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:
– a rubber toy (for example, a kong)
– treats of different consistencies: hart, soft, spreadable….
Here’s how to do it:
You’ll find the toy in your pet supplies shop. Please choose the right size for your dog. There are giant sizes if you have a very big dog.
Fill the toy with goodies. You can use your usual dog-food, cheese, sausage, cooked potatoes or pasta, or even suitable sandwich spreads. Be sure only to use food your dog digests well.
The filled toy waiting to be discovered.
Tius enjoying his find.
Tius concentrating intensely on his kong.
If the weather is especially hot, your dog will usually enjoy an ice. Fill the kong with tinned dogfood and put it into the freezer till it is frozen.
Caution: some dogs get diarrhoea from cold food.
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