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People who regularly play with
their dog develop understanding, respect and communication
with their dog.
Games are activities you do
with your dog that require the two of you to communicate and
work together in some way. While some would argue with me I
also distinguish games from sports.
Games may have a goal but they
have no titles, no placements, no ribbons. Games might even
involve competition - but it is competition of the moment.
Playing games with your
dog is really good for your relationship. Remember that
while dogs are not humans in fur suits they are
social creatures and playing is an important element in
developing social relationships. Playing games is a
fundamental way of "modeling" real life.
You can teach a dog to obey
by playing games that make following your instructions fun.
Don't believe me? Think about kids and how much they enjoy
"Follow the leader" and "Simon Says" Think about all the
games kids play that involve following (or failing to
follow) directions. Kids learn from this and so do dogs. And
handled properly the learning is a very positive experience
Here
are some games and ideas submitted from a variety of
sources. For the most part we've posted them without
editing.
A really fun game I play with
my dogs and my puppy classes is follow the leader.
I set up lots of puppy
obstacles and traffic cones in no particular order and give
each handler the opportunity the chance to be leader. All
you need are three dogs and handlers. In the summer
(actually most of the year here in Florida) I include a
shallow wading pool, also some piles of balls or Frisbees.
Well, you get the idea.
Kim
I put my dogs on a "down" stay
then I put treats in a variety of hiding places. They have
to wait until I'm all done hiding them. When I say "GO!" the
dog run around trying to each get the most treats. Carol
I play hide and seek with my
dog. I put him on a sit or down wait. Then I hide. When I am
ready I call him. Watch out they sometimes peek. This is
good for teaching the dog to wait until called as well as
fun for you and your dog. Judy
My Dog Can Do That!
This is a game published with
training tips written by Dr. Ian Dunbar & Terry Ryan. It has
cards with tricks or performances of varying levels of
difficulty. The more difficult the performance the more
points for correctly performing it. The game is sold through
a wide variety of dog books and dog supply retailers.
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