Tag Archives: cabin fever

3 dog games to play inside

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The weather outside is frightful, you and your dog are both missing those nice long walks. We can break up the boredom with these three dog games – no special equipment required!

These games are designed to make the dogs think, which is actually just as tiring, if not more exhausting, than physical exercise. Remember back when you were in school? Which was more taxing, a final exam or a soccer game? For most people, the answer is that they’re about the same. Each is tiring in its own way. For dogs, it’s the same. A short brain-game wears out your dog just like a game of “fetch.”

These are all short-session games – no more than a few minutes at a time. You can certainly play more than once a day, but dogs learn better if they’re given a break after any new behavior.

Short and sweet dog games

dog training clickers

All of these games can be played with a clicker to “mark” when your dog gets it right. It’s a terrific training tool, and makes timing and consistency a little easier. Whether you use a verbal “yes!” or click – let your dog know when he/she does it right.

Don’t worry about it if your dog doesn’t “get” the game the first time you play. Dogs sometimes need time to process things, according to an article in Psychology Today, and your dog may be one of them. Don’t abandon a game just because he or she doesn’t excel right away. Give it another go and you may be amazed!

Game #1: Touch

You’ll need: a bunch of treats. The plastic lid from some food container. Our favorite is an ice cream pint lid. It’s not really any better than a cottage cheese lid, but we’d rather have an empty ice cream than an empty cottage cheese.

Instructions: Hold the lid in front of your dog. When he/she touches it with his/her nose, say “good touch” and give him a treat. Move the lid to the other hand. Repeat!

The tricky part is transferring it to other places, other circumstances, and “fading” the lid. So try it in another room. If somebody else is around, have them try it.

Game #2: Hide and seek

Did you know dogs can play it, too? It’s easier if you have two people, but you can certainly play with just you and your dog. If you have somebody else around, have that person hold your dog’s collar. Meanwhile, you grab a handful of treats and go “hide.” It can be anywhere in the house – even the bathtub! If you’re alone with your dog, drop a few treats where she’s sitting and, while she’s chomping them up, go hide (be sure to bring treats with you!) When you’re in your hiding place, call your dog’s name one time. Celebrate when she finds you! A good game of tug can be as much of a reward as treats.

Game #3: Switch

Does your dog have a favorite toy? One that’s the best toy in the whole wide world and when it gets destroyed (we won’t mention any culprits by name) you run around frantically looking for a replacement? We did, too, until we learned this game.

dog toys at Golly Gear

Get two toys (or more), not including the “favorite.” Start playing “tug” with your dog. If he seems not “into” it at first – be annoying! That’s how puppies get older dogs to play with them, as we’ve learned in the last couple of months with Simon. Wiggle the toy at their feet. Give them a gentle push. Blow in their face. If your dog has any kind of “prey drive,” undulate the toy across the floor. Sooner or later one of these tactics will annoy your dog sufficiently that he’ll “give up” and play with you.

When he’s truly into the game, drop the toy you’re tugging with, grab one of the others, and tell him “I wanna play with this one now!” And start being annoying. Pay no attention to the first toy until he grabs the second one.

Keep switching!

If your dog runs away to play with the toy by himself, it’s up to you how you treat it. On the one hand, you’re happy he’s playing with a different toy. One the other hand, he’s supposed to be playing with you! If you want him to play with you, just pester the dickens out of him until you have his attention back and the game can continue.

Conclusion

It doesn’t take a lot of time, special training, or complicated equipment to play interactive games with your dog. It just takes a little energy, some stuff you have around the house, a minute of planning, and the will to do it. If your dog is stricken with cabin fever and driving you crazy, these games will help take the edge off and restore peace and quiet.

These ideas will get you started. What other “indoor games” do you play with your dog?

The cabin fever cure – for you and your dog

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With a long bout of sub-zero wind chills, long walks just can’t happen. With the holidays, our regular training class and home schedule have been shot to heck. And we’re all starting to get on each other’s nerves. When our dogs want our attention, they seem to know exactly which button to push to annoy us the most.

We’re making a point of practicing what we preach. 10 minutes of training is as exhausting to dogs as twice as much ‘fetch”. Exercising their minds is tiring. Remember how exhausted you were after final exams? Same kind of thing!

Creativity is key – make a game out of your sessions. It’s really fascinating and fun to see the dogs try to figure out what we’re asking them to do. You don’t need any elaborate equipment, just some great treats, some common household items, and a plan.

Get your plan in place first. Figure out what object you want to use, and what you want your dog to do with it.

Example: you’d like your dog to put her toys back in the toy box

Equipment needed: yummy treats (and lots of them!), a box or bin, your dog’s regular toys, and, (if your dog is clicker-trained) your clicker. (If you haven’t clicker-trained your dog, now is a great time to start! Check out the Clicker Training Kit – everything you need.)

Setup: With the dog out of the room, put the toys in a pile on one side of the room. Put the box or bin a few feet away.

Note: if you have more than one dog, only play with one at a time. The other dog(s) can watch, if you have crates available for them, or from the other side of a gate. Play-training needs your attention – the timing of your reward lets your dog know how good she is!

Start playing!

Let your dog in the room. You stand by the box or bin. Chances are he’ll go check the pile of toys: Click (or say yes!) and treat! Important – reward the same behavior (sniffing the pile) only about three times. If you don’t “up the ante,” your dog will think that’s the “end” behavior you want, instead of trying for something more.

Next step: wait for her to pick up one of the toys. (If your dog is already choosing and holding a toy, move on.) Watch for any progress beyond sniffing, like mouthing a toy, and reward. (Don’t reward pawing at the toys – she needs to use her mouth to pick up the toy.) Again, the 3x rule applies. Mouthing is good, but we’re looking for something more.

Note: You’re teaching your dog to think and make good decisions – to work with you figuring out what you want. Resist the temptation to “help” – just be quiet and let your dog try different things. If she doesn’t hear the “click” – she knows she needs to try something else.

After your dog is holding the toy, the next step is carrying it. At this point, just call your dog’s name, while he’s holding the toy. Reward a look toward you, a step would be wonderful – but only if he’s still got the toy. If he drops the toy when you call – just wait for him to pick it up and Reward!

Play-training sessions should be, at most, about 10 minutes long. Once you start seeing your dog catch on, you’ll probably want to keep going. It’s better to leave it be until the next time. If your dog isn’t catching on, don’t get frustrated. Just note where you left off and try again later. You may have to back up a step, but that’s okay! Everybody and every dog learn at their own pace. If your pup hasn’t done anything like this before, give her a chance to learn.

You may find that at your next play-training session (you can try two or three a day, if you have time), your dog will be brilliant – knowing everything you thought wasn’t getting through. Or your fast-learner will have forgotten everything from last time. There are ups and downs in training. Don’t worry about it. Give the forgetter a quick refresher and move on.

The next step is to get your dog to cross to the bin and you. If you have to take it step by step – that’s fine. If you have to run away from your dog to get him/her to move toward the bin, that’s fine. As long as you’re clear in your rewards, your dog will figure out what you want.

Part of being clear is ignoring the “stuff” you don’t want and just waiting patiently for the “stuff” you do want. Don’t say “no” or “uh oh” or any of that. Your reward is telling the dog she’s on the right track. No reward = not right.

When you’re got your dog carrying the toy by the bin, you can “cheat” a bit and put a yummy treat in the bin so your dog will “trade” the toy for the treat. If your dog knows “drop it,” you can certainly use the command, or start teaching it with the “trade.”

Note: If you’re not in a good mood or if you’re getting frustrated, stop the session. Your dog is probably tuned in to your emotions. He’ll just get frustrated, too, and you won’t accomplish much. Put it aside until the next time, when you’re feeling it more.

Quick checklist:

  • Get your “plan” together in your mind – what are the steps toward your goal? What will you reward? Where did you leave off?
  • Gather the “stuff” you need for your session
  • Set up
  • Set a timer for 10 minutes
  • Get your dog
  • Get play-training!

The basis for all play-training is having fun – for both of you. There are tons of other benefits; a better-behaved dog, a more confident dog, a closer relationship with your dog, and a tired dog. And we all know – a tired dog is a good dog!