By Fran Jewell
We are all in this pandemic together, including our dogs. Living with a high-energy dog when we are staying home to prevent the further spread of the COVID-19 virus can be incredibly challenging. However, there are easy, fun ways to enrich our relationship with our dog.
First, educate yourself. Right now is a perfect time to take an online course in dog behavior, dog enrichment ideas, teaching your dog (like my Cruiser) new tricks or just making new friends with online groups related to dogs. E-trainingfordogs.com is a wonderful resource and very inexpensive. I keep in touch with my colleagues across the nation sharing great ideas on Facebook. You can join in on discussions, too. Even if you are not familiar with a canine sport, now could be a great time to explore one. There are also tons of wonderful videos on YouTube that are so easy to access for free.
Once you gain some new ideas, implement them. Teaching Cruiser a new trick or new enrichment exercise is a fabulous way for me to grow closer to him. We live in a walking, hiking, exercising community. However, the thing we forget is that education is also wonderful exercise FOR A DOG’S MIND and BODY! Incorporate learning during a walk.
I love scenting games. If the weather is bad outside, you can still play them in the house. Scenting is very hard work for Cruiser and very satisfying. Scenting takes huge energy, focus and determination. I start with a few little pieces of cheese or another favorite treat. Cruiser goes in the bedroom with the door closed, and then I quickly hide about three pieces around the house. When I open the bedroom door, I say, “Let’s find it!” I walk to the nearest piece of cheese and let my dog get the scent and eat the treat, giving lots of praise and cheer. After one or two times of helping Cruiser to find the treat and eat it, I don’t have to do much more. Pretty soon Cruiser cannot wait to go to the bedroom for me to hide more food. Once Cruiser is proficient in the house, I can complicate the game and make it last longer by hiding bits of food around the yard. My yard is fenced, so I don’t worry about Cruiser leaving. If you don’t have a fenced yard, you can use a 30-foot-long line so your dog can move freely and safely to each piece of cheese. In short time, my Cruiser is exhausted from all the hard work and entirely free of stress and able to just settle into a nice nap.
Some of my other favorite things to teach are: go to bed, touch, spin, hold a treat on the nose, jump into a box, jump out, push a ball with the nose, and weave between my legs. Again, there are so many videos on YouTube that can give you ideas and show you how to do them. Using a clicker or operant conditioning to teach these tricks is incredibly fun for both you and your dog. What is so wonderful about trick training is that dogs don’t know these are “tricks”; Instead, they see that you are the leader, asking them to do something, and they get a paycheck for doing it. Dogs LOVE to learn!
Trick training helps to encourage a closer bond with your dog, some leadership, and helps your dog feel good about himself and you. Tricks also encourage great and healthy “play” with children.
Make feeding time fun with food-dispensing toys and games. My favorites are Snuffle Pads and LickiMats. They are easy to find. You can even toss kibble out in the yard for your pup to find.
With a little creativity and using some wonderful resources, this time of isolation can be fun, bond building and enriching for us all.
Fran Jewell is an Idaho Press Club award-winning columnist, IAABC-certified dog behavior consultant, NADOI-certified instructor #1096 and the owner of Positive Puppy Dog Training, LLC, in Sun Valley. For more information, visit www.positivepuppy.com or call (208) 578-1565.