Let’s turn being stuck at home into something fun by playing a variety of puppy training
games.
In this video I’m going to share my 5 categories of training games, some do have some overlap
but I’ll explain as we go!
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Michele here your certified trainer with How to Train A dream Dog
I’m going to touch on canine enrichment games, crate training games, impulse control
games, obedience training games, and distraction training games
Remember when we keep our puppy busy they stay out of trouble.
Tire out your puppy both physically and mentally and you’ll be left with a much more relaxed
puppy, a puppy that can focus and listen better too.
the first category I'm going to talk about is canine enrichment games these are games
that are designed to stimulate your dog's brain and tire them out both physically and
mentally
Which is something we should be doing with our dogs at least a few times throughout the
day
I put a link to a few canine enrichment toys in my description below but if you want to
make some at home using things found around the house be sure to watch this video here
the idea is your dog has to learn to Paw bat or nose around toys in order to get the rewards
out
rewards can be kibble or tiny training treats
your puppy has to figure out the best way to solve the puzzle
I also love to work on puppy exercise games like the ones shown here in this video
Where you can create fun obstacle courses out of things found around the home
Your puppy will build confidence and you two will bond even more when you work thru this
activities together.
next up crate training games
every puppy needs to learn to love their crate so that they can stay safe when you're not
around
we use the crate with our puppies to keep them safe and to give them some quiet time
and downtime when they get overstimulated
since puppies need periodic naps throughout the day we want to make sure we provide a
safe quiet place for them to rest
otherwise, puppies will continue to play and get overstimulated which leads to bad behaviors
like biting and barking and not being able to focus or listen
When we play our crate training games the idea is to teach our puppies that going inside
the crate is far better than staying outside of the crate
we want our puppies running to the crate and begging for us to open the door
I'm going to recommend that you watch this video to get the details on how to play this
game
it will also help you if you're having trouble with crate training your puppy at bedtime
there are some really great tips in here that will help your puppy learn to love their crate
one of the things that I do with all new puppies is cover their crate and we want to make sure
that when we cover the crate we put something bigger than the crate over the top
so that the sheet or blanket doesn't touch the sides and our puppy can't pull it in and
chew on it
I tend to use calming music as well as DAP or dog appeasing pheromone when my puppies
are in their crate
this is similar to a scent the mother dog gives to her pups to help calm them down
I talk more about this inside this video here
I'll also leave a link to this product in the description below
now another really great skill to work on is impulse control and there are many games
we can play to work on this skill
the idea is we want to teach our puppies how to think before they react so if your puppy
gets overly excited about something we want to teach them how to remain calm
and get rewarded for good behavior instead of getting rewarded for unwanted Behavior
like jumping or barking or chewing
I like to combine my impulse control games with my obedience training games which is
number 4 on my list
when I work on obedience training games I'm working on things like sit, down, stay, coming
when called, leash walking skills and so much more
There’s more to it than just teaching a dog to sit, down or stay with limited distractions
I covered this inside my 30 days to puppy Perfection program
this program can be done at home and is completely online
all students get access to over 40 + training videos including the games to work on obedience,
manners, great listening skills and impulse control
the idea is we take all those skills and apply them to real-life everyday situations
like being able to get your puppy to sit quietly while you eat dinner or watch a movie instead
of beg
or how to sit nicely when people come in the door instead of jumping all over them
and I also cover how to teach your puppy to walk nicely down the street without pulling
or dragging you towards something that they want
these games are designed to help you and your puppy have a stronger relationship together
a strong relationship means your puppy is going to hang on every word you say
this means when you call your puppy to come they're going to avoid distractions and come
running to you
30 days to puppy Perfection also includes access to me you're certified trainer whenever
you have questions you can get personalized support and feedback and on any problems you
may be experiencing with your puppy
These training games really help you train your puppy faster too because you’ll both
be having lots of fun!
I’ll put a link to this in the description below…
#5 on the list is distraction training games
This means we want to teach our puppy that even though they may see something more exciting
and distracting… paying attention to us is the better and most times safer option.
Our goal is to teach our puppy to tune out those distractions and stay focused
For example, I might work on a sit and stay and then roll a ball way, or shuffle passed
my puppy.
My pup has to maintain their sit n stay without getting up
Most people turn the training dial up too quickly when they work on these kinds of games.
I want you to think of this training dial as the dial that increases things like distance
distraction duration in different locations or what I like to call diversity
so for example if I put my puppy in a sit and stay and I try to roll that ball pass
them before they actually have an understanding of what “sit and stay” is this means I’ve
cranked my dial up too quickly
I have to gradually increase that training dial so the very first thing I might start
with is a puppy in a sit and stay for only a couple of seconds before I release
This also means there aren’t any distractions when we first start
I might then add a small distraction of me moving my arms or picking my feet up but not
moving away from my puppy just yet
moving away would be the dial being cranked up significantly too soon
I think this is one of the reasons that most puppy owners get frustrated
they tend to crank the dial up just to quickly
I do cover this in a lot more detail inside that program that I mentioned before...
the online program 30 days to puppy perfection
Combat puppy boredom by making sure you engage in one or more of these games daily with your
puppy.
In the comments below tell me how you’re keeping your puppy busy at home?