23/03/2020
**Important behavior info in the beginning 🤓 Fun games at the end 😎**
I want to take a moment and recommend that you allow your dog to keep its usual routine as much as possible.
~Let them nap during the time when you are usually at work, and if they would be in a crate, put them in their crate.
~Keep their food schedule at the same time intervals (no judgement for sleeping in and moving breakfast back a bit, but you should move dinner back a bit as well). What goes in must come out, and this will help keep their potty interval/schedule on track also.
~Hopefully sooner than later this virus will be behind us, and maintaining their routine will help to ward off separation anxiety when the time finally comes for life to go back to normal.
~Remember that your dog does need personal space and can get cranky when their routine is thrown off. We look to them for comfort in times like these, which is ok... but, they feel your energy and can also stress out with/because of you.
**Below are some games that you can play to ease the tension for your dog, and distract yourself from the stress of the unknown**
Let me know if you have any questions. ENJOY!!
DOGGIE GAMES
The following are some games I came up with during the winter months to help my Jack Russell Terrier, Bailey burn off energy inside and to create a closer bond.
HIDE AND SEEK: Command your dog to "wait" in one room (or leave the room while they're not paying attention), hide someplace in your house and call their name, once they find you they get a treat and affection! This is also a game I use to facilitate "come when called" in obedience training.
PICKLE IN THE MIDDLE: Just like when you were a kid, but your dog is always in the middle. Make it possible at some point for them to get the toy or ball, and when they do, play with them with it for a few mins then resume the game.
Revised for “come when called”: Two humans take turns calling the dog back and forth between them. Each human makes a big deal about the dog returning and has a very small treat to give the them when they arrive. Human 1 then yells to human 2 letting them know that they can now call the dog to them. As the dog is more consistent on recall, the humans should increase the distance between them, eventually going into other rooms or floors of the house. Remember to always “throw a party” and give a small (high scent/taste value) treat when the dog comes to you. (eventually you will be able to fade out the treats and just give affection).
TAG or REVERSE CHASE: You can use a toy or not, but basically you get your dog to chase you when you have the toy... when they touch (tag) u, they get the toy and u chase them. Then repeat. (This game is good to play for dogs who get out and run away often, we don't want to chase them so by playing this game and using a catch phrase like "come get me", the next time they take off you can initiate this game and have them chase you back to your house!)
READY, SET, GET IT!: Put your dog into a “sit and wait’ or "down and wait", take their favorite toy and place it a certain number of paces away from them telling them to "leave it", continue to back up the same amount of paces away from the toy and crouch down like a dog laying. Then say "Get it!!" at this point both of u race for the toy in the middle and whomever get's there first is the winner!
THREE CUPS AND A BALL/TREAT: This is that classic game where you put one treat or ball under a cup and then shuffle the 3 cups around and the dog has to guess which cup the treat/ball is under. (Yes they can sniff it out, but keeping track of it will keep their brains working, which is tiring like physical exercise!)
TREAT HUNT: Cut an empty toilet paper or paper towel roll into small sections, place small treats with a high scent value in the rolls and pinch the ends down to secure. Hide the stuffed rolls in various places for your dog to seek out. (*make a mental note of how many rolls you hid, and where you hid them! You don't want rotting food attracting ants!)
