Activate Your Dog and Have Fun – Together!

Vivian Levén Shoemaker, CPDT-KA

Fur-Get Me Not Dog Training Director and Owner of POSITIVE DOG

When we think of old friends we haven't seen for a long time our thoughts often go to those memories of sharing a special event or participating in a fun activity together. We cherish these special moments for the rest of our lives. Having a fun time with our dogs and engaging in an activity together creates a special bond. It is a wonderful way to enrich both our own lives and our canine’s at the same time.

When considering an activity, my advice is to keep an open mind. Some of the activities below may initially be strange sounding, but once you try it you may just have a blast. Pick something you think your dog would enjoy. For example, if your dog never looks at a ball, Flyball would not be a good option. On the other hand, any nose work activity would be worth trying because all dogs like to use their nose to a greater or lesser extent.  At the same time, you should know what your own likes and dislikes are so that you do not pick an activity that you will never enjoy.

Breed specific activities

If you have a purebred dog, bred for a specific purpose, it may be worthwhile to contact a local breed club and ask what specific activities they offer to keep the breed characteristics alive with that certain type of dog. For example, Border Collies were bred to herd sheep, Retrievers were bred to retrieve game, Terriers were bred to chase little animals out of the ground, Sight Hounds were bred to chase game using their vision and speed, other Hounds were bred to use their nose to track scent on the ground, and the list goes on.  This does not mean, however, that you could not engage in any of the above activities even with a non-specific breed for that type of work or if you have a mixed-breed dog. It just means you need to find a different location that offers the same activity. There are herding places that will allow any dog to try out herding; lure coursing groups you can join if you think your dog would enjoy chasing a moving target; hunting/retrieving classes, and more.

Group activities

There are wonderful group activities you can participate in at your local training facility. Agility is a really fun activity where the dog learns to go over obstacles, through tunnels and weave between poles. It is a superb way to build your dog’s confidence and it really creates a close-nit working relationship with human and dog as you navigate through the course together. Rally is a more modern and fun version of competition obedience.  It has a lot of real-life applications built into the exercises and you are allowed to talk with the dog and even treat the dog after each completed exercise. Tricks classes are a wonderful way to hone your training skills while at the same time having fun. You can also take the opportunity to teach your dog to do some useful things like fetch the paper or remote control, pick up dropped keys off the ground, etc. Other tricks can be really cute and add a lot of entertainment for when you have guests, especially kids, coming over.

Specialty activities

These are activities you may not find at your regular training facility but there may be a group to join in your local area. Flyball is an activity where the dogs will run and catch a ball that comes popping out of a machine and return it to home base. Frisbee catching is a similar sport, actually called Disc Dog. Freestyle is wonderful to watch.  This is where you come up with a dance or a skit that you perform together with your dog to music. Carting involves pulling a cart as the name implies and Weight Pulling is a sport competing over which dog can pull the heaviest load. It is best suited for bully breeds with a solid build. The latest very popular activity to do with your dog is called Nosework. It entails learning how to use the dog's superb sense of smell by finding objects and people, in a less rigorous setting as compared to tracking. It teaches you how the dog's nose works and how you can set up exercises with your dog that explores this very special gift. While Hounds are known for their sense of smell, all dogs can really benefit from us humans discovering and truly appreciating the good sense of smell our dogs have and by incorporating it into our daily lives with our dogs. If you like this kind of activity there are so many options...dogs can sniff out mold, bed bugs, find those truffle mushrooms, and even detect cancer. A truly untapped wealth of resources well worth exploring!

Combine time with the dog doing a community service activity

Do you have a dog that loves people and have you always felt it would be nice to do some community service? If so, therapy work may be something for you and your dog. It means bringing your dog to senior homes, hospitals, or other facilities where people can get real joy and other benefits that come from interacting with an animal. The best way to get started is to contact a local group that does therapy work and ask how to get involved. If your dog has earned the Canine Good Citizen (CGC) Certification, this is always a plus. Depending on the group, some would like your dog to go through a specific test that they administer in addition.  Two local groups in the Washington DC metropolitan area are People Animals Love and Fairfax Pets on Wheels.

Time consuming activities

Apart from those who wish to enter a sport to compete, which can be very time consuming in themselves, there are some activities, like Search and Rescue, Tracking and Protection training where the groups require a strong commitment with many practice hours in order for you and your dog to participate.

Other activities to consider

You may be a person who likes hiking. Most dogs are perfect companions for this activity. Are you a boating person? If dogs are allowed on the boat, this can be a great adventure together and, yes, life-vests for dogs do exist! If you like biking and your dog is in good shape you can teach the dog to run next to the bike. There is special equipment available for biking with dogs to make it safe and enjoyable, along with your dog needing a solid foundation of good manners and responding well to direction. If you like going shopping, make a point of bringing the dog with you on the outing. You can either go to dog friendly shopping areas where dogs are allowed in the stores, or bring a family member or friend and take turns holding the dog outside the store while practicing stays.

If you plan to bring your dog with you on vacation, and are interested in trying a number of these options, consider signing up for Camp Gone to the Dogs, where you can try all the different activities within a week: www.campgonetothedogs.com

Hopefully, reading this article has made you curious. There are so many ways to engage in fun activities with your dog; and, there are many options available to meet everyone's preference, exercise and skill level - options that did not exist even just a few years ago. So enjoy!

This exert was taken from the January 2011 edition of the Fur-Get Me Not customer newsletter.  To learn more about Fur-Get Me Not’s unique Levels training classes or private in-home training, visit our website at http://www.furgetmenot.com. If you are in need of behavior consultations to help with issues such as aggression, resource guarding, separation anxiety, or any other behaviors related to fear or phobias, POSITIVE DOG can help. Vivian Leven Shoemaker is the owner of POSITIVE DOG and the Dog Training Director for Fur-Get Me Not.  She is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer with over 10 years experience in the field of animal behavior.