Dogs are the pets par excellence, although it is true that companion animals are increasingly varied (which allows a better adaptation to the lifestyle of each person), the statement that the dog is man’s best friend It is based on the great emotional bond that we can create with dogs and how this fact can enrich our lives in an extraordinary way. There are different games to play with your dog at home.
For this reason, dogs deserve our best care, aimed not only at avoiding disease, but also at covering all their needs and allowing them to have an optimal quality of life.
In this Animal Wised article we give you ideas so that you can interact more with your pet and ensure its complete well-being, and we do it by showing you various 5 games to play with your dog at home.
Games to avoid stress
Although at first it is hard to believe it, dogs are very susceptible to stress because they are very sensitive animals. The stress in dogs can be caused by several factors, such as lack of play, lack of exercise, loneliness, lack of interaction with other animals or the lack of sufficient attention by the human family.
If our dog suffers stress, it will manifest it as follows:
- Is nervous and easily startled by the slightest external stimulus
- Their behavior shows important changes, they can be shy and reserved or develop aggressive behavior towards other animals or people
- You cannot relax and your sleep hours decrease
- May become unattached to owners and show lethargy
- You may defecate and urinate inside the home as a manifestation of your nervous state
If your dog shows these symptoms, we recommend that you go to the vet, however, we also indicate that to prevent and treat this situation you must stimulate your pet in the appropriate way, and one of the best methods to achieve this is dog games.
The endless possibilities of a cardboard box
To start with the first options of canine play we will only need a cardboard box , yes, it must be a clean, rigid box and large enough for our dog to fit inside.
We can place the box in a large place in our home, if possible where there are not many objects that can interact with the dog as obstacles, and then the fun begins, since a simple cardboard box contains numerous possibilities of play.
Here are some examples :
- Placing a treat as a prize inside the box will make your dog discover it and can get inside it, discovering then that it can be a great hiding place. In addition, you will be able to exercise it physically.
- Another way to get our dog to interact with the box is by showing him a toy to which he is attached, which we will later hide inside the box.
- We can also hide the toys by following the reverse path, that is, place the toys inside the box and allow your dog to entertain himself with them, later, hide them in a corner of your home and let him look for them.
A very fun option for the cardboard box is that it is wide enough so that we can also enter, in this way we are completely playing with our dog, and this will motivate him. Using positive reinforcement with dog treats, clickers, or hugs will make your pet even more enjoyable.
Playing hide and seek with your nose
The sense of smell of a dog is extraordinary, in fact, it is the sense that least deteriorates with the passage of age, so this game is exceptional to continue stimulating elderly dogs. We must take advantage of the fact that the dog’s muzzle has millions of olfactory receptors to stimulate its cognition.
To start this game we only have to have air fresheners, fruits or any object with a smell (always watching that the dog does not ingest any substance that could be toxic), the ideal is to use smells that are unknown to our dog.
First we will let him sniff the object for a while, later, we will hide it in a corner and he will have to look for it , while he is in this search, we will be stimulating his nervous system.
We can also use searching if we don’t care that the floor is somewhat dirty. It consists of spreading food so that the dog looks for it and relaxes. Although it is preferable to do it outside, we can also do it indoors with puppies or elderly dogs.
Catching the toy
This game is a lot of fun and the most important thing is that it allows the dog to exercise physically and stay active. It is perfect for rainy days.
We will only need a toy that is attractive to our pet, a stick, and a rope that is at least one meter long.
The game runs as follows:
- We tie the rope to one end of the stick and at the end of the rope we must tie the toy.
- We hold the stick and hide behind a column, wall or door, letting the toy tied to the rope rest on the ground.
- And, we begin to move the toy slightly at ground level to capture our pet’s attention.
- Once our dog has decided to go to explore the toy, then we can move the stick in different ways and intensify the movement, so that the dog will be very entertained and excited.
Finally, a nice reward for our friend will be to untie the toy and give him all the freedom to experiment with it.
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Can I have your toy?
This game will allow our pet to be alert and maintain an optimal physical condition. We only need a toy that is attractive to him and above all whose touch is soft, since it is important that at no time does he run the risk of damaging the animal’s teeth.
We will allow our dog to play freely until we decide to take the toy away from him, obviously, our pet will not let us and here begins a fun tug-and-hold game which, in addition, we can incorporate a multitude of movements to allow our pet more physical exercise . If you have several dogs, do not doubt that this will work.
Musical game to relax
Playing with our dog not only has to have the function of stimulating or exciting him, but it can also be an excellent way to relax him.
The popular saying tells us that music tames beasts, and he is right, in fact, the effects of music therapy are diverse, positive and amply demonstrated.
To relax your dog through music you only need to follow these simple steps:
- Find a surface where your dog can lie down comfortably and relax
- Stay by his side, as he calms down you can fill him with affection
- Put on music, dogs may love music that incorporates howling wolves or other wild animal sounds, this will stimulate their brain while keeping them relaxed
After five minutes you will be able to observe how your dog has changed and is completely calm.