I was just wondering what types of games everyone plays with their pups. I'm hoping to get some ideas for something that would just be fun and a little mentally chalanging and or a good way to burn some puppy/dog energy.
The hide and seek game is great. When I leave the pups at home, I hide treats all over for them to find. They love going around to find them and none are left over when I get back. I also hide little paper bags (tiny the ones that are like party favor bags) with treats in them so they have to work to get them out.
I also play hide and seek with myself to encourage a stronger recall.
Maymay loves the ball. It's the only thing we have been able to teach her to play with. She was pretty clueless when she got here about playing but a couple hours with my niece (you met her) and she got it down. Kids are amazing at teaching dogs sometimes. Koda loves to wrestle and play tug of war. That's his thing.
Both burn energy by chewing as well. Bully sticks are usually in their mouths before naptime or bedtime.
Most of all, get her to that great park with that huge field by your house once her shots are done. Let her run, run, run. I think that 3-4 months old is difficult because they have a boost of energy, but have to be kept in the house. It's a trying time on an owner's patience.
Let's see....oh the kids also like the food puzzles. But they figure them out pretty quick.
We play hide and seek games, too. My two LOVE them.
Also, a great way to burn off some energy at dinner time is 'floor hockey'... I will sit on the floor with the bowl of food between my legs and pluck the kibble across the floor or down the hallway (obviously this only works with hard floors such as tile, linoleum, laminate, or wood). The pups scamper off chasing it down and gobble it right up. This also helps with picky eaters, as well, as it makes the kibble seem more exciting.
We also have fun games of tug, fetch (which normally involves me throwing the ball, the dogs going to catch it, then me running after them 'fetching' the ball so I can throw it again), trade-with-me (which is a good game to teach 'leave it'), and 'shall we dance?' (which is just silly, but so much fun... we just jump around the room and let the dogs jump with us!).
I freeze their treats in ice and toss them all over the backyard whenever I have to leave them home alone on a hot day. Wind-up fish in a baby pool is always hours of fun too, but I have to watch them closely because Boo will dismantle the things into itty-bitty swallow-able piece in about 3 seconds if allowed.
Kouda LOVES the hose. He doesn't like to get sprayed with it, but he'll chase the water stream all day long and yodle whenever I water the plants.
Fetch and tug-of-war, too. Kouda will follow me around the house with a toy until I start tugging on it, then I'll give Boo my end, Kouda will roll onto his back and growl and Boo will drag him all over the house with it. It's really funny to see Boo run past a doorway with an upside down Kouda dragging along behind him and some ill-fated plushie caught in the middle. If Boo drops the toy, Kouda will chase him around with it until Boo starts playing again.
Kouda is good off-leash, so I often take him out to the country side and let him loose during hikes with my family and their dogs.
Kouda will also chase laser pen lights across the floor. I'm pretty sure he's actually a cat.
I'm getting a little stir crazy as is Panda since I can't take her outside on walks yet. I've been playing lots of tug with her, but have decided to put that on hold for a while because she's been getting very mouthy lately, mostly the fault of just too much excess energy. I get her to do some nice sprints after balls and other toys in the backyard but usually if it's a ball she just pushes it around with her nose, so I end up retrieving it and then throwing it again for her. She does a bit better with retrieving soft fluffy toys. They make her more excited. I guess that makes sense since they're more like a little animal. I've gotten her to fetch in the kitchen with more success, but less energy expenditure since she can't run all out. Her favorite pastime is digging in the dirt in the backyard and CHEWING every other moment. Surprisingly she's not too excited about bully sticks. She rather chew on raw-hide that she can destroy in 15min to a half hour.
I tried out the hide and seek game with her this evening with a treat filled kong and she loved it! At first she thought she had to wait for me to show her where it was, but it was so cute when she got the idea to search for it.
I think I'll also try hiding treats around her kennel, so she has something extra to do while I'm at work tomorrow.
All the dogs like to play tug-o-war, fetch, and chasing animals. Taro is the little trouble maker as he likes to bite all the other dogs, expecially Hana. Hana LOVES fetch, thats all she wants to play and she will do it all day long. Sammi is a really simple girl. She really enjoys the kids playing with her. My son will play swords with her and she will lay there and allow my son to poke her with his foam sword.
Taro love rough play, he really likes it when Sammi grabs his tail and pulls him around by his tail, a little weird. I think he see's chasing the hogs as a treat and a game cause he is the happiest chasing the pigs around and scaring the crap out of them. They all love to explore and walk and swim.
She hasn't had all her vaccinations yet, so I won't be taking her places that other unvaccinated/infected dog might have been. She won't be totally safe from Parvo and Distemper until her last set of vaccinations when she's 16 weeks old :(
I am taking her to puppy kindergarten with other partially vaccinated pups and friends backyards, but I'm a little limited right to where I can take her. I have another month to go . . . its not going to be easy.
Good idea Tara. Your area does have a lot of Parvo and Distemper cases. I would normally say chance it, but not where you are at. Even my vet didn't want Koda up there until he was fully vaccinated.
I may be going up in a couple of weeks if you want Koda to run her around.
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Also alll my pups love playing with balls, so there's a lot of fetch happening.
I also play hide and seek with myself to encourage a stronger recall.
Maymay loves the ball. It's the only thing we have been able to teach her to play with. She was pretty clueless when she got here about playing but a couple hours with my niece (you met her) and she got it down. Kids are amazing at teaching dogs sometimes. Koda loves to wrestle and play tug of war. That's his thing.
Both burn energy by chewing as well. Bully sticks are usually in their mouths before naptime or bedtime.
Most of all, get her to that great park with that huge field by your house once her shots are done. Let her run, run, run. I think that 3-4 months old is difficult because they have a boost of energy, but have to be kept in the house. It's a trying time on an owner's patience.
Let's see....oh the kids also like the food puzzles. But they figure them out pretty quick.
Also, a great way to burn off some energy at dinner time is 'floor hockey'... I will sit on the floor with the bowl of food between my legs and pluck the kibble across the floor or down the hallway (obviously this only works with hard floors such as tile, linoleum, laminate, or wood). The pups scamper off chasing it down and gobble it right up. This also helps with picky eaters, as well, as it makes the kibble seem more exciting.
We also have fun games of tug, fetch (which normally involves me throwing the ball, the dogs going to catch it, then me running after them 'fetching' the ball so I can throw it again), trade-with-me (which is a good game to teach 'leave it'), and 'shall we dance?' (which is just silly, but so much fun... we just jump around the room and let the dogs jump with us!).
Hope this helps!
Kouda LOVES the hose. He doesn't like to get sprayed with it, but he'll chase the water stream all day long and yodle whenever I water the plants.
Fetch and tug-of-war, too. Kouda will follow me around the house with a toy until I start tugging on it, then I'll give Boo my end, Kouda will roll onto his back and growl and Boo will drag him all over the house with it. It's really funny to see Boo run past a doorway with an upside down Kouda dragging along behind him and some ill-fated plushie caught in the middle. If Boo drops the toy, Kouda will chase him around with it until Boo starts playing again.
Kouda is good off-leash, so I often take him out to the country side and let him loose during hikes with my family and their dogs.
Kouda will also chase laser pen lights across the floor. I'm pretty sure he's actually a cat.
I'm getting a little stir crazy as is Panda since I can't take her outside on walks yet. I've been playing lots of tug with her, but have decided to put that on hold for a while because she's been getting very mouthy lately, mostly the fault of just too much excess energy. I get her to do some nice sprints after balls and other toys in the backyard but usually if it's a ball she just pushes it around with her nose, so I end up retrieving it and then throwing it again for her. She does a bit better with retrieving soft fluffy toys. They make her more excited. I guess that makes sense since they're more like a little animal. I've gotten her to fetch in the kitchen with more success, but less energy expenditure since she can't run all out. Her favorite pastime is digging in the dirt in the backyard and CHEWING every other moment. Surprisingly she's not too excited about bully sticks. She rather chew on raw-hide that she can destroy in 15min to a half hour.
I tried out the hide and seek game with her this evening with a treat filled kong and she loved it! At first she thought she had to wait for me to show her where it was, but it was so cute when she got the idea to search for it.
I think I'll also try hiding treats around her kennel, so she has something extra to do while I'm at work tomorrow.
Taro love rough play, he really likes it when Sammi grabs his tail and pulls him around by his tail, a little weird. I think he see's chasing the hogs as a treat and a game cause he is the happiest chasing the pigs around and scaring the crap out of them. They all love to explore and walk and swim.
I am taking her to puppy kindergarten with other partially vaccinated pups and friends backyards, but I'm a little limited right to where I can take her. I have another month to go . . . its not going to be easy.
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I may be going up in a couple of weeks if you want Koda to run her around.