All my dog wants for Christmas…

Is a cardboard box!

I find it quite amusing that just before Christmas there are lots of posts on for-sale-sites selling last years kids presents. Often listed as ‘hardly played with’.

We have a yearly obsession with buying as many ‘things’ as we can. Many of which are played with briefly and then tossed aside.  Sound familiar?

How many of us do the same for our dogs? Visit any pet shop at this time of year and you will see advent calendars, doggy stockings and an assortment of Christmas pudding and Santa shaped squeaky toys.

Dogs don’t tend to get as bored with toys as kids do but they are often just as happy with the packaging. And its so much cheaper.

Don’t get me wrong, I am all for spoiling my dogs (follow my blog for long enough and you will see that). But, it doesn’t need to cost a fortune.

The packaging is always more exciting than the contents

To me (and my dogs), the box and various other bits of wrapping provide hours of entertainment. Something as simple as scrunching up the paper and a handful of treats into the box provides fun and enrichment.

As a clicker trainer, every box becomes a whole new training opportunity. Get in touch to book a Clicker Training Master Class. Then, Check out 101 things to do with a box. I promise you will never look at a plain old box in the same way again.

Back to Christmas.  Unless you carefully fold up every piece of used wrapping paper, you will no doubt end up with a bin liner full for? Before you throw it all away have a think of the fun you and your dog could have.

Wrap up a few treats in wrapping paper and hide them. Then let your dog loose to find them. Make sure he doesn’t eat the paper though. Maybe give him the empty box to shred (sorry, recycle).

Christmas comes round only once a year, but every piece of packaging can be a new dog toy.