Don't Forget to PLAY...

[flyballmom]

I'm not sure if this is the right place to post this, so "powers that be," move it if you like. :)

The last few months have not been great, many changes, stress, overly busy. I'm using that as an excuse, and I realize it's a really crappy one.

I take Charleigh to flyball practice 2-3 times a week. I've been busy training my little Pit...he's been getting most of my time and attention because he's young and learning. Charleigh's seasoned and reliable. She gets to be the guinea pig for new dogs to learn to pass...it seems all she does is run full course, over and over and over...I haven't really done any "fun" exercises with her. Then we do some obedience work...heel, come, drop on recall. Stuff she knows...

The last couple days, I took a few extra minutes to just PLAY with her like we haven't played in ages. I roughed her up, got her barking at me, let her chase me...teased her...She seems SOO happy!! Happier than she's been in ages! I think she's been bored...with me, with training. All it took was 10 minutes out of my day, and I have a different dog.

Long post, point being, don't forget to PLAY!! You and your dog with be glad you did!

[Rott-Wiley]

Most of my "out of class" training takes place in my driveway and after most sessions we have at least a few minutes set aside to play and just unwind. It does do wonders. I swear sometimes I enjoy it more then my dog.

[Brooke&Ryan]

I totally agree. After a bit of training in the yard with Julius on Friday I took him into the fenced in area & we just romped around with his Jolly Ball. It's a blast & Julius was just going nuts, zooming all over the place.

:D
Brooke

[excellrott]

Only when the cold is especially bitter do we not stop and play tug after all training and even after our daily walks. Once we get started, I forget about the cold for a few minutes. Thanks for the reminder of how much the dogs love it.

[Luvs]

I take Akasha's tug with us to training and use it during training instead of a treat. She LOVES her tug! I have found that a good game of tug gets her focused on me very quickly and she is very happy working after a good game. I try really hard to play with her daily. I enjoy it just as much as she does :D

[Rottlva]

:) One of my instructors said something yesterday which I thought was very well put. She said " When you go into the ring it is you and your dog. The only thing you have holding you together is your bond. The stronger that bond, the stronger the preformance"..... How true. Our obedience scores soared when I began to have quick play movements with Max inbetween exercises. Often it was just a leap up or a spin as we were getting to the next exercise, but that lighthearted movement allowed some tension to fizz and put us back on track again. By pairing those movements with fun games outside of the ring, we set ourselves up for success.


:) Good reminder.