September has hit us quickly this year. It seems the summers go by faster and faster every year, just like our parents used to tell us, time goes by too quickly, enjoy it while you are young. We often get out of wack with our dogs over the summer months, lax on schedules, short on time, busy with vacations, sports and kids activities, and sometimes our dog’s training and activities suffer from it. Now’s the time to reset and bring focus back to your dogs training, brain work and exercise and here are some ways that you can incorporate it back into your schedule.
I am a huge fan of play with your dog. Namely tug and fetch. However, I like to make sure that I incorporate some learning and brain work into these activities. I don’t like mindless fetch for long periods of time, and play shouldn’t last for hours on end. Short periods of play, either tug or fetch, where we add in self control exercises and some obedience practice offers us the opportunity to work the dogs body and mind, works engagement as well as deplete some excessive energy. Make sure to add in two important rules; drop it when I ask and don’t touch it until I tell you. Both these games in small bursts offer such amazing benefit for you and your dogs relationship. Unsure how to teach the rules? Here is a quick video of a puppy learning the OUT.
There are times when fetch and tug aren’t ideal, and we need calmer activities for our dog. I’m not a big fan of puzzles or lick mats, however, I love a good frozen Kong for a dog to work on. It lasts much longer than either the lick mat or the puzzles and is a great option for low key activity. It can be used to help a dog be more comfortable in their crate or on their place bed, doesn’t require much involvement from you if you are busy, and is amazing for something for young puppies to do. Our favorite Kong stuffing is Honest Kitchen Dehydrated Food. It’s so easy to prepare, it comes in perfect size pouches and it freezes well and last a good 30-45 minutes depending on the dog and the size of the Kong. It is also a much healthier option than peanut butter, spread cheese and other popular Kong fillings. On another toy note, I do like treat balls for certain dogs. I like the more indestructible ones and I will use it as a meal time activity. The below video shows the treat ball that we use in our house.
For another lower key, but a little more active activity, you can teach your dog how to find food or toys hidden around the house. This is an amazing mind game, burns a ton of energy and allows your dog to practice using their most power natural sense in a constructive manner. It allows the kids to get involved in a very constructive way as well – young kids love hiding things for dogs to find. I will link to our How To Teach Find It videos below.
Speaking of back to school, now is a great time to get your dog back into training class. Classes can be difficult to attend over the summer due to all the activities and vacations, but now that these have calmed down it is the perfect time to re-visit your dogs obedience skills. We offer Basic Obedience classes throughout the year as well as drop in style classes, our second level outdoor Bootcamp Class, and Rally Obedience Classes. Getting your dog back on track with training classes helps the dogs mind and body, reduces stress in the home and allows you to gain control (or gain back control) where needed in your dogs life. Even re-doing basic classes offers the benefit of working around new distractions, continually building a better relationship and offers proper socialization opportunities. You can check out our classes available at the link below:
And an honorable mention; I’m a huge fan of boxes. Not as in I collect them, but as in they are a great thing to utilize with your dog. They can be cardboard boxes or they can be rubbermaid type boxes. There is a whole host of things that we can do with simple boxes from shredding them, to finding things in them, to confidence building and place work, to tricks and brain games. The video below gives you a few ideas as to what you can do with rubbermaid type boxes.
Hopefully this post gives you some ideas on how to get back on track with your dogs mental and physical well being and offers your some options for fun with your dog. If you want to get back into classes, please don’t hesitate to contact us or look through our website to see what classes are available.
Happy Training!
Smart Dogs Canine Training Milton 