Dog Training Activities

A tired dog is a happy dog – here’s some training activities to help

Permanently hand feeding your dog would mean your dog got plenty of mental stimulation, plenty of training time with you, it would mean your dog couldn’t hurry his food and it would mean fewer treats. All good points for hand feeding your dog.

Not many of us can find the time to do this permanently, but doing as much of this as possible, especially in winter when it’s more difficult to get out and about or if you’re feeling unwell is of great value to your dog.

Activities in the Home

• Use kongs for some of their meal. Kongs don’t have to be all about treats.
• Teach some leg weaving.
• Teach your dog to roll over – can he roll over in tandem with you?
• Use cups or beakers to hide his food under – get them to search for it. Put some of the food on top of your cup or beaker rather than under.
• Teach spins and twists – remember to do both ways to keep muscle balance – your dog will naturally find one way easier than the other.
• Teach your dog to put his front feet on a bowl or bucket.
• Teach a crawl
• Do some basic training – work on your sit stay – build it up so you can walk around the house.
• Teach ‘touch’ on a scenting cloth – hide this around the house.
• Teach right paw, left paw by putting treats on your dog’s paws (train one side at a time)

15-minute intervals of mental stimulation, throughout the day, with your dog, will keep him happy and tired.

If you love training your dog, have you thought about becoming a dog trainer? It’s a great way of life, and you get to spend all day with dogs.