12 brilliant play ideas for you, for your dog, for great teams!
In 2016, Good Dog Practice is featuring a dog-friendly activity once a month, by courtesy of guest author, Monika Stanzig (IDBTS, certified by Sheila Harper).
These are not meant as tasks or training ideas. Rather, they are a way of sharing relaxed, quality time together. Your dog can gain confidence by doing problem-solving activities as independently as possible, while enjoying your support and attention. Just for fun!
Consistent with the values of Good Dog Practice, we feel that our dogs are not obliged to be interested, nor should they be pressured to complete a task. If they prefer to do something else or just rest, that’s just fine! Maybe another time! 🙂 A tip: many dogs take a pause from a problem-solving challenge and come back to it later. If the dog looks for your support, you can of course assist him or her.
(These activities are chosen with care, but come without guarantee for correctness or completeness. They are meant as quality-time activities. Please be present with your dog while he is doing them, also for safety reasons. Please note, we take no legal responsibility for any mishaps, damage or injury. All rights to text and photographs reserved.)
You will need:
– anything you can think of, as long as it's safe
Here’s how to do it:
Make a few changes in your garden or where you go on your daily walk. In this way, you're giving your dog something new to investigate. One idea you could try is hiding pine cones filled with goodies, by sticking little pieces of cheese or sausage into them.
Preparation.
Putting the treats in the pine cone.
Afterwards you place it in some long grass.
The search can begin.
What’s that over there?
Have I seen this before?
Charis investigating.
Should your dog bite the cone, just check he's gentle enough not to injure his gums.
For safety's sake, don't Ieave your dog on his own with the cone.
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