Re: Game suggestions?

In Reply to: Game suggestions?
Category:   Other
Posted by:  Mary
Posted on:  July 30, 2002 at 08:41:34

: My little guy is a joy. He likes to play, of course, and whines when we don't play with him enough. (A good reminder to get my duff off the couch).

: Anyway, our biggest energy expender currently is go to for a walk. Unfortunately, he doesn't like the heat very much, so some days we can't go out at all.

: He doesn't always want to play fetch with his ball, and I don't always have the energy to chase him around the house (which is really fun when I'm up to it).

: Any other suggestions for good inside games to play?

Response:

Hi Mary,

Sometimes "brain work" can be just as good as physical exercise. You might want to get a book that tells you how to teach your dog tricks. Not only will it keep his mind active and be a wonderful way for you to bond and increase his confidence, you will end up with an arsenal of tricks for any companion terrier/man's best friend class at any terrier trial you go to lol!

Another great inside game is hide and seek. You can use either yourself as the seek item or some great toy or treat. Start off making it rather easy for him to find and as he catches on you can increase the difficulty. Just make sure you don't make it so difficult he loses interest!

A 2 liter empty soda bottle with some kibble in it can keep some JRTs amused for quite awhile, just be sure he doesn't chew the bottle up.

Another thing you might try is getting PVC practice jumps (they can usually be found on eBay) and start to teach him to jump the hurdles. This is lots of fun for the dog and will be bonus if you ever decide to do agility with him. In fact I sometimes set up a mini course in my house using the jumps, a couple of kiddy play tunnels and a pause box (usually a sturdy cardboard box). Brody loves to do agility and when it's just too hot out we sometimes will run our "course" inside ;)

Just remember with anything you do, you want to set your dog up for success. If you start to work on tricks and he doesn't get it, make sure to end your session with something he DOES know, even if it's the command "SIT."