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The Best Top Brain Games I Play With my Dog.
I play these games all the time with by border Collie (Odie). These games keep him in great physical shape and provide a mental workout which prevents boredom.
Hide and Seek : I play this one with my grandson. I hold on to Odie and cover his eyes while my grandson hides. When he is ready I say,” Go find him”. Odie races around the house until he finds him. He never gives up and always finds my grandson.
Obstacle course: This can be done in the house or in your back yard. I use the tunnels from the kids ball playhouse. Also I take a two by eight board and elevate it in the centre creating a titter totter that he walks up to the center then pauses at the top and then walks down. Place articles on the ground that you teach him to weave through. Find something to jump over and a hula hoop to run throught. Walk through each obsticle over and over again util he masters each one. After he masters it you can run beside him as he runs through it. Don’t forget to reward him with a treat after he’s done.
Come Find Me: I do this one on my walk. I only recommend this one if your dog has very good recall. I walk Odie off leash through town and he gets ahead of me. I find a place to hide when he’s not looking. When he realizes I’m not behind him, he turns back to come find me. I do this all the time on walks so he does expect it. I always have treats in my pocket to reward him.
Treasure Hunt: Hide his favorite toy. Odie’s favorite stuffy is Lambchop. He has four of them with different degrees of destuction. He loves playing find Lambchop. I get him to stay and I hide Lambchop. Even better when my grandson is visiting I hold on to Odie and cover his eyes while my grandson hides Lambchop. I say, “Find Lambchop!” and off he goes. He doesn’t stop until he finds it.
Name that toy: Over the years we have bought several different dog toys, all with a unique name. Odie has a chicken, duck, hedge hog, bunny, tugger, ball and of course Lambchop. I keep his vocabulary up by asking for a specific toy and he brings it to me. Sometimes I line up all his toys and ask him to bring them all to me one by one as I name that toy. He loves this game because he likes to show me just how smart he is.
Try these games with your dog and it will constantly challenge them and keep them from becoming bored.