…and reap the benefits of the good behavior that follows!

This is an edited re-post of an older article taken from the LnH Newsletter – March 2009

We all know that belly rubs are great and that one spot you scratch, you know the one that summons the ticklish back leg kick? Yeah, that’s the spot! But the luckiest dogs will tell you that, aside from the great belly scratches they receive on a regular basis, their lives also include lots and lots of games that keep their minds sharp and their bodies busy!

Jack will do anything for that ball - even if it means the hard work of sitting still for a photo.

Games help build confidence, spend excess energy, teach self control, increase focus, and create a sense of stability and comfort in the home. Games can also decrease destructive urges by giving a more constructive outlet for releasing pent-up energy.  This is called harnessing drive – or channeling a dog’s natural urges to chase, catch, and retrieve into more constructive things than say: killing the squirrels or chasing the neighbor’s car.  Games can give your dog a sense of purpose, a challenge, and a job to do. All of these factors contribute to your dog’s overall well being and, best of all, build a stronger bond of trust and respect with you!

There are good ways and bad ways to play with your dog. If your dog loves to steal your underpants and run away while you chase them around the house, you’ve experienced some of the undesirable side effects of the chase game first hand. If they are failing to see the difference between your hands and chew toys, you may be inadvertently encouraging mouthing by wresting and playing too rough with your pooch. Playing with your pup should build good behavior, not bad habits.

A good game for a dog should engage their mind first. There should be clear rules outlined for them during this game using training cues that they have been taught in advance. For example, Fetch can be played using cues like Sit, Stay, Fetch, Come, and Drop it. If you find a game that you think your dog will love, make sure you prepare them ahead of time by teaching them any new cues that they may need to understand the game first. Then teach the game one step at a time. Every dog is different, and may respond to one game more than another. If your dog isn’t having fun with a game, don’t be afraid to make it easier or try something new.

Here are a few great games to try:

Hide n’ Seek (Intro to Coming When Called and Distance Stays)

Place your dog in a Sit or Down/ Stay. Walk a few feet away and call them to you in a very excited and fun tone. Reward when they come to you. Repeat the process, each time increasing your distance from the dog until you can go out of sight. Keep it simple at first, then slowly increase the difficulty level in finding you. Hide behind doors, in closets, and even outside (in a fenced area) to create a real challenge!  If your dog’s stay isn’t quite strong enough to play this game by himself, have someone hold them by leash and show your dog the reward you’ll have waiting for them when they come find you.  When you call, your helper drops the leash and your dogs scampers to find you.

Treasure Hunt (Intro to Impulse Control and Focus)

Put your dog in a down or sit stay and place a treat, toy, or something of moderate interest within sight. Wait a moment before releasing her to get the toy, encouraging her to go to the reward and eat it or play with it however she wants. Use a cue for this coupled with your release word.  If you say “OK” to release, then say something like “OK – Get it!”  in an excited tone.  If you act like you really love the game, your dog will pick up on your tone and be equally excited.  So if your dog isn’t extremely interested in the game to start, increase your energy and excitement to show them how fun it is.  Repeat this, varying where you place the reward and slowly increasing the value of the reward.  Start “hiding” the reward where the dog can’t see it, but where she can watch you place it and easily find it and retrieve it if she wants (behind a piece of furniture, for example). Release her to get the reward and guide her if she becomes confused. Next, hide the treat further away, then in another room, gradually increasing difficulty.  You can increase the distance and difficulty in finding the treasure as your dog gets better at the game. This is especially good for dogs that have begun to learn “stay” but are nervous about having their people go out of sight.  It is also a fantastic focus game to lengthen a puppy’s typically short attention span.

Clean Up

Get a box or bucket and collect a number of toys and other dog-safe items that you would like to teach your dog to recognize and clean up.   Scatter the toys in a small pile on the floor. Through shaping, get the dog to pick up the items one at a time and place them in your hand while giving the cue: “Clean Up.”  It helps if your dog already understands the concept of “Take it” and “Drop it” allowing you to start with these already familiar cues and work in the new “Clean Up” cue slowly.   Be sure to reward each “gift” with praise or treats (I’ve found exchanging one toy for another to be the easiest way to train this as treats distract most dogs from the game to start.)  While maintaining the fun of this “return for refund” game, move further and further from your dog adding distance to their retrieve.  Then introduce the toy bin and place each toy retrieved in the bin.  Lastly hold your hands over the bin and as soon as your dog drops the toy, move your hands allowing it to fall directly into the bin.  Praise heavily for this and get noticeably excited.  Repeat until your dog will place the toy directly into the bin without your hands present, then slowly move away from the bin each round adding more and more distance.  Your dog will likely lose interest in the early stages of teaching this game at first and that is fine.  Simply end the game on a high note and try again later.  This one can take a while to master and requires a lot of practice.

Tug (Confidence and Impulse Control During Heightened Excitement – Introducing the On/Off Switch)

The secret to playing this game successfully is for you, the human, to control it. For this game, choose one particular toy that will be used as your tug toy. Don’t use a bone, a leash, or anything that smells too much like you (like a sock) unless you are ok with all of your socks and undergarments becoming toys.  A good tug toy is long enough to avoid contact between a dog’s mouth and your hands, is sturdy, and is of interest to your dog.  This toy is special and unique for your dog, so it will be kept in a safe spot away from your pet until it is time to play.

You start the game by taking the toy out of it’s safe spot and encouraging your dog to mouth it with a cue like “Tug” or “Get it.” Some dogs will refuse to do this with you, especially if they’ve been punished for tugging in the past. If your dog is food motivated, try rubbing the toy with something tasty and smelly at first like a little peanut butter. However, tugging is instinctive for dogs (it’s a cooperative act in pack feeding) so your dog should catch on quickly. Tug a few times, then tell your dog “drop it” or “release.” Use a cheerful but clear tone. You can reward him for dropping it with either a treat, a different toy that he gets to play with for a minute, or another round of tug. Occasionally let your dog win by releasing the toy from your grip while saying “OK.” If your dog is the shy or timid type they should be allowed to win more often.   A more confident dog that who struggles with authority needs to win less often than you.

Remember Four on the Floor at all times – no jumping, leaping, or scratching allowed.  Angle your toy low to the ground so you don’t inadvertently encourage jumping behavior.  Any time your dog leaps or jumps, release your grip and turn your back stiffly to let your dog know you absolutely do not like and will not play with this behavior.   Make sure that you end the game if your dog gets too rough or agitated. Simply ask for a “drop it”, praise for it, and always put the toy away when you are done playing.

It takes two to tug!  If the dog refuses to let go, you let go of your end and walk away.  Wait until the energy has diminished a little and distract your dog with another toy so you can put the tug toy away.  The game always plays by your rules and begins and ends when you say it does.  It won’t take long for your dog to learn this and master the ability to turn off their excitement just as quickly as they can turn it on.

Fetch with Obedience (Impulse Control – Channeling Chase Instincts)

If your dog already retrieves the ball (or at least runs after it), have them sit and stay while you throw the ball. Attach a leash at first to make sure they stay when you ask them to. Then release them to “Fetch!” Reward the return of the ball with a chest scratch or a treat if needed. Build on the length of time that you ask them to stay slowly. This is an extremely good impulse control exercise for those dogs who just can’t wait to go get that ball!  For dogs who struggle with chasing things that they shouldn’t, work on this game to teach a similar attachment to the toy instead.  This can be used later in training to remove attention and focus from chasing bad things like cars, channeling that instinct into the ball (or fetch toy) instead.  For pro fetchers with great focus, increase difficulty by adding down and tricks before releasing to “Fetch!”

Other fun games to check out

Catch (with frisbee, ball, toys)

Racing (running to touch a target – dog must know “touch” on command)

Play & Freeze (incorporates games like Tug & Racing to build excitement, then challenges the dog to stop or “freeze” suddenly before play begins again)

Agility: formal or basic with hoop jumping, hurdles, and other props. You can even make your own props! (High impact and large jumps should only be done by dogs 12+ months of age.)

Tricks: If your dog loves to perform and has a knack for picking up the details, the possibilities are endless!*If you have more than one dog, it is equally important to spend quality time alone with each dog. Don’t hesitate to separate your dogs and play with one at a time, especially when playing a game or teaching them something new. Each of your lucky dogs will thank you for it.

For more in-depth rules and directions on teaching these games, check out books like 50 Games to Play with Your Dog and 101 Dog Tricks.