Fun and Games - With Your Dog!

Dogs of all ages need stimulation and activity—both physical and mental. Pet owners should ensure that their dogs have the opportunity for outdoor fun and games—especially now that spring and summer are in the neighborhood! Dogs of different ages need these activities for different reasons. For a puppy, everything is new and each game is a discovery and a learning experience. Mature dogs seem to value the interaction and camaraderie with other “family members” on these outings. For the canine senior citizens, activity helps to keep their senses sharper and also keeps their remaining vim and vigor at a higher level.

Fun and games with your dog, however, is not all…well, fun and games. There needs to be an element of learning, obedience and training at the core of your activities in order for your pet—and you—to realize the full benefits of your time together. This combination of education and play is convenient for all age groups. It serves as a schooling period for puppies and young dogs, reinforces and sustains the training of adult dogs and helps older dogs adapt more easily to the challenges they face with aging.

So whether you take your dog for a walk down the street, out in the backyard for a game of fetch, to the park to play Frisbee, into state park lands for hiking or swimming, obedience is vital. Come. Give (or Leave it). Sit. Stay. Heel. Think about how not-fun it could be if your dog doesn’t obey these basic commands.

If your canine companion could use some brushing up on the obedience routine—or if you’ve got a pet that needs to start from Square One—ask your pet sitter to recommend classes in your area. Or contact the Association of Pet Dog Trainers (APDT) at www.apdt.com for more information. And, as a bonus, you’ll find that obedience classes are a form of fun and bonding for you and your pet, too. It’s easy enough to spend some quality outdoor time with your dog during pleasant weather, and there’s no limit to the things you can do together. But for some people, an element of competition adds the spice and excitement they are looking for. If you’re one of those folks, you should consider joining one of the growing number of canine competition teams around the country. Flyball and Rally-Obedience are among the most popular of these.

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