Playtime With Your Dog
So now that Spring is finally in the air and the nice weather is finally here, what are your new goals? Maybe its’ to spend more quality time with your pooch, so in this issue we take a look at some ways to have fun with your dog and some games you can play too.
Having good quality fun playtime with your dog is just as important as training him, grooming him and taking him for a walk. Spending time playing with your dog strengthens your relationship, gives your dog stimulation both mentally and physically, lets him blow off some steam and is a good way for both of you to get some exercise!
It is an important element of allowing your dog to develop social relationships with you and your family and stop him from getting bored. Playing games with your dog is not an excuse to allow your dog to completely disobey you or for you to allow him to get overly excited and start showing behaviours that are not acceptable.
Here are a couple of suitable games to play with your dog but remember if your dog does get too excited, stop immediately and allow him time to calm down.Its simple to get started as all you need is your dog along with his collar, lead, tasty treats and his favourite toy.
Hide and Seek is very similar to how we humans play it! Take your dogs’ favourite toy or tasty treat, show it to him and tell him to sit and stay. Hide the item somewhere were he can easily find it such as under a cushion, behind the sofa or the door. Then go back to your dog and tell him to ‘Seek’. Once he gets the idea you can hide it in a different room so he cannot see where you put it. Just watch his happy tail wag as he hunts for his reward! You can also play this outside too.
Clean up your toys is for dogs that love to fetch. Start by scattering a couple of his toys on the floor and get him to fetch them back to you one by one. Have a box next to you and encourage him to put them in the box and giving him a tasty treat when he gets it right will help him to repeat the behaviour. By going in small steps your dog will eventually drop the toy in the box! (If only I could find an easy way to teach children the same thing!)
You can also teach your dog to ‘Go Get’ a certain item and by spending time teaching your dog each individual item (such as a rope toy, Nyla Bone, Kong) you can have so much fun.
When I was working with the Guide Dogs one of the students taught his dog to ‘Go Get’ the TV remote controller!What a great idea!
Would you like more ideas of Games to Play with your dog ? Email me now on info@happytailstraining.com
Posted on May 17th, 2009 by Sharon
Filed under: Dog Training and Obedience, Thinking Of Getting A Dog
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