Summer is Here - and the Kids are Bored!

Summer is upon us! The kids are home and looking for things to do. Why not give them some fun training games to play with the dog. It’ll keep the kids busy and help your dog learn better behaviors.  
 
The first thing your kids can start working on is the game of tug. This is one of our personal favorites. Playing tug with a dog can be a lot of fun, but you can also teach them through this simple game. Starting as a puppy, you can work on teaching a dog to drop it. As the puppy grows and learns (or if you have an adult dog), you can use this game to teach more impulse control. Making the dog wait or teaching him to leave it helps him to learn to hold back from his natural impulse. Then playing the game with him becomes the reward, and he enjoys the whole process. 
 
Another fun game that can be done just about anywhere involves some basic behaviors you want to teach any dog. We call this the Dunbar sequence. Dr. Ian Dunbar, founder of the Association of Professional Dog Trainers, developed this sequence to help keep your dog mentally stimulated and therefore balance his energy in a short period of time. You can start this sequence just as a simple Sit exercise. Eventually you will teach your dog to Sit, Down, Sit, Stand, Down, Stand. So, this is a game that builds from one simple exercise. 
You’ll want to randomly call your dog to you from any room or area to another room or area. Then ask him to work through the sequence. If he only knows Sit, get him to Sit, reward him, and then move to another place and do it again. Eventually as he learns all the other behaviors, you’ll start stringing them together. And your dog will do more for fewer rewards. This is fun for him, and it helps wean dogs off food rewards. Eventually your dog will love to play this game for praise or play with a favorite toy.

​Another fun game is one that will direct a dog’s instinct to forage. You can do something as simple as hiding treats in different corners of the house and leading him around to find them. Hiding food under a towel is another simple way to get him to search for food. To make this more challenging, use a muffin tin and tennis balls to see if he can figure out how to get to his treats. With some groundwork and training, if your dog really loves these activities, you could work up to scent work classes. But as a starting point, most dogs will love to root around some simple obstacles in your house or yard to find yummy treats!