What are your favorite non-training games to play?

[aldelgreco]

I thank you guys for always being such good sports about helping people out.
I have a 3 month old who is getting along really well with her commands, but here is the issue. It is already 100 degrees outside and she has some energy to burn here around the house since i don't like to play outside for too long for fear of heatstroke.

I can't do training and command exercises all day long for a whole myriad of reasons, but it seems like little "mind games" really wear her out and are a lot of fun for her.
I have done a few different ones, and she has already sort of either mastered and/or grown tired of them, and i am looking for suggestions.

One that worked for the longest time was putting a chicken liver underneath a tupperware bowl and making her figure out how to get it. She would run around it and bark at it and just sit there staring/thinking until she realized she is definitely big enough to just knock it over to get to the liver. lol. I also have Kong toys, but she has been desensitized to their "coolness/newness" unlike the others around here that would kill to eat a chew toy filled with ham hocks or cheese or peanut butter. I always switch up the treat, with the exception of Havarti cheese that she only gets as a jackpot for a breakthrough.

Do you guys have any little "games" around the house that you could suggest me using as redirection as opposed to just always trying to redirect to a bone or chew toy? I thought this would serve three purposes: redirect, improve cognitive capability and keep her more occupied for longer before she relapses to chewing on the wrong thing, etc.

I majored in Psychology with a concentration in Animal Cognition in college, and truly believe that she is learning so well with her training because she is getting little synapses firing around in the brain even when she is just "playing" around the house. she loves thinking games when she is playing, and i just can't think of anymore. the new ones i try seem to bore her with the exception of tupperware game.

any suggestions or ideas from your own experience would be greatly appreciated.

[Nishasmom]

Hey, I promise I am not a stalker , it seems like I am always the 1st one to answer your posts!

Anyways, as far as games...I am stumped, BUT, these 'puzzle balls' are a hit at our house! We put Nisha's meals in them. I have the two from petsmart...the other website I just found recently, so I haven't tried them. They look harder and more advanced though.
Tricky Treats Ball Dog Toy by Omega Paw - Toys - PetSmart
BusterCube Treat Dispensing Dog Toy - Toys - PetSmart
Puzzle Toys & Boredom Busters

[SABELLESMOM]

If she likes "thinking" then think about finding a clicker training class. The timing of the click targets/focus' on the dogs exact behavior at the moment of the click. The treat comes after.

For example, have some high end treats (dices of meat or cheese) and a clicker. Drop a treat to the ground off to the left with your right arm, then off to the right with your left arm. No clicks needed yet. You're getting their attention. Stop.

Next, try clicking only when the dog looks at you. They'll be thinking, "MMmmmm! How do I get another?" Usually they offer several behaviors, until they hit on eye contact again. Keep going. Stop.

Suppose the pup starts jumping up? Want to teach them to stay down...wordlessly? Have treats and clicker read. Treat only when all fours are on the ground and dog looks at you. Easy!

If they start to try to get what's in your hand? Don't move your hand away. Let them figure out how to get the treat. DO click the first second they stop, look at you, or sit, then follow with a treat

One rule to remember? Once you click you always treat! Even...if they're now doing something else. You clicked the behavior you wanted so now a reward is owed. They catch on quick!

I do have some actual games: like Monkey In The Middle, Chase ME! (not the other way around), and Walk the Ladder. The ladder is flat on the ground or you can set dowels, up like the rungs of a ladder on the ground and have the dog walk over it. They have to watch foot placement. It's challenging and FUN! You may leave the leash on for this and run/walk beside them. It's OK to click and treat in the middle...or drop food between the rungs before you start. They LOVE it!

[Diva Satanica]

I use the Tricky Treats ball with Brinks. Also one called Busy Buddy. I modify his feeding amounts to allow using kibble in the puzzles, without him being overfed.
I have little play pilons. I will put them throughout the house with small treats, or toys hidden under them and Brinks has to find them, then get the "present" from underneath.

[debbiej]

one of my dog's favorite games is hide and seek. people on this forum told me about it. you put you dog(s) in a stay and then you go hide. then you call them and wait for the fun. my dogs sit together and wait for me to call. then they go sniffing and wiggling all over the house looking for me. I hide behind doors, in closets, in the bathtub, not real hard to find places. the dogs methods are kind of different too. it is very interesting to watch. Hilda sniffs the air, Boris not as much, Boris goes to the last place he found me. it is really funny how much they love to play it.

my dogs like a buster cube also. one rolls it around the other follows, so they sort of play with it with each other.

Boris loves to play "place". we put things that he can get on around the room, and point to one and say "place", then to the next and say it again. you can change it around and go clockwise, opposite, counterclockwise. you can get little pads, secure tables, foam squares, anyhing the dog can identifiy as a specific spot.

Boris' favorite play alone game is stalk the birds. and I think the birds play along. grackles. they perch, screech and hop. then take off when he comes after them. he will run around the yard chasing birds until he is exhausted.

[aldelgreco]

Originally Posted by SABELLESMOM

If she likes "thinking" then think about finding a clicker training class. The timing of the click targets/focus' on the dogs exact behavior at the moment of the click. The treat comes after.

For example, have some high end treats (dices of meat or cheese) and a clicker. Drop a treat to the ground off to the left with your right arm, then off to the right with your left arm. No clicks needed yet. You're getting their attention. Stop.

Next, try clicking only when the dog looks at you. They'll be thinking, "MMmmmm! How do I get another?" Usually they offer several behaviors, until they hit on eye contact again. Keep going. Stop.

Suppose the pup starts jumping up? Want to teach them to stay down...wordlessly? Have treats and clicker read. Treat only when all fours are on the ground and dog looks at you. Easy!

If they start to try to get what's in your hand? Don't move your hand away. Let them figure out how to get the treat. DO click the first second they stop, look at you, or sit, then follow with a treat

One rule to remember? Once you click you always treat! Even...if they're now doing something else. You clicked the behavior you wanted so now a reward is owed. They catch on quick!

I do have some actual games: like Monkey In The Middle, Chase ME! (not the other way around), and Walk the Ladder. The ladder is flat on the ground or you can set dowels, up like the rungs of a ladder on the ground and have the dog walk over it. They have to watch foot placement. It's challenging and FUN! You may leave the leash on for this and run/walk beside them. It's OK to click and treat in the middle...or drop food between the rungs before you start. They LOVE it!

thank you, i should have mentioned though that i am already clicker training her.
sometimes, it seems as though she would rather just "lay around" and chew on something rather than "learn."
this is why i was wondering about games that are not really training, just more to stimulate the brain have them thinking.

thanks to everyone so far for the responses! : )

[rytek1]

Mine is always begging me to throw his blanket on him. It's so funny to watch him fight his way out of it then he picks it up in his mouth and brings over to me again. Putting him in a stay and hiding a treat in the house is alot of fun too.

[cerulean]

When we're done with "training games" Mango likes to play a version of doggy soccer. She'll chase a short kick (10 feet away or so) then trap the ball between her legs and mouth.... and then she dares me to try to kick it away from her. I just gently push it with my foot, not to accidently hurt her, occaisionally it gets away from her, but mostly she just keeps it away from me. She loves it and it's low energy for me, lots of work for her.

She was about four months old when she figured out how to play fetch in the house (realizing that she could bring the toy back and then get to chase it again).

The Long-Tube game always gets her riled up too.... any long piece of hose or something.... you can blow or snort or talk into one end, and it makes funny noises coming out the other end, and wiggles too !! She goes all wild trying to figure it out and subdue this strange creature !!! This toy gets her to chase, tug, bark, playbow, chew, spin, and run from end to end to end till she's tired.

Enjoy !!!

[cocopuffs]

My girl loves to play soccer too. She has a soccer ball inside and outside.

[Janus'sMom]

Wow... I couldn't sleep this morning, so I decided to come poke in here and see what I've been missing since I'm sick. Glad I saw this thread, now I have all kinds of new games to play with Janus.

But Janus also loves to play "keep the soccer ball".

I have tried playing "guess which hand" with a tennis ball, but it doesn't seem to work considering how big my hand is with the ball compared to the other empty hand. Maybe trying that with a treat would interest your pups better.

[CleasMommy]

Wow some great ideas here! I'm going to try them out with my guys! I love the puzzle balls from petsmart, I'm going to go and try to pick some up tomorrow!
I love playing hide and go seek with my pups, they get a kick out of it and are so proud when they find me! Too cute!
I love this forum, there is always so much to learn!

[Shane]

Ha! I see this is a trick question. All good games also double as training! :)

I was always a big fan of Hide and Go Seek as well.

If your dog is bored finding the treat under one bowl, use more bowls. Do the shell game.