Games To Play With Your Dog
Playing games is the best way to create a bond with your dog and tire them out.
Hide and Seek
This game can strengthen your recall skills and creates the opportunity to reward your dog with their favourite treats.
Start with a small handful of treats. Give a couple of pieces to your dog on the floor, and while they're eating, sneak away.
Once you’ve hidden, call your dog. When they find you, act very excited and give them half of the treats, and go hide again.
When you run out of treats, end the game or reload for round two!
Can you Bring
This a name-association game. Have a handful of treats and a couple of toys that are visually different to your dog such as a tennis ball for example.
Say “Can you bring the … ball?” and then bounce the ball for your dog to catch. When they bring you the ball, reward them with a treat.
Now try the rope. Say “Can you bring the ….rope?” and toss the rope. When he returns reward with treats.
If your dog doesn't usually bring you toys, you want want to start by rewarding them for interacting with the toy you choose.
As your dog progresses, sit each toy on the floor at an equal distance away from your dog. Say “Can you bring the …..ball?” When they are successful reward heavily with treats!
If your dog picks the wrong toy, gently take the toy and place it back on the floor and try again, once your dog is correct, go crazy with praise and treats.
Follow the Leader
The aim is to practise heeling with your dog and having them learn to match your pace and movements as they change.
Begin with some small tasty treats like Fit 'n' Flash Chicken pieces. Use a 'heel', or 'close' command, walk slowly while marking and rewarding them staying close by.
As your dog's confidence grows, walk more quickly, and mark and rewrd the bahviour. Gradually add challenges like changing directions suddenly and halting.
You can also teach your dog to automatically sit each time you stop. Fistly by using the sit command once stopped, and once this had been practised enough times, you can stop and wait for your dog to sit, then rewarding heavily once they do.