Suggestions for activities for dog recovering from dental surgery

Question

My dog recently had 4 teeth pulled and the dentist instructed me to not let her play with/chew any toys for 2 weeks after the surgery. My dog loves to play though, so she's very frustrated that I've taken away her toys. We usually go to the dog park at least 3 times a week to burn off her energy, but I can't take her there now since there are dozens of tennis balls in all the nearby dog parks.

So, does anyone have any suggestions for mentally simulating activities? I plan to take her on longer than usual walks, and we play the find it game where I hide treats in the house and she goes looking for them. Now that she can eat kibble again I've been putting it in her food bobble for her to play with.

She still seems bored though.

Answer 1

You can :

• doggie intelligence test
• doggie agility / doggie indoor agility
• teach the dog a new trick
• doggie daycare service in your area
• find the treat game ; and other games
• take your dog for a walk
• take your dog to a dog-friendly restraunt and eat at the patio
• etc

Answer 2

I don't know how your dog's boredom could be related to the dental surgery, but I'm sure you're doing what you can to keep her happy :)

I would suggest:

1. Make sure she isn't in pain. This should be your Number One priority for the next few weeks. Make sure she doesn't eat any hard food and keep checking for bleeding in her gums. If your surgeon gave you any creams, apply them to where the teeth were pulled from.

2. As you mention in your question, longer walks are a great idea. Add some variation to your regular routine, take her to a new and interesting place. Dogs love exploring and I'm sure she'll love running in (and urinating on ;)) a new park or street.

3. Even if she can't run free, there's no reason not to play games with her as you used to. If she's an active dog, take her running, on a leash if need be. Keeping her body active is the first active to keeping her mind active.

Good luck, and I wish your dog the best!

Answer 3

Must keep extraction site(s) free of unnecessary bacteria, like that introduced from chew toys, anything that was in any dogs mouth. Dogs will get the zoomies, running back and forth down hallways if available to burn off energy, mine does this when after cracked tooth extraction, seven days of constant rain kept us both inside. Despite attention, love, cuddles, boxing, rough housing, hide and seek, treat puzzles, she still needs to just run it off. Walks changed to 16 foot sprints on the lead leash. All good as these physical activities kept her from needing pain medications. Grind up kibble and mix with water as canned food will make your dog sick if not used to the sudden change. Use a hammer in a bag or food processor to consistency of coffee grounds. Let soak in warm water. Works great and can return to whole nuggets after a couple weeks.

Answer 4

Longer walks where she can smell all she wants. You can practice nose games, sprinkles for exemple (hide some rewards very appetant like meat in a square area and let her find it), or finding objects (you can use a small bag full of rewards and hide it, when she found it, she can have some and you can continue the game).