Sometimes, the weather is so bad that it’s not always possible to get out. So if your walks with your dog ever get rained off, you have to find other ways to keep them busy at home so they can expel all their built-up energy, destress and don’t end up following you around everywhere out of pure boredom.
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The twin game
This game requires a lot of patience but can be a lot of fun for both you and your dog. Does your dog know how to give you its paw? This is the ideal starting point for this imitation game. You extend your hand to your dog and they, in turn, extend their paw to you.
You can also do this with other movements. Lie down and your dog has to do the same. Often, you don’t even need to use commands and if your dog copies your actions, praise them and give them a treat as a reward.
The silence exercise
In this exercise, you can train your dogto stop barking on command. To do this, hold a treat under your four-legged friend’s nose until they stop barking. Then say 'Shh' and put your index finger to your lips.
When your dog stops barking, give them the reward. Since they will associate stopping barking with a reward, they will be quiet in the future when you give this command. What practical and useful exercise!
Teach them signals by clicking
Clicking can be used to teach dogs various commands. How to start: A second after clicking, give your dog a reward. Repeat this until the dog expects to be given a treat when you click and then the training can begin.
Then, say ‘sit’, click, and give them a reward. You can also say multiple commands in a row, such as ‘sit, stay, sit' and then click. At the end of these commands, give your dog a treat for all the exercises it performed correctly.
Learning to relax on command
Dogs love to be petted and fussed and that’s what this particular exercise is all about. Stroke your fluffy companion until their muscles relax and they start to yawn. When the dog relaxes its muscles and its head comes into contact with your hand, say the command ‘Relax’. This exercise is not only positive for the dog to learn but will prove useful for the owner as well.
Show and pick up
This exercise is particularly useful because you are actually training your dog to become a little helping hand around the house. Walk around your home and drop something (preferably a soft little object like a glove). Your dog should look curiously at what you have dropped and if they do, praise this behaviour and say ‘sit’.
Now repeat this exercise, but use the command ‘Show me!’ instead. In this way, the dog will learn to show you lost objects. You can then continue with this exercise and train your dog to pick up the object. Start with a soft item such as a cloth, and work your way up to metal objects that will require more effort.
It is also worth mentioning that the weather doesn't have to be bad to teach your dog these tricks. Check out the video above to find out how else to get your fluffy friend to wear itself out in the open air.
