Five Fun Games to Play with Your Dog

A bored dog is a naughty dog, so it’s important to keep your dog entertained and engaged at least some of the time. Fortunately, playing games with your dog is a really fun activity. Here are my five favorite games to play with a dog.

1) Train dog tricks. I love training dog tricks, and because of the treats involved, it’s fun for both of us. Plus, it keeps his brain super active and engaged which has the added benefit of wearing him out a bit ;-). So, a 15 minute trick training session means he’s a lot less likely to get up to mischief when left alone. Some fun dog tricks: spin, roll over, play dead, get the mail, get my slippers, bow, shake, speak, and crawl.

2) Play “What Can You Do with a Box?” In this dog game, you need a box and a bunch of treats. Then, every time your dog comes up with something new to do with the box, you give a treat. It’s fun to see what your dog will come up with as he starts to learn you’re looking for variety. For instance, my dog put his tennis ball in the box, he chewed the box, he carried the box over to his bed, and he put his foot in the box–and each time, he got a treat. The trick to playing this game with a dog is to make sure it’s something new each time–that’s how you encourage your dog to get really creative.

3) Play Frisbee. If you’ve taught your dog to fetch, it’s time to teach him how to play with a Frisbee. Start by just having your dog learn to chase the Frisbee and pick it up–both are trickier than playing fetch with a ball. Then, start positioning your dog to catch the Frisbee.

4) Play “Find the Cookie.” With a collection of treat toys, put a treat in just one of the toys. Then, put all the toys back in the toybox and instruct your dog to “Find the cookie!” This one’s great fun to watch because your dog will be really excited about finding the cookie as quickly as possible. Once your dog has gotten the hang of the game, put all the dog toys in the box on top of the toys with the treat (so, any stuffed animals or other toys, go on the top). Sure, playing this game with a dog is messy, but it’s also really entertaining and you can play it again and again.

5) Play, “Put away your toys.” Once your dog’s made a mess with his toys, teach him to put them all back in the box and pick up after himself. This is a fun game to play with a dog because it means less pick up time for you. You may find your dog (like mine) putting the toys back in the box, taking the cookie, and promptly taking the toy out of the box again, so be patient as you’re playing this game with a dog–it’ll take time before he learns he only gets a cookie for putting the toy *in* the box, not for taking it out again.

What great games do you play with a dog? Of these five, which one are you most looking forward to trying? I’d love to hear from you about the dog games you play!

Virtual Dog Training

What to do if your dog’s not that obedient yet? Practice with a virtual dog, of course! From the folks at Heartgard (by the way, that’s NOT the heartworm stuff I use, for a variety of reasons), comes this cutie pie pup who knows great tricks like “Speak,” and “Spin,” and “Roll Over.” “Dance” prompts a fun sequence, and “Kisses” is a total gratiutious grab for your heart strings.

Check out the site for yourself at http://www.idodogtricks.com/ and let me know what you think!

Train your dog to settle

One of the best “tricks” to train your dog to do is to “Settle” on command. See, this particular command is about a lot more than impressing your friends. A dog that can be calm on command is a more enjoyable dog to be around. Plus, if your dog suffers from separation anxiety or tends to get over excited (or even aggressive) when you have company, training your dog to settle will really help with those behaviors. (If your dog is genuinely aggressive, remember to consult a behavioral expert. It’s really important to nip a dangerous bad habit in the bud before your dog nips at your friends!)

To train your dog to settle, you’re going to need a lot of patience. That’s because it’s an observational command meaning you’re going to have to catch your dog in the act and then reward… So, first, give your dog plenty of exercise. A really, really long walk is your best bet.

Then, when you get home, put a bunch of cookies in your pocket and find a comfortable place for you and your dog to be where there aren’t any distractions. Put your dog’s bed on the floor, and get him or her settled in and laying down. Sit down beside your dog, and ignore him. I like to listen to my iPod when I’m training my dog to settle because it gives me something to do and keeps me from getting bored.

Now, because you’ve got cookies in your pocket, and because this is a new experience for your dog, it might be awhile before your dog actually relaxes. You’re looking for that sprawled out on the bed level of relaxation, and your dog shouldn’t be paying much (if any) attention to you. When your dog reaches this state (and for some dogs, it may take five minutes or longer–just be patient, and don’t give up. Eventually your dog will relax), say, “Settle,” and give a cookie. Keep the reward low key because we’re going to repeat it again a few more times.

So, stay sitting beside your dog and wait for your dog to relax again. When your dog does, say, “Settle” and give a cookie. Easy peasy! Do this at least three times at each training session, and never end a training session until you’ve given a cookie. After a few days, wait a little longer before you give the cookie. Work at your dog’s pace, but do work to stretch out the time between when your dog is nice and calm and when you give the cookie.

Build up to where you can tell your dog to settle and she calms down quickly all without distractions. Then, once your dog seems able to handle distractions, it’s time for advanced dog training… But that’ll take another article! For now, work on the basics of training your dog to settle and then, when your dog can settle on command, you’ll be ready for the advanced article.