Get involved in a dog sport this summer!

Now that the weather is getting nicer, and the days are lasting longer you’ll find there is a lot more time to do more fun things with your dog.

Getting involved in a dog sport is great fun, and can keep both of you fit at the same time. There are lots of dog sports out there to try such as agility, fylball, Rally-O, heelwork to music, you just need to find the right one for you and your dog.

It doesn’t matter what breed you have, or what size your dog is, any dog can excel in a dog sport if you both put the effort into it! There are lots of have a go events at fun dog shows if your not sure which sport to try, and you can always sit in at a class to see if this sport is for you.

When you first try out a dog sport, don’t rush things, dogs learn at different speeds, and the environment may be initially overwhelming for your dog to focus in. Don’t worry about what everyone else’s dogs are doing, and just focus on small goals to reach with you and your dog.

Our dog Zuko recently got into fly ball. He’s just turned 6 and started the sport when he was 5, so as long as your dog is healthy there really is no age limit of when to get involved in a sport. Each week we take Zuko to fly ball practice he improves loads, we all love the excitement and adrenaline when doing a fly ball run and we are hoping to start competing in the sport soon too!

Doing a sport with your dog will strengthen your bond together, and will get you doing something different in the week than your usual routine. So what are you waiting for? Get involved in a dog sport this summer!

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How to make the most of the bad weather with your dog

With this recent bad weather we have been getting, it is sometimes difficult to get our dogs out for long walks.

Playing scent games with your dog on a rainy day is a good way to mentally tire them when you can’t get them out for as long as you’d like to. There are all sorts of different games you can play with your dog that encourages him to use his natural foraging behaviours, a 20 minute scenting session with your dog will have him tired for hours!

When you first start playing scent games with your dog, start easy and then progress at your individual dog’s speed. Have him in a stay, or have someone holding him back, and walk away and place a small smelly treat in front of him. Then tell him “find it” and release him to get the treat. As he gets better and better at this game you can make things more difficult and interesting. You can have him out of site when you place the treat, or hide the treat under items, or at different levels in your house. The better they get the harder you can make it, but always throw in the odd easy find to keep him eager and motivated when he has the harder sessions with you.

Even with rainy weather, it is important to get your dog out on a walk, but it is understandable not to want to stay outside for very long, so playing scent work games is a fun alternative to miles of trudging with your dog on a wet and windy day!

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10 minutes to a closer bond with your four legged friend!

Fitting in one-on-one time with our dogs is very important as it helps to keep them stimulated and also aids in forming a closer and more meaningful bond with you. However, finding the time to fit this in can seem very difficult, especially for those of us with busy schedules.

There are ways we can work around this though, even for those of us who don't have a visible gap in the day-to-day schedule! First of all, don't make it a chore otherwise neither of you will enjoy it. Set yourself a reasonable goal such as 2-3 times a week spending a special 10 minutes with your Fido. The 10 minutes can be anything from a play session with their favourite toy; playing hide and seek (yes, even dogs enjoy this game!); practicing his tricks or teaching new tricks; or, hiding toys and food and have him search for them! One-on-one time can also include the dogs walk, however, those of us who use walkers may not be the primary walker for the dogs throughout the weekdays. This is why I believe the special 10 minutes are really important for bonding, to let our pooch know that we are interested in him by engaging with him with stimulating activities!

Now, where can we find these 10 minutes with such busy lifestyles? First of all, if you truly are very busy, don't do this everyday otherwise it will seem a massive effort and you may end up resenting your dog. Aim for just a couple of times a week as this is reasonable and won't make your schedule feel any more overwhelming than it already is. The easiest way to find these 10 minutes is when the dinner is being cooked and this will be especially useful if you have a dog who sits and begs in the kitchen while food is cooking! When you have those dinners which don't require tonnes of work and spend most of their time in the oven, use the gap between putting food in the oven and waiting for it to be ready to engage with your dog. If you have a partner/don't live alone this will be even easier as you can take it in turn of who engages with Rover!
Try it yourself and see if there's any difference in your dogs behaviour towards you or just his behaviour in general! Keeping a dog well stimulated is one of the biggest factors in reducing common attention seeking behavioural problems. If you give him the attention he won't be required to ask for it! So go on, go and have fun with your furry buddy's!

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