By steve
Exercising with your dog should be fun. For both of you. Slimdoggy Jack loves his runs, walks, and pretty much anything we do that involves movement (or food). As we mentioned last week, we are joining up as a K9 Kamp Kounselor and helping to spread the message of how important it is to have fun while staying fit with your pet.
The current K9 Kamp Challenge, Doggy (aka Doggie) Hide and Seek, is a simple, fun activity that can be elevated depending on you and your dog’s fitness level. Here are the specific details.
Doggy Hide and Seek: How to Participate
- Select an item–your dog’s favorite toy, a treat, etc. When your dog isn’t looking, hide the item. If your dog is new at this, start off with the item under a pillow or behind a table close enough to find. If your dog is a pro, make it challenging.
- Now tell your dog “Find it!” Run along with your dog, encouraging him as you go.
- Be sure to offer lots of praise when your dog finds the item.
- Now, it’s your turn! Be creative and think up new ways to play Doggy Hide and Seek.
Pretty straight forward! Slimdoggy Jack and Maggie play a version of this almost every day. The game is called “find the food” and it challenges their senses as well as provides some low intensity exercise.
Jack and Steve using cones for speed & agility
For our participation in K9 Kamp, we are going to turn it up a notch. Our plan is to turn Doggy Hide and Seek into an agility/cone drill that Slimdoggy Steve uses for his own training and crank up the intensity level for Jack. We will require an outdoor space, some cones, and some small treats to make it happen.
Benefits of Doggy Hide and Seek
There are many benefits to turning exercise into a game for your dog, like we are suggesting with Doggy Hide and Seek.
- Bonding: playing and exercising with your dog facilitates the bond between you.
- Physical fitness: anytime you are running around and playing with your dog, the both of you are getting some physical benefits. You can dial up (or down) the intensity level by varying your pace and distance covered during the game.
- Mental fitness: by making the exercise a game for the two of you, and asking your dog to ‘find it’ (whatever “it” is), you are stimulating their mind which leads to increased brain activity.
- Sensory fitness: especially if using treats or favorite toys, Doggy Hide and Seek can challenge your dog’s sensory skills which, like muscles, require use to stay sharp and toned.
Stay tuned for our next K9 Kamp post where we describe the Slimdoggy Jack version of Doggy Hide and Seek and some interesting research on how it can help improve memory function.
We hope you take up the challenge and design your OWN version of K9 Kamp Doggy Hide & Seek. That’s part of …read more
From: Exercising a Dog’s Body and Mind at K9Kamp
. As we mentioned last week, we are joining up as a K9 Kamp Kounselor and helping to spread the message of how important it is to have fun while staying fit with your pet. The current K9 Kamp Challenge, Doggy (aka Doggie) Hide and Seek, is a simple, fun activity that can be elevated depending on you and your dog's fitness level. Here are the specific details. Doggy Hide and Seek: How to Participate Select an item–your dog's favorite toy, a treat, etc. When your dog isn't looking, hide the item. If your dog is new at this, start off with the item under a pillow or behind a table close enough to find. If your dog is a pro, make it challenging. Now tell your dog “Find it!” Run along with your dog, encouraging him as you go. Be sure to offer lots of praise when your dog finds the item. Now, it's your turn! Be creative and think up new ways to play Doggy Hide and Seek. Pretty straight forward! Slimdoggy Jack and Maggie play a version of this almost every day. The game is called “find the food” and it challenges their senses as well as provides some low intensity exercise. Jack and Steve using cones for speed & agility For our participation in K9 Kamp, we are going to turn it up a notch. Our plan is to turn Doggy Hide and Seek into an agility/cone drill that Slimdoggy Steve uses for his own training and crank up the intensity level for Jack. We will require an outdoor space, some cones, and some small treats to make it happen. Benefits of Doggy Hide and Seek There are many benefits to turning exercise into a game for your dog, like we are suggesting with Doggy Hide and Seek. Bonding: playing and exercising with your dog facilitates the bond between you. Physical fitness: anytime you are running around and playing with your dog, the both of you are getting some physical benefits. You can dial up (or down) the intensity level by varying your pace and distance covered during the game. Mental fitness: by making the exercise a game for the two of you, and asking your dog to ‘find it' (whatever “it” is), you are stimulating their mind which leads to increased brain activity. Sensory fitness: especially if using treats or favorite toys, Doggy Hide and Seek can challenge your dog's sensory skills which, like muscles, require use to stay sharp and toned. Stay tuned for our next K9 Kamp post where we describe the Slimdoggy Jack version of Doggy Hide and Seek and some interesting research on how it can help improve memory function. We hope you take up the challenge and design your OWN version of K9 Kamp Doggy Hide & Seek. That's part of ...read more){kind=link}