A Dog-man's Guide to Pet Humans

Boredom and toys

Humans get bored very easily. Whether that's a testament to their intelligence or lack there of is a topic of debate, but either way, it's important that you keep boredom from being a common part of your pet's life.

Boredom is best prevented by enrichment. Enrichment is any activity, object, or experience that reduces boredom in an animal's life. This can be a trip to the park, cartoons on the tv, a novel object, or a toy. The latter is by far the easiest, longest lasting, and the most accessible of these options.

There's one caveat to this, however. Wild humans, especially older ones, seem to reject toys. It is unknown whether this is because of societal pressure put on them on earth or the toy's inability to hold their attention. If the human is taken at a younger age, 17-24 is best, they may be resistant at first, but usually will play with the toys. Once they take an interest in the toys, they usually retain their willingness for the rest of their lives. One of the best known methods to get a human to play with these objects is to take an interest in them yourself, or give them some excuse to handle the objects. Humans love to teach almost as much as they like to learn, and will likely play with the object to show you how if you pretend to be confused. This usually plants the seed of interest in their minds and they should show further interest.

Another type of enrichment is foraging enrichment. This is notoriously unpopular among wild humans, who are very much used to having their food given to them without any real work involved. They also get used to repetitive behaviors quickly, growing bored as soon as they master the object. This type of enrichment is considered less pleasant, but still does its job of preventing boredom.

Signs of boredom

Humans have quite obvious signs to show when they're bored. They may pick at things, tap their feet, pace (in extreme cases) and sigh loudly. They will frequently get into trouble, getting into things and taking things apart when they don't have anything else to do. They might yawn, chew their nails or bite their lips (both are also signs of stress). Repetitive and frequent boredom and lead to self destructive behaviors or escape attempts.