Idle hands are the devil’s workplace. We all try to keep ourselves busy with other things when we’re trying to lower our calorie intake or stop smoking.

We also generally choose activities that are incompatible with our vices, so we are less likely to repeat them. Sport often crops up as one way to beat a bad habit and this also applies to dogs. Longer walks, some obedience, agility training and even swimming can go a long way towards tiring your dog out enough to have a well-behaved dog at home.

However, not all dogs are the same and some certainly have more stamina than we sometimes care for. If you didn’t do your homework and now have a dog that has more energy than you have, some mental gymnastics are in order.

Tiring a dog is not all about exercise; it’s also to do with mental stimulation, which can be easily achieved. There are some fantastic interactive toys on the market with varying degrees of difficulty. A new one seems to appear each time we visit the pet store.

Essentially these are toys designed to be rewarding when the dog plays with them by dispensing treats when the dog figures out how to use them.

Some just drop treats as they roll about; others have treats hidden in drawers or under levers.

You can even make your own with some simple recyclable materials. Throw some treats in a plastic bottle and let the dog figure out how to get them out. Poke a hole at the bottom so your dog’s tongue doesn’t get stuck in the bottle neck. Hide some treats under a big blanket or around the house’s nooks and crannies and the dog can engage his marvellous senses and instincts to find them.

The whole point is to engage him as much as possible and ideally letting him practise natural behaviour in a controlled fashion, such as digging and burrowing under a blanket.

If you have a dog that is constantly in your face when you’re trying to watch TV, read a book or talk to friends on the phone, you will be happy you’ve read this article, if you try it out.

For more ideas, visit www.dogtrainingmadeeasy.org or like Dogs Trust Malta on Facebook and share a few innovative ideas on how to keep your dog busy.