Fun Training Games To Improve Your Dogs’ Skills

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Owning a dog is a wonderful experience for us, as its goofiness brings lots of fun and happiness into our daily lives. Thus, we should take the responsibility of accompanying them to build a harmonious and meaningful relationship. This could include spending time with plenty of dog training games with them, as these activities can bring great value and joy to their lives too. According to Nathaniel J. Hall’s research, training games are beneficial for dogs’ physical and mental health. Games like recall training can effectively improve a dog’s cognitive functioning and behavior. However, training games can be different indoors and out, some games are especially good for puppy dogs but some are not. This blog will break down the maze of dog games and illustrate what’s the most suitable game for your dog. Let's make every moment of our dog training games valuable and give your furry friend an entertaining experience!

What’s the best outdoor training game you should play with your dog?

Before we start to introduce the wonderful training game, be sure to set up a comfort zone in advance for your dogs to relax, because the outdoor training game can be a an exhausting task for them. Now, let’s delve into the world of outdoor training games!

• Dog Recall Training Game

Recall training is the most challenging and entertaining method, which is suitable for dog breeds that are high-energy and smart. The foremost step of this game is to create a distinctive “recall cue” to call your dog. In most scenarios, the recall word either can be your dog’s name or a simple command word like “come” or “here”. However, sometimes it may not work as planned because the motivation point of dogs can be variable due to their temperament, living environments and seasons. If you’ve encountered such a problem, you should discover what your dog loves the most by treating them with different rewards, such as food, toys, and any body language that shows your attention. Once you’ve decided on the recall cue, it’s time to start some dog training sessions with the following steps:

Step 1: Prepare motivational items such as tasty treats or toys for your dog.
Step 2: Find a low-distraction environment like a garden or park for a better training effect.
Step 3: Use your recall word to call your dog (you may need to consistently encourage your dog to move towards you with some body language in the first few times).
Step 4: Reward your dog with something they love when they run over to you.
Step 5: Practice the steps above over and over to strengthen this behavior, your dog will respond to your recall word quicker and quicker as it gets more familiar with your words.

By playing recall training games with your dog 1-3 times a week, your dog will become more obedient and easily understand your command. In the long term, this game will keep them happy and entertained.

What kind of indoor games can you play with your puppy in the house?

While some active dogs can get stuck into playing higher-energy games in the backyard garden, some puppies rather like to play simple games at house.

• Impulse Control Game

The impulse control game is fantastic at regulating dogs’ rude behaviors, especially for puppies and adolescent dogs. This game can help to foster a good eating habit for your dogs, preventing them jump up and abruptly snatching food from your hand.

Step 1: Make your puppy sit in a comfortable place.
Step 2: Hold your puppy’s favorite treat over their head. If he tries to stand up and grab the treat, immediately move away your hand and try again.
Step 3: Remember to reward your puppy once he can wait patiently til you deliver the treat to near their mouth.

By practicing impulse control training games with your dog a few times a week, you will find out that they are becoming more patient when their favorite treats are in front of them.

• Hide and Seek

Hide and Seek is a super fun game that focuses on improving your dog’s energy level and searching skills.

Step 1: Have one person hold your dog in a place, then go hide somewhere from your puppy’s direct sight (Try a shorter distance for the first few times).
Step 2: When you’re concealed, using your recall cue to ask your dog to find you.
Step 3: Praise and reward your dog with yummy treats as soon as he discovers you.
Step 4: After your dog gets into it with multiple practices, you can hide further and further to make it harder to find you.

Moreover, the Hide and Seek game can also boost your puppy’s crate training experience! For example, if your puppy is afraid of getting into the crate for the first time, you can play some eating games to give them a sense of enjoyment and ease, such as hiding treats inside the crate for your puppy to find. Besides, you can also put their favourite toys in the crate to let them have fun at their leisure, which could ultimately increase their happiness.

In a word, dog training games can be a fun and beneficial experience for both humans and dogs. The bond between the owner and the dog will be established and strengthened through these meaningful activities. However, when you’re playing with your dog through the methods we illustrated above, you should always keep this fundamental rule in mind: rewarding is the cornerstone of the dog training process. The efficiency of these dog training games all comes down to how successfully you’ve applied this principle during the session. All in all, dog training is a trust-building experience that goes beyond rigid commands or fancy tricks. Let’s work together to be a competent companion to these furry cuties.