Good ways to keep my dog entertained when she's home alone?

My dog is left home alone for about 8-9 1/2 hours (while I'm at school) a day 5 days out of the week. On weekends we go hiking or walking and we try to walk for at least a mile everyday or every other day, so it's not as if she's inactive or anything. Since I will be going back to school, I'm looking for some ways to keep her entertained while she's home alone. So far, a toy that she's like while being left alone is a kong filled with a few treats or peanut butter. Are there any other good toys similar to the kong or any ideas that have worked for you? I'm open to anything. Thanks!
Answers:
My dog loves little stuffed animals to toss around, we also use the kong filled with peanut butter, maybe hide a few treats around the house for her to sniff out, i hope this helps :)

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If you have friends who can, then ask them to go over and let her oustside, and play with her. If not, then have a doggie door that leads to a fenced in yard. Lots of toys, and full water dishes,a dn food, will help her have fun. :)

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I didntread the addtion crap just the main question.Leave the TV on you'd be suprised how much tv a dog can watch when no one is home...plus they also like to listen to the people talking on the TV

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Send her to doggie daycare where she can play with other dogs. Some people swear by turning on the TV to Animal Planet for the dog. My own real opinion? If the dog isnt being destructive and isnt going to the bathroom on the floor, you are probably OK as-is, and your dog likely sleeps nearly the whole time you are gone anyway.

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You can stuff the kong with peanut butter and freeze is overnight so that it takes longer to chew. You can also freeze a bagel to give her something to chew on for a couple of hours. Another good toy is a "Buster Block," which is basically plastic a cube that you fill with kibble or treats, which fall out a few at a time as the cube is turned over and over. Active, focused breeds like pit bulls especially like these.
Also, you can hire a dog walker, or a kid from the neighborhood you know and trust, to come over during the day and take the dog out walk her or play with her for a while. Also more expensive but available is doggy day care, but expect to be put on a waiting list since those services are in high demand.

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ok well if yoour going to leve somewhere you can put n a doggie door so it can go outside when ever it wants! um.
you can ask a friend to babysit your dog someone you trust.
umm that's all i can think of i hope you liked my awser and amrk it as the best!! :-)

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I'm not gone that much during the day, but I am pretty sure that your dog is really just sleeping while you are gone. We got all kinds of toys for our dog when we first got her b/c I was sad to leave her alone .... She played w/ them for the first 1/2 hour %26 then slept.
If your dog isn't being distructive %26 peeing/pooping in the house, she's probably doing ok. I leave the radio on sometimes. There is a website too called petradio.com that plays music 'animals like.' I have a hard time keeping it streaming in all day though.
I try to take my dog to Doggie Day Care once a week too ... just to break up the monotony of staying home.
Good Luck!

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I agree with Eric. You should have a doggy door to a fenced area or have someone let her out. If you absolutely can't do that, then make sure to take her for a long walk before you leave in the morning and at night. I just use stuffed kongs, and I make them hard to get anything out. You can put almost anything (healthy for her of course) in there and then freeze it and give it to her in the morning, that should keep her busy for a while. Put the tv on Discovery Channel, my Mom's dog watches tv! I give my dog chewies (all natural) for him to chew on also. Another ball similar to the Kong is a ball with holes in it, not sure what it's called. But you can put a few cookies that are slightly bigger then the holes and she needs to work to get those out too. Just make sure she has lots of toys and once again, consider a doggy door so she can go outside when she wants too. Oh, I also bring my dog to day care, he loves it, and is wore out in the evening, for a change!

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Look into a Buster Cube or Roller Ball. They are hollow toys that you put dry dog food in. They have to roll the toy around to get the food to fall out.