repeat Thursday’s games (I play this one with my dog every day!)
bring a yummy lined (frozen) Kong toy or chew on your walk today and give to your dog about halfway through in a calm and low-distraction place; settle for about ten minutes (check your phone, bring a book…) – take a break!
It’s a good idea to provide your dog with a pacifying activity after your walk too.
Advanced Level ideas:
teach your dog to start and stop your favourite game on cue – have an obedience break of at least two behaviours
play jazz up/settle down:
Get your dog all excited and wound up for a five count.
Ask your dog to lie down or settle and be quiet.
Once your dog is quiet, get him all wound up again.
Have an assistant (the kids might love this job!) time how long it takes for the dog to settle.
Repeat – record your improving times.
Yay!
Today’s training games are certainly a little more challenging and you and your dog have done great!
Well done – the last plan of the week is coming on Saturday so be sure to let us know how you are getting on 🙂
Up & Down – pacifying and energising activities for dogs
To really benefit from enrichment and entertainment, dogs need both pacifying and energising activities – if we bring them up (energising) we also need to bring them down (pacifying) again.
This can be applied in real life too, and not just in games. If your dog gets particularly excited by something such as the doorbell or seeing another dog, make sure to give him the opportunity to engage in a pacifying activity afterwards to help him calm again.
Use your dog’s regular food for pacifying and energising activities in fun kibble games:
We have a training challenge for you today (and tomorrow)!
Time Allowance:
Each game will take 30 seconds to 10 minutes depending on which games you choose.
Your dog will be doing lots of the work!
Family Participation:
Children will enjoy preparing some of these games but please take care – it’s not recommended that your dog associate high activity and excitement with children so best choose games that the kids can participate in carefully.
Just ask us if you need help!
Thursday’s Games:
Today choose at least one energising activity and one pacifying activity that you and your dog will enjoy.
Play with your dog:
1-2 minute pacifying activity
followed by…
30 second energising activity
followed by…
1-2 minute pacifying activity
Have a few rounds of that sequence today (always beginning and ending with pacifying activities) – be creative, mix and match activities and time it so that pacifying activities coincide with your natural settling routines e.g. family dinner time, watching TV.
Friday’s Games:
Beginner Level ideas:
repeat Thursday’s game (I play this one with my dog every day!)
bring a yummy lined (frozen) Kong toy or chew on your walk today and give to your dog about halfway through in a calm and low-distraction place; settle for about ten minutes (check your phone, bring a book…) – take a break!
It’s a good idea to provide your dog with a pacifying activity after your walk too.
Advanced Level ideas:
teach your dog to start and stop your favourite game on cue – have an obedience break of at least two behaviours
play jazz up/settle down:
Get your dog all excited and wound up for a five count.
Ask your dog to lie down or settle and be quiet.
Once your dog is quiet, get him all wound up again.
Have an assistant (the kids might love this job!) time how long it takes for the dog to settle.
Repeat – record your improving times.
Pacifying
When working on pacifying activities use your dog’s regular food to avoid too much excitement.
Lapping & chewing are calming for dogs and a great (and more acceptable) outlet for destructive behaviours.
Providing your dog with a stuffed or lined chew toy can encourage him to settle, lap and chew so helping him to relax too.
Of course we are big fans of Kong toys!
Simply lining a Kong toy with something yummy and freezing it can be a great way of keeping your dog busy and chilled, easily.
Make a homemade pacifier for your dog; and it makes a great summer treat too:
line a lunchbox with a plastic bag or film
add some food, treats, chews to the lunchbox
add water or low-salt stock
freeze
turn it out but don’t give to your dog if he is already hot or cold
Choose chews for your dog carefully and know your dog’s chewing style. Your dog chewing anything may be potentially harmful in a particular situation so be aware of ways to reduce the risks.
It’s never a good idea to give your dog cooked bones or very hard bone (e.g. weight bearing bone, heavy antlers etc.) as these can cause damage either when ingested or during chewing to teeth.
Natural chews are generally best but always check and monitor their condition. Look for signs of splitting or splintering, and keep an eye on their size appropriate to your dog.
Chews such as gullets, ‘pizzles’ and scalp have become more widely available.
Cheaper rawhide type chews can be dangerous if swallowed so if choosing rawhide look for chews that are constructed from one piece of hide, that are not bleached or coloured and keep a close eye on your dog as he chews them.
If in doubt, ask your qualified veterinary healthcare team before allowing your pet to chew!
Settle exercises will help to teach our dogs to take up a more relaxed position on cue, so as to help him chill out while you relax too.
Don’t worry, we will be working on settling and calming exercises during our program so you will have lots of practice.
Self-control exercises help to boost your dog’s frustration tolerance and patience. Asking your dog to think first before acting will help him to calm himself in exciting situations.
We will be working on lots of these exercises during our program too.
Energising
These are the easy ones – dogs are very good at getting excited! That means we have to work harder at teaching our dogs calming behaviours.
So, we will use these energising activities to help teach our dogs to calm too.
Chasing and catching food rewards is a great way of getting your dog activated and is perfect for rainy days when outdoor exercise may be limited.
Always work within your dog’s physical capabilities and take care of the sorts of surfaces you ask your dog to run, jump and turn on.
Games like Chase the Kibble, Catch the Kibble or Goalkeeping are simple and require very little activity on your part so are perfect if you are feeling under the weather.
If you have a fit dog, having them chase kibble or food rewards up and down the stairs can tire them quickly.
Practicing training exercises such as tricks and manners in short sessions each day gets valuable practice in while providing both physical and mental challenges.
And of course you will get lots of practice during this program!
Toy play:
You can also introduce energising activities with toys. Games such as tug and fetch are great fun for both dogs and humans BUT if we are going to play games, there must be rules.
Rules help prevent some of the problems that can be associated with too much high-arousal, repetitive activity (see Tuesday’s post).
Teach your dog the rules of these games first, so that the fun stays fun:
the game starts on cue only
Use a cue word or action that lets your dog know the game is going to start.
Rules that may be in place in ‘real life’ may not be in play during a game and other rules may be enforced so letting your dog know it’s time to play will reduce confusion.
This can also help to prevent your dog being frustrated or nagging at you to play.
the game ends on cue
Teach your dog to give up his toy on cue and end the game so life can go back to normal. This is a good time to provide your dog with a pacifying activity to reward him for ending the game and to help bring him back down from his excitement.
Teaching a ball-addict to give up a ball on cue can require some training:
When you first start teaching the rules of the game, have an obedience break after every ball-throw or 3-5 – count of tug.
Ask your dog for two or three obedience behaviours and then reward him with the opportunity to play again.
Teaching Tug (with rules) is an excellent way of improving your dog’s self control, responsiveness and having fun!
Because play is exciting dogs can lose a little control so may grab at clothing or your hands, for example, they may jump up more than usual or bump into their human companion.
To keep excitement under control as much as possible it’s a good idea to be pretty strict early on and relax as appropriate as your dog improves.
Generally, it’s a good idea to end the game if your dog’s mouth catches your clothing or skin. Just stop playing, put the toy away and be very boring and still. Wait for your dog to calm a little, ask them for an obedience break and then start the game again.
Play for a shorter time and keep the action a little more low-key this time to help prevent your dog losing control again. As you practice more games-with-rules you will be able to increase the length of the fun part!
Remember, you are always training your dog – even when playing:
Puzzles are our favourite games for dogs – really getting their brain-power working and challenging them is important to keep dogs happy and healthy.
Use your Training Mix for these puzzles but you can also use higher value treats if you set a great challenge – better pay, for harder work!
Build the challenge slowly to avoid frustration and the dog losing interest.
Before using any home-made puzzles check out this clip for some of our favourite puzzle ideas plus please read the safety guidelines at the start:
I know, I know… but some important considerations to be aware of plus ideas for our favourite puzzles 🙂
Today’s Games
Time Allowance:
Each game will take you 2-10 minutes to set up – depending on the puzzles your choose.
Try a couple of these puzzles today.
Family Participation:
Fun for all the family – children will love constructing puzzles for dogs.
Always supervise child-dog interactions and make sure children learn to leave the dog alone while he works on his puzzle.
Top Tip for Today’s Games:
Give your dog a puzzle in a confined or smaller area. Things could get messy so it’s easier to clean up if the mess is restricted.
Remember, encourage your dog to move away from the puzzle before you start clean up!
Stuffed Puzzles
You will need:
cardboard tube from e.g. toilet roll
crumpled paper e.g. newspaper, kitchen paper
paper e.g. newspaper, old wrapping paper
Training Mix
Beginner Level ideas:
add a treat to a cardboard tube and squeeze the ends
set up as above and wrap loosely in old wrapping paper
Advanced Level ideas:
Add a treat to a cardboard tube, stuff the tube with crumpled kitchen roll or even newspaper. Wrap the tube in paper to make a Christmas Cracker.
Rolled Puzzles
You will need:
stiff cardboard, like a flap from a box
old tea towel
Training Mix
Beginner Level ideas:
remove the flap from a box and spread it out flat; sprinkle some food on it and then roll it up
Advanced Level ideas:
sprinkle a tea towel with food and roll it up
for an extra challenge, slightly dampen the towel, roll up with food and freeze
add some food to an eggbox and close over the lid, without fastening
add some food to a tub and place the lid on top, without pressing it down too hard
Advanced Level ideas:
add some food to an eggbox and close the lid – for an extra challenge wrap the eggbox in old wrapping paper
fill the tub with food and crumpled paper, close the lid tightly
Teasers
You will need:
muffin tin
cardboard tubes, tennis balls, disposable cups
tray, basket, box
Training Mix
Beginner Level ideas:
place a food reward in each gap of an eggbox or muffin tin; cover each treat with a tennis ball, toilet roll tube or disposable cup
Advanced Level ideas:
sprinkle food on the base of the tray/basket/box and then fill the entire container with cardboard tubes standing up – pack it tightly to really challenge your dog
toss some food in a bowl of very shallow water when your dog is watching – to increase the challenge remove the dog from the room before submerging the food
Dogs need a balance of physical and mental exercise to keep them healthy and so that they continue to be easy to live with. If we don’t provide both and in balanced proportions we could run into trouble…
Physical exercise causes stress on the body – not necessarily bad stress, but the body needs to adjust to compensate for activity, for example, increased heart rate, increased breathing rate and so on.
Please note that mental exercise can cause this too so we must be aware of balancing this within each physical or mental activity, not just broadly balancing physical and mental challenges.
Stress, at a body chemical level, causes the body to become wound up, to prepare for this exertion, to cope with the stressors.
Look at your dog when they are physically exerting themselves…panting, tongue lolling, enlarged pupils, keenly focused on the ball (or whatever is the subject of their exertion)…maybe they jump up a little more than usual, maybe they mouth a little harder than normal…
When we push that physical exertion we can cause the dog to become more and more wound up – you may have made the observation that even after running around like a lunatic, your dog is still up for more even when you have had enough activity.
Where we might run into problems is with the excitement-addict…
Ever heard of the marathon runner who has become ‘addicted’ to the highs produced by exertion?
You will have certainly heard of so-called adrenaline junkies; canine excitement-addicts may experience this and want to put themselves in situations where they will hit those highs, over and over.
Don’t despair – you’re in the right place…
A few things can help here:
introduce lots and lots and lots of calming breaks during activity to help bring your dog ‘down’ from the highs – once he’s calmer, reward with the opportunity for more fun
increase mental exercise to achieve better balance
teaching the dog to settle calmly by rewarding calm behaviour
look at the type, amount and suitability of physical exercise provided
A dog that is relaxing peacefully, can calm himself and bring himself down from the highs will have had lots of practice and guidance in this and will be living a balance of mental and physical challenges.
(Is your dog getting up to 18 hours of sleep each day?)
Too much of a good thing…?
How do we strike that balance between physical exercise and mental challenge to ensure our dog’s happiness and health?
The amount of physical and mental exercise that is healthy, will depend on many factors, including:
the dog’s age and neuter status
the dog’s breed, type and conformation
the dog’s current fitness and overall health
the dog’s temperament and abilities, both physical and cognitive
the dog’s current ability to cope with excitement and stress
the season and weather
availability of suitable facilities for exercise
local laws and restrictions relating to dogs
the owner’s ability to exercise the dog
the owner’s goals for the dog, for example, is he to become a competitive sports dog?
Considerations for the challenges we present to puppies and young dogs are some of the most important.
Generally the rule for young and growing dogs is to allow them to decide how much exercise they take – allow them to potter, to sniff and to wander.
We often recommend to provide about 5 minutes per month (age) of structured exercise, such as leash walks.
Therefore for example, a 12 week old puppy should have about 15-20 minutes of structured exercise per day.
On top of those important concerns, mental exercise, downtime and appropriate challenges are vital for puppies and young dogs. Adolescent dogs particularly will benefit from extra attention to teaching them how to calm themselves and cope with excitement.
Puppy Culture from trainer and breeder Jane Messineo Lindquist has some really great resources on all aspects of puppy rearing, and this fantastic area on Appropriate Exercise.
It’s often the case that most petslive too sedentary a lifestyle so in many situations more and better physical exercise is required. But, if we bring in physical exercise we also need to put lots of effort into mental exercise too.
For some great ideas on introducing lots of mental challenges, without adding too much more physical exertion check out the book No Walks, No Worries (available from Amazon.co.uk) by Sian Ryan.
Look no further, you’re in the right place – our Train Your Dog Month 2016 program offers lots of ideas and guidance so that you can help your dog develop skills vital to becoming a pleasure to share your life with.
Did you know that domestic dogs have evolved from scavenging animals? That probably explains some of your dog’s behaviour!
Instead of your dog getting his scavenging-jollies by counter surfing and stealing, let’s give them an acceptable outlet for this behaviour with our scavenger-hunting games.
Today’s Games
Time Allowance:
Each game will take you 30 seconds – 3 minutes to set up. Your dog does all the work!
Try two or three of these games today and tomorrow.
Family Participation:
Fun for all the family – children will love to scatter food (it’s just like making a mess that someone else cleans up!), hide food and set up sniffing courses.
Always supervise child-dog interactions and make sure children learn to leave the dog alone while he works on his puzzle.
Top Tip for Today’s Games:
Add a cue to these games so that you can ask your dog to search. Say “go find it” just before releasing your dog to search.
Scatter Feeding
The easiest way to feed your dog, while still providing them with a challenge, is to have them sniff out every piece of food.
Take your dog’s food and instead of feeding them from the bowl toss their food on the ground.
Beginner Level ideas:
scatter your dog’s food on hard flooring
scatter your dog’s food while he’s watching
Advanced Level ideas:
scatter your dog’s food in grass
scatter your dog’s food when they are in another room, then release them to sniff out each piece
A slightly more formal version of scatter feeding involves setting up specific hiding places for your dog’s food.
Beginner Level ideas:
hide food in plain sight or in easy to spot places
set up a dinner-trail in the house, garden or on your walking route – this is a great game for puppies!
Drop a piece of your dog’s dinner every couple of steps you take. Go back and get your dog and lead them (make sure to let them find each piece though!) along the trail so that they can find each piece as they follow you.
Advanced Level ideas:
hide stuffed or lined Kong toys (piles of kibble or frozen wet food if you don’t have Kong toys) in increasingly tricky places
Check out our video guide to simple Kong stuffing:
That’s Day 1 done – introduce these games today and tomorrow and we will have new games for you and your dog on Wednesday.
Now, don’t forget to share how you are getting on – we would love to see video and pics of your dogs sniffing out their dinner and see how you have come up with ways to challenge your dog’s nose!
Animals naturally want to work for food – when we feed them for free they may not have acceptable outlets for those feeding behaviours that they don’t need for finding food…
Week 1 – Earning Your Keep
Dogs come with lots of behaviours that are inbuilt; most of these behaviours are in conflict with what we humans like…
Providing your dog with entertainment and enrichment will allow your dog to carry out these behaviours in a more appropriate and acceptable way.
So, this week we are going to work on teaching your dog to earn their keep by working for their food (food is currency to dogs!). This way your dog gets lots of opportunities to carry out doggie behaviours (without annoying the humans!) and you get plenty of time to relax while your dog does the work (this is lazy dog training)!
Dogs with plenty of mental exercise (along with appropriate physical exercise) are happy, healthy and a joy to live with.
Week 1 Training Games
using your dog’s regular food for fun & brain-games
the nose knows – sniffing games for dogs
fun & brain games – puzzles for dogs
pacifying & energising enrichment activities
tricks for treats
What’s my dog learning?
I have outlets for doggie behaviour so don’t feel bored and am less likely to develop unwanted behaviour.
I am content from both physical and mental exercise so can settle myself calmly.
My problem solving abilities are improving so my confidence will grow and I will become easier to teach.
I can occupy myself with my own activities.
Games with rules teach me responsiveness, even when excited.
Balancing both physical and mental exercise can prevent more serious behaviour issues developing
See? This is more than just fun and games…
You can download a more printer friendly, but abbreviated, version of the Week 1 plan here.
Wohoo! Let’s start preparing for the start of our plans on Monday – here’s your first task:
Make a Training Mix
Rather than introduce lots and lots of treats for our training program, we will use our dogs’ regular, everyday food in our games.
But, no more getting their food for free – this program will encourage your dog to work for each piece!
No matter what you feed your dog you will be able to use this food, rather than in a food bowl, for many of our games over the entire program.
Here’s our video showing you how to use your dog’s regular food for training games:
Dry food e.g. kibble:
measure out your dog’s daily rations and place in a lunchbox or bag
(remove about 5-10% if you go with the higher-cal option below)
Option 1 (low-cal)
add a chunk of your dog’s favourite such as tripe (dried or frozen), chicken, ham, hotdog or cheese
(your dog won’t get to eat this treat)
Option 2 (higher-cal)
add a little of your dog’s favourite treats, chopped up small (third fingernail size)
seal the bag or lunchbox and mix the contents
leave in the fridge overnight
next day, everything will smell yummier!
Wet food e.g. raw, tinned:
measure out your dog’s meal as normal into a container
if you feed whole organs, cut muscle meat into small pieces or mince the meat
stuff food into a Kong toy or similar – this can be hidden for sniffing games or offered to the dog to lick a bit as a reward during training games
administer wet food on a wooden spoon as a training reward
freeze spoonfuls of wet food in an icecube tray – little frozen nuggets of wet food are great for sniffing games and energising games
If you are worried about handling wet or raw food during training exercises, keep a pair of surgical gloves with your training-mix so that you are always ready to reward desired behaviour.
AniEd Ireland 