Trick Training, Enrichment & ‘Parkour’ with your dog
Interacting with your dog in a fun, positive way when you are in a distracting environment can build your relationship and this will help with things like recall. Throwing balls repetitively is physically very detrimental to our dogs but we still want them to have fun in a safe and enjoyable way.
Trick Training
Why not use a small amount of your dog’s daily allowance of ORIJEN during your walk to teach them a fun new trick?
Spin
Teaching your dog to turn in a circle can be a super fun trick, and you can even teach them to turn in different directions on different commands which is impressive for anyone watching! I like to use ‘left’ and ‘right’ because this can then be transferred to agility when turning on course.
How? Hold a piece of ORIJEN kibble in front of the dogs’ nose and then move your hand slowly in a large circle so that they follow. Over time, gradually move your hand in a smaller circle and a bit faster, once they are reliably following. You can then add in your command and slowly start to fade the hand movement away.
Nose touch
Dogs find this trick really fun and it gives you their complete attention and focus, which is great if there are a few distractions in the environment.
How? Try offering your dog a flat hand in front of their nose and see if they naturally touch it with their nose. When they do mark this with a ‘YES!’ and reward them with ORIJEN kibble from the other hand or even throw it a short distance away so they come back at speed to touch your hand. If the dog isn’t offering the nose touch, try putting a piece of ORIJEN kibble in between the fingers to see if the dog tries to sniff the hand, again mark with a ‘YES’ when they do and reward from the other hand. Try to avoid rewarding any licks of the hand, otherwise they will think this is what you want, and they will repeat licking. Over time, build the duration of them holding their nose onto your hand before you reward.
Back feet on
Teaching your dog to put their back feet onto an object is great for body awareness and proprioception.
How? You can use your ORIJEN kibble to lure them onto a low step or branch with all four feet, then lure them so that just their back feet stay on and reward in this position. Once the dog has the idea, they may start to offer back feet on, and you can capture and reward this when they do.
Here is Tse offering back feet on in a phone box at Crufts when he was a puppy!
Troubleshooting: If your dog struggles with focus, try introducing these tricks at home in the garden first where there are less distractions and then build up to using them on walks and more distracting environments over time.
Enrichment
Using some of your dog’s daily allowance of ORIJEN for enrichment can be really fun! I like to scatter the kibble around the garden for the dogs to find amongst the grass. You can also hide the kibble around obstacles such as plant pots, rocks or blankets. Not only is this mentally enriching but also physically hard work, as the dog is having to move each limb slowly and carefully as they hunt for the food. It is a great, safe exercise for muscles they wouldn’t usually have to work.
Parkour
When you are out exercising your dog, look out for fun, safe objects they can jump onto! In the woods there are logs to hop from one to another or put their front feet up on. Nearer to towns you might find man-made items that dogs can balance on and walk along, provided they are not too high and are safe for the dog. Be aware of hard surfaces in towns, as this will increase impact if they have to jump down.
How? Use some of your dog’s daily allowance of ORIJEN and encourage your dog to follow the treat. You may need to start slowly to give the dog confidence, first just asking for them to put their front feet up and rewarding this as many times as necessary until they are confident enough to jump all the way up!
Why? Interacting in this way is really fun for your dog and will help to build your relationship in more distracting environments. Remember that it is physically quite hard for them to balance and if they haven’t done this before they may need to build up their proprioception, confidence and general strength before they are able to. Watch your dog closely and only progress as fast as the individual dog is comfortable.
Training and enrichment should always be enjoyable for both you and your dog. Only do what is suitable for them, keep in mind your dog’s age, size and abilities. If in doubt, always check with your trusted vet and remember to always have fun and give praise!
Hayley lives on a 31-acre farm in South Wales with her dogs Teal and Tse. She is a qualified Veterinary Nurse, Galen Myotherapist and an international championship agility handler.
