Indoor games

[JPuckett1989]

Does any body have any indoor games to keep a puppy busy?

Lately it's been raining half the day,especially at night, and so it's hard to get the dogs outside so they can play, and the lack of play has made them a little rambunctious in the house. Which has made Charlie resort to more mischievous acts, such as chasing our cat, or chewing on things he's not supposed to.

He has a kong toy but has already figured out the fastest and easiest way to get the treats out. Sadie is the same way, she picks it up and literally throws it down on the hard floor until she knocks pieces of the treats out.

I've also tried putting treats inside of a taller box,poked holes in the box, and watched them try and figure out how to get the treats. But once again, charlie has already mastered this game and knows to flip the box. Sadie? She patiently lays and watches charlie do it so she can reap the benefits.:doh:

So I'm looking for more ideas to work the little ones minds. Training is always great, but he tires/loses interest quickly.

 

[CaliTerp07]

Free shaping!

http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167

We also play "find it"! I will take a handful of small treats (or her kibble dinner), shut the door, and lay them around the room. I'll put one on the bookshelf, one in the corner, one on the desk chair, etc. Then I'll open the door, say "FIND IT!" and she'll work her little sniffer to find them all. Once she gets them, I cheer, shove her out of the room, and repeat with new hiding places.

If you have another person to play with, we'll practice recalls across the house. We used to do this in the hallway of our apartment all the time. Just call the dog back and forth (and give a treat for coming to you). You can do this as a restrained recall too to really build drive. Once she got good at it, we'd put obstacles in the hallway to make her leap over the laundry basket or run through a dangling sheet or towel.

Hide and seek is fun too. One person holds the dog (or put him in a sit stay) and then hide behind a door or in the shower or behind the bed or whatever. Release the dog, and have him come find you for a small treat.

 

[JPuckett1989]

I definitely like the "find it" game. Charlie has a serious nose on him, and I've been trying to think of some ways to put it to use. Don't know why I haven't thought of it before.

 

[LeonilCraig]

Just get a toy rope, and twirl it in circles and make the dog chase it..my dog loves it!