Gail Fisher, All Dogs Gym & Inn - The perfect place for pets and their people

The current poll on my website asks visitors what, if anything, they’re doing to economize on their pets. Happily for me – and for their pets – 66% responded that they are continuing to spend the same. Unhappily for me, 30% responded that they are cutting back on such things as daycare, grooming and training. With this in mind, and for the 30 percent of you who need to make it up to your dogs (if not to those of us in the pet care business), here are some ideas for gifts that involve you – interactive play and activities and utilize your dog’s natural instincts and challenge his brain.

Given a choice, most dogs would rather play with a person or another dog. Not only that, but thinking – using his brain – can be just as tiring as physical exercise. A few minutes spent teaching your dog something new, or giving him an outlet for his mental energies can result in your dog relaxing just as he does after a walk.

Here are some activities dogs enjoy that can be enjoyed indoors regardless of the weather:

Nose games – A dog’s ability to discern and identify odors is so much greater than ours that it defies understanding. For instance, dogs have 220 million olfactory receptors compared to our measly five million, and can sense odors 100 million times lower than we can. What I get from such unimaginable numbers is that dogs have phenomenal olfactory abilities, and really enjoy using their noses to track and find things.

You can easily create a tracking game by simply tossing small treats around a room, broadcasting them in a wide area. Your dog will hunt for the treats, using his nose to find those he can’t see. Introduce a cue such as “find ‘em” to get the game started, which teaches your dog to associate the word “find” with look for something.

Hide & Seek – This game uses “find” with a person, and is a fun game to play with the family. Have person #1 “hide” in another room. They don’t need to be hidden, just out of sight of your dog. Person #2 tells the dog, “Find (name),” and then have person #1 call the dog, “(Dog’s name), Come!” in a happy voice. When the dog arrives, give him a treat, and loads of praise. Person #2 moves to a new room, and Person #1 sends the dog to find them.

Eventually stop having the hidden person call the dog. This gets the dog to begin to use his nose, adding that element to the game. Not only does this game teach the dog to find family members by name, it also reinforces your recall (come) command. Helpful, useful, and fun!

Also use “find” associated with a specific toy or object. Used consistently, your dog will learn the names for things. Start with the toy in plain sight when you send your dog to “find” it. Then gradually move it so it is partially out of sight, and finally, you can hide it and your dog will search for it, once more using his nose.

Tricks and more tricks – not only fun to show off, but great fun to train, uses your dog’s brain and increases his responsiveness. The best part of trick training is the enjoyment you both get out of it. We have fun when we train tricks, making it fun for our dogs. To your dog, everything you train is a trick; there’s no difference between “lie down” and “bang, you’re dead” except the enjoyment we get out of the latter. Dogs very quickly learn to shake, high five, hold a biscuit on their nose, spin and the like. The more tricks you train, the faster your dog will learn new ones, and the more fun you’ll have together.

There’s no better gift you can give your dog than your time and attention!