Walking is the moment when the dog not only attends to its physiological needs but also makes new friends with other pets, discovers the surroundings and spends a pleasant moment with its handler. The activity must therefore not last three minutes! We give you a hint of what dog-walking games are worthwhile.
You take a walk with your dog every day. For you, this may be the time when your pet takes care of his physiological needs. For him, however, it means much more. Especially if the weather is favourable, don’t limit your walk to two laps around the block. Make sure to vary the activity with various games that will allow your pet to get rid of excess energy or learn something new. We suggest ways to play with your dog on a walk.
Why is it important to play with your dog?
Dogs need exercise. Is a walk alone enough? Outside with your dog should be more varied. This is the time to provide your pet with plenty of activity, which will help him to get rid of excess energy. Of course, rest breaks are also important. Pay particular attention to these in summer. Your dog should get tired during outdoor activities. Otherwise, he may become moody or, conversely, very naughty. After all, you don’t want him destroying furniture or howling when you are not home. A bored dog can behave just like that.
Wondering why playing with your dog in the backyard is so important? Four-legged dogs have a natural need to explore the world with their nose. A walk combined with interesting olfactory tasks can satisfy this need. It is a moment for the animal to discover its surroundings, and to face different situations. It is also a time when your relationship with your pet can develop. Playing outside for your dog is important for both mental and physical health. Like you, your pet needs exercise to maintain a healthy body shape and stay healthy.
Playing with your dog on a walk – tried and tested ideas
Searching is very appealing to most dogs because it involves their natural need to sniff and track. An equally natural need for four-legged dogs is to run. What games can you come up with to tap into your dog’s instincts?
Fetching
Is the most well-known dog game that probably never gets boring. The dog gets to run around, while the carer doesn’t have to move too much. The game is a great opportunity to establish and deepen mutual bonds, generates a wide range of interactions and is interesting for both man and his four-legged friend. The rules of fetching are simple – the human throws and the dog brings. The object to be fetched can be anything: a ball, a toy, a frisbee tug or a stick found on a walk. The object to be fetched by the dog should be adapted to the size of the dog, or more precisely to the size of the dog’s jaw, and heavy enough to be easy to throw, but not too heavy so as not to damage the dog’s teeth.
Playing hide and seek
Design your dog’s walking games in such a way that he takes an active part in them. Tracking is a great way of doing this, but this time not with treats, but with you! Hide-and-seek is not suitable for all dogs. For fearful animals, it can be a stressful situation if one of the walkers hides. However, if the problem of excessive fear is not present in your four-legged friend, you can hide behind a tree while the other person watches over your pet. Choose safe places for such games. Don’t let there be a street full of cars or a crowded cycle path next door. An animal focused on the task could miss the danger.
Searching for treat
The smell is the sense through which dogs learn about the world. The world of smells is far more intriguing to them than colours, which appeal poorly to their imagination. This is why games based on sniffing are so interesting and engaging for dogs. This can be a game of finding hidden treats, which you can use both at home and on walks. You will need your dog’s favourite snacks and undoubtedly invention to play with. This is a fun activity for two people and their four-legged companions. One person hides the treat, while the other distracts the dog during this time so as not to make the search easier.
Before the dog learns the rules of the game, the treat should not be too well hidden. Cover it with grass, and place it behind a stone, in a place where the pet can dig, sniff and search freely without doing damage. It is best to hide several such treasures in a relatively small space. From the beginning, get your dog used to searching on command – this can be simply „look for treats”. After the first few attempts, once the animal has assimilated the rules of the game, you can make the rules more interesting and hide the treats in increasingly complex hiding places.
