Boredom and excess energy are two of the biggest contributors to problem behaviours like inappropriate chewing and digging. If your Sibe is moping around at home, ocassionally picking fights with other dogs (or just sometimes playing too rough) or seems generally unsettled, the problem could be that they haven't had enough mental or physical exercise. Too little mental stimulation in particular can lead to more serious behaviours like tail chasing and excessive self-licking, and if these aren't addressed quickly, they can easily become stereotyped and go on to cause medical problems.

It's a daily challenge to find enough for your Sibe to do to keep them happy and satisfied, here are some boredom busters that will entertain and hopefully exhaust your Sibe. After all, a tired Sibe is a good Sibe. Although there are some brand names mentioned here, there are many products on the market that work just as well if not better and it would be hard to recommend one brand over another.

Stuffed Kongs. A Kong is a small hollow chew toy made from natural rubber that is virtually indestructible, a perfect chew toy for any dog. All Sibe owners know how much of a life saver Kongs are, a stuffed Kong is a great way to feed and entertain your Sibe, and there are some great recipes available at Kong Company Web Site. Simple recipes include smearing peanut butter inside the kong, or filling it with kibble and capping it off with cheese. It may take a while for your dog to get used to Kongs if they've never played with them before, but a few tough days of dealing with those horribly delicious peanut butter Kongs should get them hooked. There are also lots of different shapes of Kongs, including Biscuit Balls, Dental Kongs and Kongs on a rope. Kongs may be expensive at times, but they are well worth it and last for years even in the hands of the most destructive chewer.

Buster Cubes These toys are known by many names, but essentially they are all the same, a medium sized toy with a hollow chamber you can fill with kibble bits, so that when your dog rolls the toy around the kibble falls out piece by piece. A great way to make your dog work for their dinner! Although you might not want to feed your dog's entire dinner to them out of a Buster Cube, the half hour they do spend working on getting some food out of it means half an hour less boredom. Buster Cubes come in a variety of sizes and models, and most kinds of kibble can be used with them. The top of the line models come with an adjustment to select how easily the kibble comes out. Once your dog knows what the Cube is all about, they can spend hours earning their meal each day.

Rope Bones! These are a favourite with any puppy that's going through teething. Rope bones are made from short lengths of cotton rope tied off with knots at each end, with the ends of the toy allowed to fray. If your Sibe isn't interested in rope bones at first, try sprinkling chicken broth on it to make it more appetising. Rope bones are also great for playing tug-of-war, a favourite activity of most Sibes. Just make sure you can always control the game and win it at least occasionally! Some variations on the rope bone theme are weiners on a rope, Kong on a rope, rope rings and rope bones with handles specially designed for tug-of-war! The best features of rope bones is they are usually fairly cheap, long lasting and fully machine washable for when they get dirty.

Edible chewables. Pictured from left to right are compressed rawhides, three types of biscuit treats (brown, green and yellow), a rawhide bone, two rawhide donuts (red and uncoloured), a Dentabone, a pigs ear and a beef basted rawhide. The key thing to remember when feeding your dog edible treats is not to overfeed them and to take account for anything they do eat by reducing their normal dinner ration. Some edibles last longer than others, but compressed rawhides tend to last the longest. Although some dog treats like pigs ears can be expensive, one treat a week probably won't blow the budget. When feeding your dog any kind of hard chew treat, the best policy is to always keep them under supervision.

Nylabones. A Nylabone is a molded plastic bone designed for chewing. Often covered with small nobbly bumps, they help keep your dog's teeth clean while they chew, and although the material is non-toxic, if your dog manages to chew off chunks, they shouldn't be allowed to eat them. Nylabones are great for providing your dog variety in the kinds of things they chew, and are also great for teething puppies. Nylabones come in various flavours too, the flavouring is infused with the plastic during manufacture and lasts for years. When choosing a Nylabone or similar product, choose one that is small enough to fit easily in your dog's mouth but large enough so that it isn't easily destroyed. Nylabones also come in a great variety of shapes and sizes, and there is even a Nylabone frisbee.

And the rest. Try giving your Sibes empty peanut butter jars to play with, or other bottles or jars made of P.E.T. plastic. Although this plastic is virtually indestructible, remove any lids or rings around the opening, and scrape off any labels first. And always keep your dog under supervision.

You can also try buying a bag of rags (available at most department or hardware stores) and tying up biscuits or other treats in several layers of cloth wrapping, tying as many knots as you can around the edges to keep the contents secure. Then watch as your Sibe spends hours shredding and dissecting the package. It only takes a few minutes to make but can give half an hour of entertainment. Of course don't allow your dog to play with cotton strips if you think there is a danger they will eat them, but most dogs are much more interested in the treat inside and never even think of eating the wrapping.

Finally, for a special treat, you can get second hand stuffed toys from the Op Shop or other second hand outlet for a few dollars. These kinds of plush toys make great mouthable treasures for your Sibes, and it's quite common for your Sibe to become quite attached to them, and want to take them everywhere. Somehow Sibes seem to understand the toys are for mouthing, not shredding, and the toys rarely get dissected. Remove any eyes, tags, noses or other hard plastic pieces from the toys before giving them to your dog. Most likely they will become one of your dog's treasured possession. Very importantly, never leave your Sibe alone with a stuffed toy, ever, they are not appropriate long term chew toys.