5 fun games to make your dog active and smarter

by GARY CLERMONT

 

Looking for a fun way to entertain your dog and make him smarter? Games and training are a great way to achieve this! Here are our 5 favorites to mentally and physically challenge your furry friend. Our Cheese-Bitz, Goat Milk Healthy Hearts and Healthy Boost Probiotic Bone treats are the perfect snacks to help you.

1) Treasure hunt
Let's start with the famous nose work game called "Treasure hunt". It's a fun way to develop their natural sniffing and scavenging abilities. 

How to play treasure hunt: 
1 - Grab some treats and have your dog sit in a stay position
2 - While your dog is in the stay position put a few treats on the ground around them
3 - Give your dog a release command and tell them to “find the treats”
4 - Encourage them as they start picking up the treats
5 - Practice a few times until your dog understands what “find the treats” means
6 - Start placing the treats further away and repeat steps 3 & 4

If your dog is not used to sniffing things out it’ll take a little practice. That’s why gradually increasing the difficulty of where you hide the treats is important.

 

 

2) Tug of War

This one is a great physical exercise and engaging exercise and it's also good way for dogs to practice their manners. 

There's just one basic rule: the game stops if your dog’s teeth touch your skin!  If you stop when their mouth touches your hand they’ll catch on that "the fun game stops when I mouth my person." On contrary to popular belief, playing tug this game will not make him aggressive.  Letting your dog win makes the game more engaging and assure you a good nap for both of you after!

3) Treat Balls 
You just need hollow balls filled with our Cheese-Bitz, made with 100% cheese, to keep your puppy occupied as it tries to get the tasty reward. These toys also provide exercise as the dog pushes or nudges the toy to reorient it. A good reward for your puppy!

 

 

4) The Shell Game
The shell game is another simple brain game for dogs! This game will give your plenty of mental stimulation by giving them a chance to work on their problem solving skills.
How to play the Shell Game:
Grab 3 cups and our treats:
  1. Have your dog watch as you place a treat under one of the three cups
  2. Shuffle the cups around
  3. Encourage your dog to find the cup with the treat underneath

    5) Obstacle Course 
    Create an obstacle course for your dog for great physical and mental exercise. Hurdles, tunnels, balance beams, and different obstacles to go over, under, and through will create a fun puzzle while exercising different joints and muscles. Change the order of obstacles occasionally to keep the game new and exciting.

    These were our favorite game to entertain dogs! In your opinion, what is the best Intrepid game to make your dog active and smarter?

    Sources:
    AKC
    Puppy leaks
    The Canine Revolution
    eHowPets
    Peepalfarm
    Back to News