Are you stuck in a rut with dog training? Do you feel like you and your dog don’t connect? Have you been too busy for your dog? Do you believe you have reached the point where your dog can’t learn anymore? Are you out of ideas?
Not true.
You can always do something. Not necessarily all at once, but with little steps. You can’t be a perfect dog owner, but you can still have an almost perfect dog or at least a happy dog. Dogs love doing and learning new things.
Here are 50 things you can do with your dog on any given day …
1. Work on long stays while you are watching TV
2. Reward your dog for doing something right without you asking
3. Get up 10 minutes earlier and walk a half-mile further
4. Drop the leash and let your dog chase you
5. Swim with your dog
6. Carry treats in your pocket for a day and reward everything your dog does right
7. Remember not to leave your clothes within reach (eaten pockets)
8. Teach your dog to give a high five
9. Write out the first steps towards solving your biggest dog training challenge
10. Stop and let your dog smell the grass
11. Buy a stuffed animal at a garage sale (or three)
12. Buy some raw bones
13. Start a dog blog (it’s easy!)
14. Organize your dog photos
15. Sign up for an agility class
16. Read a book by Jon Katz
17. Read a Paul Owens book on positive reinforcement training
18. Buy a clicker
19. Leave work early on Friday and take your dog to a park
20. Bring your dog to a local treat or pet supplies store
21. Take a video of your dog
22. Hire a professional pet photographer
23. Brush your dog
24. Make eye contact with your dog
25. Run with your dog
26. Tell your dog to “sit” in every room of the house
27. Hide from your dog and then call her
28. Chase your dog around the couch
29. Get down on all fours and play in the mud
30. Turn an old towel or sock into a toy
31. Look up or meet potential foster dogs
32. Teach your dog to speak
33. Hide a treat and tell your dog to “find it”
34. Buy a training collar
35. Practice sit and stay in a new location
36. Give your dog a massage
37. Call up your best dog-owning friend and go on a dog date
38. Give your dog treats every time she makes eye contact
39. Teach your dog to roll over
40. Go a full day without training collars – use treats for motivation
41. Leave work 10 minutes early and walk your dog 10 minutes longer
42. Rollerblade with your dog
43. Don’t scold your dog for a whole week – redirect his attention instead
44. Teach your dog to crawl
45. Plan a camping trip or day trip with your dog
46. Buy a dog backpack
47. Bring your dog to tonight’s softball or soccer game
48. Read Cesar Millan’s Be the Pack Leader or another “pack-training” book
49. List out your idea of a “perfect dog” and how you could get to that point
50. Appreciate your dog’s “quirks” – you’ll miss them when she’s gone
What did you and your dog do today?
(Pictured is my favorite golden retriever, Elsie)
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May 18th, 2009 at 12:09 pm
Great ideas! So far this morning I’ve only given Gus a bunch of hugs. I take him everywhere that he is allowed too.
May 19th, 2009 at 11:41 pm
Wow, very comprehensive list. Me and the Muffin have checked off nearly everything on it. Yes, organizing the photos would be a good idea since I have about 10,000 of her and counting! Hah! If I gave her treats every time she made eye contact the poor girl would weigh 3 tons! She makes better and more expressive eye contact than any human I’ve ever known. We always enjoy your blog!
May 20th, 2009 at 7:19 am
Thanks Adam! You have a great blog, too!
May 20th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Really enjoy your blog. You motivated me to try biking with my pup when you met your 101 mile goal for April! It’s been great. We run and walk a great deal together, but this has allowed me to give him some extra exercise. I was worried he would pull me right off the bike, but after 2 obedience classes we work pretty well together on leash
May 20th, 2009 at 2:05 pm
That’s awesome, Bethany! I’m glad biking works for you and your dog! I think it’s a lot of fun.
May 21st, 2009 at 11:25 am
I just discovered your blog and I have a feeling that I am going to be reading it all day.
Thank you for posting these 50 things. There are a bunch of them that Arwen would really enjoy so I am going to print out the list and stick it on the fridge.
May 21st, 2009 at 1:08 pm
Thanks for checking out my blog, Melanie!
May 21st, 2009 at 7:55 pm
Cesar’s awesome! It’s awesome what he can do. A good addition to his ideas might be a high-quality harness or muzzle. A great place to find these is Dean ‘N Tyler. They offer top-quality harnesses and muzzles for many dog sizes, including large.
May 22nd, 2009 at 10:49 am
I think it would be more like twenty stuffed animals and a new house if ever got back in to toys in the house!
Lots of great things to do with your Dogs though. It is so easy to forget that anything a bit different that you do is just the best thing in the world as far as they are concerned.
Oh, and if it ends in a belly rub then it’s the end of a perfect Doggie day for them.
May 22nd, 2009 at 11:08 am
Yes, a belly rub should be added to the list!
May 23rd, 2009 at 2:37 am
I really appreciated the last thing on the list. I adopted my pointer mix about 9 months ago, so we are still doing lots of training, and I know sometimes I’m just too serious about it all. So it’s a great reminder that he can always make me laugh, and to allow myself to enjoy the silly things because I will definately miss that when he’s gone!
May 23rd, 2009 at 6:45 am
I’m the same way. Sometimes I’m way too serious and I have to remind myself that Ace is a dog and how much can I really expect?