Time outside is very valuable to your pooch. If you are venturing out to enjoy some fresh air, you’ll want to make your time worthwhile. While fetch is a fabulous game, even dogs can get bored with the monotony.
Why not try one of these fun outdoor games? Your pup will definitely appreciate it. And you might get a pretty significant workout too!
Tug of War
This is a fun game to play with a dog indoors and can be even more fun outdoors. You will find that you can use many different items, though you want to make sure you use an item that will not harm your dog’s teeth. If you manage to win the war, throw the toy a good distance so your dog can get a little extra workout in.
Swimming
Depending on the weather, this can be a wonderful activity. It can help to cool you and your dog off after a run. You can swim in a lake or even a pool. Keep in mind that swimming in a pool frequently can dry out your dog’s skin so this should be done sparingly. The other thing to keep in mind here is that your dog may not respond well to the pool. Do not force your dog to stay if they do not want to.
Scavenger Hunt
While this is much different from what you would play with a person, it can still make for a fun outdoor activity. With this, you will want to find hiding places throughout the yard where you will hide treats for your dog. Then you can take the time to lead them through the garden. Most people are surprised when they see just how good their dog is at finding the treats that have been left for them.
A good tip with this is to increase the value of the treat with the difficulty of the hiding place. While you may put the ordinary treats they get every day in an easy hiding place, save the high reward treats for harder places to find. This may require some trial and error as you find out how well your dogs senses actually work.
Obstacle Courses
For many dog owners, the obstacle is the highlight of the dog park. The sense of accomplishment that you get as your dog completes the different obstacles is amazing. However, you do not have to be at the dog part to take advantage of the obstacle course. There are ways you can set this up in your garden and take advantage of it on a regular basis.
You do want to start out easy with the obstacle course. Rather than just expecting them to be able to complete the obstacle, they will take baby steps. This could be as simple as running circles around the obstacle and working their way up to doing more advanced moves to complete it. In this way, it is no different than any other training with dogs.
There are many great activities you can enjoy with your pet. The thing is to find the activities they love – as each dog is a little different. This can help you to get the quality time with your pet that you are looking for.
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Jamie Greene is a passionate dog lover. He enjoys spending time outside with Fred and Franklin as often as possible. Jamie often felt guilty when he was playing corn toss (an outdoor game for humans!) with his friends because he felt he was neglecting his dogs. However, the dogs like the game too; they chase the bags back and forth when Jamie tosses them. As it turns out, the dogs enjoy corn toss just as much as humans do!
