Positive PetzineIn need of fun
Hello Aidan. Do you have any suggestions for games/exercise for Elsa? She has never retrieved properly and although I know it can be taught I feel like I have enough on my plate as the moment. This is really unfortunate in my mind; retrieval is great exercise for a dog. I can play tug of war, but only for so long. You've mentioned nose work and training before but I'm looking for something more strenuous.
I thought I had a great breakthrough when I put her on a 75 foot line and threw a ball for her... she only brought it back sometimes. Just recently I had the great idea to take this same idea out on the street in front of my house. Worked great once, but now smelling things is more interesting to her. Booo.
I also have a weight problem with Elsa. I'm more angry than I can convey through text about the situation but that's not the point; essentially after going to the vet for 2 years a nutritionist decided to tell me that on a scale of 1-9 (1=skeleton 9=jumbo fatty dog) that Elsa is a 9. She changed it to 7 but I'm furious anyways. Regardless of the full story it's put a huge dent in training. I have all day long to train with Elsa, but now it's limited to what and how much I feed her. Keeping her interest without food, or just bland food can be difficult.
Sooo, as the blog about a loose leash outlines the walking part of the problem, I have found myself more limited and restricted with a dog than ever before. And an ugly behavioral problem is making an incredible comeback in Elsa jumping up to get things from counter tops or tables... this problem was going away!! It was one of my only victories!
How can I wear her out and keep her interested?
Thanks,
Chris.
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re: In need of fun
Hi Chris, this is a pet topic of mine, glad you asked!
OK - feeding and nutrition. You can train ALL DAY using food without a dog getting fat. You simply take your dog's meals then divide them into enough small pieces to satisfy your training requirements. It really doesn't matter too much if the food is bland, a hungry dog (and a dieting dog is always hungry, let's face it!) will always work for food.
That said, improvements can be made to the diet and it's desirability by choosing fresh, real foods rather than processed food. It is not my place to talk about diet, but my considered opinion is that fat isn't a big problem for dogs - it's carbohydrate that is the issue. So-called "diet formula" kibbles are almost always rubbish - cheap grain sold at a premium. Exercise and dietary moderation are key.
If you want to do a lot of training, then don't feed any meals. Use 100% of your dog's daily rations for training. If any food is left over, it can be given as a small meal in the evening.
Nosework is good for tiring a dog out. You would have to assume that a tired dog has burned some calories, but my guess is that more physical pursuits burn more calories.
Tug is great, but as you have noted, you can only do it so long. Retrieving is something I find just about any dog will do, but some need more training than others. I recommend the "Two Ball Game" (google "Two Hose Game" or "Two Squeakie Game" for instructions) That method works, but sometimes it takes a bit of learning on the handler's part.
Classses you could try (available almost anywhere) are Flyball and Agility. You don't need to be agile yourself to enjoy either sport. If Lure-Coursing or Herding are available in your area they are worth a try.
Carting and Weight-Pull are also good sports for dogs. If you are fit, then Bike-joring or Cani-cross might be an option (pulling on the leash is an advantage for these sports!)
You can make various toys. A rag on a string is a good toy. It's best to teach your dog to "out" the rag, or just to pounce on it rather than bite it, so that you can keep playing without it turning into a game of tug.
Some dogs enjoy chasing a laser dot from a laser pointer. Be careful though, any sign of obsession (e.g hunting the dot when it is not there) is a sign to cease playing this game. If Elsa can play this without taking it too far, then you can enjoy this game in moderation.
Target training can be very useful indeed. If you really love clicker training you can train Elsa to go to different coloured or shaped targets, then start setting time limits and speeding up the game. This is like a "beep test" for dogs.
Even the left-over food when you are done training for the day can be used to burn a few more calories. Simply hide it around your house or yard, or put it in a treat-dispensing toy. It uses more calories to actively work for the food than to stand at a bowl and scoff it down.
I actually don't own any dog food bowls. My dogs never eat from a bowl, they always have to work for it in some way. The least amount of work would be gnawing on a raw bone or chicken frame, and this is still 10x more work than scoffing kibble from a bowl.
This is a great topic, and some very small changes can make a huge difference to a dog's quality of life. It would be great if others contributed their suggestions below by posting more comments!
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com
Trick training works for me.
Trick training works for me. While not necessarily strenuous (although it can be), it keeps a dog interested, and thinking, and focused on you.
You can send them away to a particular location (marked by, say, a blanket), and then call them back. Roll over. Push a pram. Jump up on something and then back down. Walk across a plank of wood balanced on a chair. Jump through hoops. Jumping low jumps. Agility is great too and you can progress to that. Also flyball. Crawling under a bar, or through a tunnel.
Even simple tricks without props, like shaking hands, finding the treat hidden in a hand, weaving in and out between your legs.
You can taper off food as a reward over time - once your dog understands what you want, you can ask for a few tricks in a row, and then reward with a pat, or treat.
Treats only need to be very small - just enough for a taste. It keeps the dog interested enough to want more. Small and tasty. Tiny pieces of cheese, roast chicken, or other cooked meats are good.
re: Trick training works for me.
Indeed it does! Trick training is highly under-rated.
Regards,
Aidan
http://www.positivepetzine.com