Alice White
Dog games offer variety and activity in everyday life. Joint actions promote the bond between dog and owner. Regardless of whether dog games are played inside or outside – it is important that the dog has fun with them.
Indoor Dog Games
If the weather is bad or if your dog is not allowed to take long walks due to an injury or similar restrictions, you can keep him entertained with dog games indoors.
Search games
Search games have the advantage that no excessive exercise is necessary, but they are still strenuous for the dog. Countless ideas can be found and varied so that it never gets boring.
You can hide some treats under a spread blanket and let your dog rummage around for them. Or you hide your dog’s favorite toy somewhere unnoticed and he can look for it. Dogs also understand the cup game very quickly, in which the dog has to display the chunk of food under one of three cups.
Name toys
Rico, a border collie, showed that dogs can find and bring an object by naming it.
In order for your dog to do this, first practice with just one toy. Let your dog bring this over and over again, mentioning the name of the item each time and rewarding your dog immediately afterward.
If that works, place another toy with a little space next to it and keep increasing the amount over time. When the named item is no longer a challenge in the middle of a large pile of toys, teach your dog the next item. This is also introduced in small steps, initially lying on its own, then next to a second, and finally in a large number of toys. Now your dog has to listen carefully to you and choose the right thing from the things he knows by name.
This game can be increased at will. The more items there are to choose from, the more difficult it is for the dog to choose the right one. You can also use household items such as remote controls, house keys, or slippers.
Unpacking games
Take a box, fill it with crumpled newspaper, and hide dog biscuits in some of the balls. Cautious dogs are given a smaller, open box. For unpacking professionals and fear-free four-legged friends, it can be a bigger challenge to get what is edible. In the same way, you can fill cardboard tubes like kitchen paper with food and plug their ends with paper. Your dog can of course tear up the rolls and cardboard boxes to get to the food because what counts here is not the freestyle, but the only thing that counts is having fun with it.
Dog Games for the Garden
There is often more space outside than in the apartment or house. In addition, natural occurrences can be built into the dog games and offer variety.
A garden allows more movement than closed spaces. Nevertheless, it offers a protected setting, because there is no distraction in the form of other dogs or games.
Object search
Finding objects is part of working with your nose with your dog. Dogs are true masters at smelling. But because the search by smell is very exhausting, it puts a lot more strain on dogs than physical exercise.
First of all, choose an object that you want your dog to look for, e.g. B. a lighter or a teabag. You hold the search object out to him and reward him as soon as he has noticed it. Repeat this a few times using any word you like, e.g. B. the actual name for the respective item. Should your dog take a certain action, e.g.? Make room or bark, encourage him to do so from the start.
If your dog reliably shows the desired behavior, make the conditions more difficult by hiding the search object. To do this, build a heap or course out of pots, boxes, blankets, stones, and everything you find in the garden, which you adjust depending on the degree of severity.
Social game
Have you ever played properly with your dog? Without any commands and toys? Many dog owners today no longer know how to do it or are hesitant to play carelessly themselves. Frolicking, running, jostling, hiding, … In the social game that dogs play with each other, we can also play with our dogs.
Depending on the breed, dogs have different preferences. Some prefer to run, others have more fun messing around. The social dog game has one defining characteristic: it consists of changing roles. Sometimes the one follows, sometimes the other. Sometimes one is on top, then sometimes the other. But you decide when it becomes too much or too rough for you and then you end the game.
Dog Games for on the Go
If a dog gets bored on his dog tour, he may look for an alternative occupation. This can be B. straying or following game trails. However, if the owner offers a bit of variety on the go, the dog will much prefer to be near him.
Looking for lost on the back lane
How about if your dog found lost gloves or keys on the way and brought them back? This is called the search for lost in the back lane and can be trained. You drop something unnoticed while walking and send your dog back to get it. First, the dog has to learn to retrieve things. After that, the distances to the dropped object are increased further and further.
Nature agility
You don’t necessarily need a professional course for agility. If you take a closer look during the walk, you will discover many natural alternatives. It can also be balanced over tree trunks, bollards become slalom poles and a not-too-large dog can crawl wonderfully under park benches.
Geocaching
Geocaching is an electronic treasure hunt. Small containers with log books or barter items are hidden around the world. Their coordinates are published on the Internet and are accessible to everyone. The selected hiding place is searched for using a GPS-enabled cell phone.
Even if geocaching is more of a game for humans, dogs also have fun with it. Dog and owner discover new areas and look for the cache together. Dogs that are often on geocaching tours with their owners soon learn to actively search. After the mobile phone’s GPS signal sounds, the dog will be cheered on in its search and he will search specifically for hidden things with a human smell.
