| Activities |
Obviously, all dogs need a minimum of physical exercise, depending on the dog's breed, age
etc. A dog that has been able to spend energy by walking, running and playing is a happier
dog, and one that is much easier to live and deal with.
There is a lot more you can do to activate you dog than plain physical exercise. A rule of
thumb says: 15 minutes of mental exercise equals 1 hour of physical exercise. Some activities you
can do involve problem solving, such as learning tricks, and are great for a rainy day or when
you have to keep your dog quiet. Naturally, they are also good to do throughout the day in
addition to going for walks etc. Other activities make use of the dog's natural abilities to
absorb, process, and act on information in the environment, like using its nose. Some
activities combine mental and physical tasks and let the dog develop body control and
awareness.
Inside Activities
Training obedience, tricks, and house manners/everyday behaviors.
Searching for hidden objects and/or food.
"Furniture agility" - have the dog jump over, crawl under, balance on, and make its way
through furniture. Your imagination is the limit.
Kongs and other treat dispensers.
Stuff to do in the Yard
Searching for hidden objects and/or food.
Follow a short trail, like yours when you walked to hide the object or a meaty bone dragged
on a string.
Search for scattered treats. If they are scattered in tall grass, among bushes, in a pile of brush,
etc. the dog will have to work harder and will get more out of it.
Practise recall.
Play ball, Frisbee, fetch. Let the dog work for it in various ways. Instead of having the dog
just drop the object at your feet, teach it to sit nicely in front of you or in heel position and
keep the object in its mouth until you ask him/her to let you have it (into your hand). Have
the dog do sit-stays, down-stays, and "wait" before giving the "okay" or "fetch" for to go get
the ball or toy. Make it follow a command or execute a trick before tossing the ball, toy, or
Frisbee. Ask the dog to "go long" or "go out" (I don't know anything about Football) and
throw when the dog is at a distance. You can use "go" if you want the dog to have its back to
you when you throw past it, or you can ask the dog to "look" to turn towards you and be
ready to grab the ball.
Taking Your Dog Out
Make your daily walks more interesting by taking different routes and not be too predictable.
Different routes have different smells; give your dog plenty of time to sniff - you don't have to
let your dog mark all the time just because you let it sniff where other dogs have left their
scent. Do several stints of brisk walking. Ask for some obedience behaviors now and again; it's
good practise and reminds the dog to pay attention to you. If your walk takes you by large
tree stubs, a pile of rocks and other fun things, ask your dog to do a bit of agility on them.
If you teach your dog a good recall you have many more options of taking your dog for great
walks and hikes. Here in Boise we have so many opportunities if you are willing to set off a
few hours for it. We have the dessert south of town in and around the Birds of Prey area and
the bombing range. In the other direction is the Foothills and Bogus Basin. Off I-84 towards
Mountain Home is Bonneville Point. Up 21 is Lucky Peak Reservoir. Further away you can go
southwest to the Owyhees or northeast to Idaho City. Even further out is the Weiser River
trails or Hells Canyon. There are plenty of forests, mountains, and plains with room enough
to let your dog run without bothering anybody. Just remember that it can be hard to find
places to park right off the road to let your dog out. Get some good maps that show trail
heads, Forrest Service roads, river access and such and do a little planning.
Not only do these places provide opportunities to run, but they are often physically more
challenging and saturated with wonderful, natural smells.
Most dogs benefit from going everyday places with you when the weather is right and the
place/event isn't too stressful. A typical place to bring your dog is the pet store, but you can,
for example, also bring it to the hardware/home improvement store, the local street market,
and some outdoor cafés and restaurants.
If your dog has learned to stay with you, you can go to a local soccer field, park etc. to play
fetch and Frisbee. The same ideas apply as in the yard.
Take your dog to class! There is always more to learn, and being around other dogs and
owners have many benefits such as socialization (for the dog, too), motivation, learning new
tricks/commands/behaviors you hadn't thought of, working on problems before the develop.
There are many kinds of classes/training groups, some basic, like basic obedience, some more
fun oriented, such as agility, tracking, advanced obedience, schutzhund, rally, clicker training,
trick training, herding, serach&rescue, hunting (with the right, positive, trainer), lure
coursing, and dog dancing/freestyle.
Once you have learned how to do certain activities, either in class or through books, you can
do it on your own time on a regular basis.
etc. A dog that has been able to spend energy by walking, running and playing is a happier
dog, and one that is much easier to live and deal with.
There is a lot more you can do to activate you dog than plain physical exercise. A rule of
thumb says: 15 minutes of mental exercise equals 1 hour of physical exercise. Some activities you
can do involve problem solving, such as learning tricks, and are great for a rainy day or when
you have to keep your dog quiet. Naturally, they are also good to do throughout the day in
addition to going for walks etc. Other activities make use of the dog's natural abilities to
absorb, process, and act on information in the environment, like using its nose. Some
activities combine mental and physical tasks and let the dog develop body control and
awareness.
Inside Activities
Training obedience, tricks, and house manners/everyday behaviors.
Searching for hidden objects and/or food.
"Furniture agility" - have the dog jump over, crawl under, balance on, and make its way
through furniture. Your imagination is the limit.
Kongs and other treat dispensers.
Stuff to do in the Yard
Searching for hidden objects and/or food.
Follow a short trail, like yours when you walked to hide the object or a meaty bone dragged
on a string.
Search for scattered treats. If they are scattered in tall grass, among bushes, in a pile of brush,
etc. the dog will have to work harder and will get more out of it.
Practise recall.
Play ball, Frisbee, fetch. Let the dog work for it in various ways. Instead of having the dog
just drop the object at your feet, teach it to sit nicely in front of you or in heel position and
keep the object in its mouth until you ask him/her to let you have it (into your hand). Have
the dog do sit-stays, down-stays, and "wait" before giving the "okay" or "fetch" for to go get
the ball or toy. Make it follow a command or execute a trick before tossing the ball, toy, or
Frisbee. Ask the dog to "go long" or "go out" (I don't know anything about Football) and
throw when the dog is at a distance. You can use "go" if you want the dog to have its back to
you when you throw past it, or you can ask the dog to "look" to turn towards you and be
ready to grab the ball.
Taking Your Dog Out
Make your daily walks more interesting by taking different routes and not be too predictable.
Different routes have different smells; give your dog plenty of time to sniff - you don't have to
let your dog mark all the time just because you let it sniff where other dogs have left their
scent. Do several stints of brisk walking. Ask for some obedience behaviors now and again; it's
good practise and reminds the dog to pay attention to you. If your walk takes you by large
tree stubs, a pile of rocks and other fun things, ask your dog to do a bit of agility on them.
If you teach your dog a good recall you have many more options of taking your dog for great
walks and hikes. Here in Boise we have so many opportunities if you are willing to set off a
few hours for it. We have the dessert south of town in and around the Birds of Prey area and
the bombing range. In the other direction is the Foothills and Bogus Basin. Off I-84 towards
Mountain Home is Bonneville Point. Up 21 is Lucky Peak Reservoir. Further away you can go
southwest to the Owyhees or northeast to Idaho City. Even further out is the Weiser River
trails or Hells Canyon. There are plenty of forests, mountains, and plains with room enough
to let your dog run without bothering anybody. Just remember that it can be hard to find
places to park right off the road to let your dog out. Get some good maps that show trail
heads, Forrest Service roads, river access and such and do a little planning.
Not only do these places provide opportunities to run, but they are often physically more
challenging and saturated with wonderful, natural smells.
Most dogs benefit from going everyday places with you when the weather is right and the
place/event isn't too stressful. A typical place to bring your dog is the pet store, but you can,
for example, also bring it to the hardware/home improvement store, the local street market,
and some outdoor cafés and restaurants.
If your dog has learned to stay with you, you can go to a local soccer field, park etc. to play
fetch and Frisbee. The same ideas apply as in the yard.
Take your dog to class! There is always more to learn, and being around other dogs and
owners have many benefits such as socialization (for the dog, too), motivation, learning new
tricks/commands/behaviors you hadn't thought of, working on problems before the develop.
There are many kinds of classes/training groups, some basic, like basic obedience, some more
fun oriented, such as agility, tracking, advanced obedience, schutzhund, rally, clicker training,
trick training, herding, serach&rescue, hunting (with the right, positive, trainer), lure
coursing, and dog dancing/freestyle.
Once you have learned how to do certain activities, either in class or through books, you can
do it on your own time on a regular basis.
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