Reader’s Digest Australia & New Zealand – May 2019

PETS

20 | May• 2019

5 MAKEYOURDOG
WORKFORTHEIRFOOD
Dogslovetoeat,sogetthemtowork
fortheirfoodbyusinga portionof
yourdog’sdailydietforfungames.
Youcanmaketreasurehuntswith
kibble,usefood-dispensingtoys
orplayhideandseekwithtreats.
Alltheseactivitieswillkeepthem
stimulated,entertainedandtheir
brainsactive.

6 TRICK TRAINING

Dogs that learn to perform cool tricks

always look smart. Apart from being

entertaining, trick training will help

take your relationship with your

dog to a new level. Start with simple

tricks such as ‘speak on command’

and ‘roll over’ and gradually increase

the repertoire. There’s no doubt trick

training is fun and rewarding for both

dogs and owners.

A game of fetch

is fun, but there’s

not much thinking

involved. Interactive

brain games tire your

dog out, decrease

boredom and

strengthen the bond

between you.

HIDE AND SEEK

We all played this

game as a child but

you can also play it

with your dog. Get

someone to hold your

dog while you hide

somewhere. Get your

helper to call ‘go find’

and encourage your

dog to find you. Your

dog should be able to

find you by scent. If

you need to you can

also call your dog to

give extra help.

TREASURE HUNT

Stimulate your dog

by getting him to

use his nose to find

hidden treasure. Begin

by putting your dog

in a sit-stay position,

then hide a treat or

favourite toy where

it is obvious. You can

even let him watch

you hide it. Then give

him the release cue

to go find the toy.

Reward your dog

when he finds the

hidden treasure. Once

your dog understands

the game, ramp

up the difficulty by

hiding the treasure

in another room or

have someone in your

household hide it.

CUP GAME

Have your dog watch

while you place a

treat under one of

two opaquecups.

Giveyourdogthe

cue toturnover

the cupt

treat.Wh

understa

thegam

make

it more

challen

byalter

thecup

underw

youpla

thetre

Diane

INTERACTIVE BRAIN GAMES

rnover

to getthe

henhe

ands

me,

ng

rnating

p

which

ace

eat.

Godley