I’ll be writing more regular blogs during this crazy time in all our lives, to help you entertain your dog and work their brain. Please do sign up for our Coronavirus Canine Challenge private Facebook group if you’ve not already done so.
Today sees the first game in our Coronovirus Canine Challenge.
I challenge you to feed your dog today, and every day from now on, by providing food to your dog in all sorts of imaginative ways.
Today we’re looking at two fun games, one to play at home and one on your walk. (There will be more fun food games later on in the Challenge.)
At home, why not try scatter feeding your dog? The game can be played either outside or inside on any suitable surface. Outside you can use grass, gravel or patio – anywhere your dog is allowed to go. It’s best to use somewhere where you can see if all the food has been eaten. (I prefer dogs to rats as pets!)
Measure out all the food your dog would have today. Keep some back to use as rewards when playing games throughout the day – for example, today we’ll use some on a walk in our second food game.
Divide the rest into however many meals you feed your dog each day – two for most adult dogs, more for puppies. Why not increase the number of meals you give your adult dog during our lockdown to give your dog more fun to look forward too, as well? Not by increasing the amount of food, just by dividing it up more.
Here’s today’s mealtime game idea:
Simply scatter some of your dog’s usual food for your dog to search out. (Be imaginative if you feed raw!). Throw one piece at a time over a fairly wide area. Once your dog has found every last bit, throw some more, until the meal is gone. Inside your home you can use any suitable flooring – wood, tile or flat carpet, in the same way.
Our walk game is “find the treat”.
When you find a suitable patch of grass or area of gravel or whatever, drop a treat/piece of food on the ground, point to it and say “find it” in an excited tone. Just throw one treat at a time and in any short session you can give your dog around 6-10 treats to find. Walk on and repeat the game in another area.
Have fun and I’ll be back with another game tomorrow
Keep safe and keep training
Carol