- Shadow game
The idea of this game is to get your dog to follow you willingly, not to drag your beloved beast around by his neck. Take the time to show him what you are doing rather than surprising him with a quick turn.
Any time your dog catches up to you give him a cookie. If your pup gets ahead of you, simply turn gently 180 degrees and place a treat on the ground. As your dog munches the cookie, walk ahead a few paces but be ready for him to catch up to you again and give another treat when he does. Go forwards, backwards (your dog comes towards you), sideways, fast, slow, stop, run, walk, go around trees, over rocks and anything else you can come up with to get your dog to follow you like a shadow.
- Hide and Seek
Although it may seem like the games we play are just for fun, always keep in mind that puppies learn their life skills through play and experience with littermates and other dogs. Hide and Seek is a fun game to play for dog and human but it also offers a very real-life skill for your dog. Imagine you are out on a hike and become separated from your dog. It’s a scary thought indeed but if you’ve played Hide and Seek as a game you have prepared your dog to remain calm in this situation and to use her doggy senses to seek you out.
Start at home just by practicing a come when called in another room and rewarding your dog with a treat and warm praise when she finds you. Keep practicing by hiding further and further away so your dog has to search the whole house to find you. Now you can practice the same steps in the outdoors by starting easy and then gradually making it harder and harder to find you. Have a friend distract your dog and then walk away and hide behind a tree or a bush. As soon as you’re out of sight, call your dog and when she discovers you give her a treat.
- Find the Toy
Start with two boxes and a valuable toy. Have your dog sit and allow him to watch you place the toy under one of the boxes. Now shuffle the boxes around and then tell him to “find the toy”! If necessary you can help him out by pointing to the correct box and encouraging him to get it by pawing, nudging or flipping over the box. Praise warmly when he finds the toy and ask him to bring it to you.
- Follow Your Nose
Make a ‘scent bag’ by tying something yummy, smelly, and slimy in a piece of cloth and attach a string to the end so it can be used to create a smelly trail on the ground.
Pull the bag in a winding, zigzagging path that goes around trees, under foliage and even through puddles. Leave a special surprise jackpot at the end of the trail for your dog to find.
Put the scent bag aside otherwise, your dog will just focus on eating the contents but allow him to sniff your hand. Take him to the beginning of the trail and encourage him to sniff by bringing your hand to the ground. Help him if needed by leading him along the path. Practice this game often and soon enough you can take it out into the forest to play more tracking games together.
- Return to Sender
Drop the ball in front of you and say, “get it” to your dog. When they pick up the ball praise her lavishly and then play the Give Game and trade the ball for a treat. Take your time and slowly increase the distance that you throw the ball. Be sure to stay consistent with this game so your dog knows that the return to you is part of the game. At any time if you run into trouble just go back to the distance where you last had success and play there for a little longer until you can push the distance once again.
