very curious, and are always exploring for new and exciting things to learn about. As such, it is important to give us interactive toys to help occupy our attention! The best interactive toys for us are toys that make noise, have lights or bells, and toys that present a puzzle for us to solve. Some chew toys are now made with squeaking noises, and there are durable electric toys that are made specifically for dogs. A good puzzle toy is a rubber chew toy that has a treat on the inside, since this will help us to utilize problem-solving skills.