Session 86: Mental and Physical Exercises for Your Dog While You’re Sheltering at Home

In today’s session I’ll give you a few tips for creating some fun and interesting mental and physical exercises for your dog while “sheltering at home”. I’ve also decided to outline the entire subject below and put in a few links for items that might be useful during these sessions.

Share This Story, Choose Your Platform!

In this session:

Goals

Make sure you’re teaching some rules with this.

  1. Teach your dog that you start and end the game.
  2. Teach Drop it and stick a treat to your dog’s nose (after getting your dog to drop the ball where you want it with your food lure and work – you can get two identical toys and reward the dropping of ball one with the throwing of ball two. This is a great way to get your dog doing some wind sprints and tire them out completely.)
  3. Progression: Work obedience into your fetch – sit or down then say your release command and then immediately throw the ball or toy.

Tug

Goals

  1. Teach your dog that you start and end the game
  2. Teach your dog drop it in drive and;
  3. Teach them to come down out of drive by giving them a small break between bouts of tug

Toy Suggestion:

K9 Dog Bite Tug Toy with 2 Strong Handles (by Bull Fit)

  • Made of Durable & Tear-Resistant French Linen
  • Perfect for Tug of War, Fetch & Puppy Training
  • Ideal for Medium to Large Dogs – Firmly Stitched Pull Toy

Flirt Pole

If your dog has a high “prey” drive and you have the room in your yard or house.  See if your dog likes the idea first, by attaching a toy to a string or line to see if your dog likes chasing it, before investing a bunch of time or money into getting or making one.

Goals:

The same as the last two game’s goals.

Puppy Prey Drive Building Flirt Pole Tug Toy Redline K9

by REDLINE K-9

or “DIY” it with an old broom handle or relatively sturdy piece of lighter wood (1×2 pine work pretty well), duct tape a handle and drill a hole in the top… run a light line through and tie a cloth tug toy to your line (depending on your dog’s tenacity). I’ve used old shoelaces strung together in a pinch for these DIY versions BOOT laces are better cuz they’re longer. 

Feeding toys and puzzles that I like

StarMark Bob-A-Lot Interactive Dog Toy

by StarMark

PetSafe Busy Buddy Twist ‘n Treat, Treat Dispensing Dog Toy, X-Small, Small, Medium and Large Sizes

 

by PetSafe

Caveat:  Don’t leave this with your dog as a “chew toy”.  They’re not really designed for that.  If you want something for their alone time.  I’d use a black rubber Kong (note: there are different sizes – Get one large enough that your dog can’t mistake it for something to swallow!)

Black Rubber Kong
(Note: The black rubber is more dense and durable
than the red rubber Kongs)

Details In this Session

BONUS POINTS!!

Super geeky reference for more info on the Roman poet Horace 😊

https://www.britannica.com/biography/Horace-Roman-poet

Reminder of FREE STUFF

If we use your voicemail in the show, we’ll send you a free video training series! OR if you don’t like free stuff … Email your questions to me: sean@thedogsway.com.

All the Best,

Signature

About the Author: Sean

I’ve been training people and dogs in Seattle for the last decade and a half. My main focus when working with clients every week in one-on-one, private lessons is to help people learn to get their dogs to a functional level so that they can actually enjoy spending time every day with their dog instead of stressing about their dog’s behavior issues.

Leave A Comment

Affiliate Program

Make money by referring people to the video course!

. . . . .

We’ve had tons of people tell us that they’ve referred lots of people to the Online Training Course.
Great news! Now you could make money doing that!

Click here to find out more:

About Sean

I’ve been training people and dogs in Seattle for the last decade and a half. My main focus when working with clients every week in one-on-one, private lessons is to help people learn to get their dogs to a functional level so that they can actually enjoy spending time every day with their dog instead of stressing about their dog’s behavior issues.

Ask Sean a question!

If we use your question in the show, Sean will send you a coupon code for free access to the online video course!

If you have a question you’d like me to respond to on the show (and you want to hear yourself on a future episode) leave me a voice mail!  1 (844) 364-7929 or email me here.

More Tips

Lesson 1 on a laptop screen

The Dog’s Way Online Video Training Course
$87.95

Access our video course online immediately!