There are a lot of milestones to be achieved when it comes to training your puppy, but beyond that, it is the obvious skill and relationship that helps in building training, another advantage is that it challenges your puppy and ultimately makes them smarter. How great if your puppy gets trained while playing. Beyond the basic training methods, there are also plenty of puppy training games that will be very stimulating other than entertaining for both of you.
1. Teach Your Puppy To Make Eye Contact
It is very essential to teach your puppy to give you eye contact. Easily teach this with this puppy training game. To start this game hold the treat to your forehead or by your eye and ask your puppy to look at you and slowly fade the food to use a hand signal and a verbal command to ask your puppy to look at you. Not only does this basic behavior help you get your puppy’s attention when he is distracted, but eye contact also triggers a release of happiness hormones in both you and your puppy. Oxytocin is the hormone for attachment between parent and child.
2. Switch Up Your Puppy For A Walking Treat
This is an interesting game, if you really want to make sure you have your puppy’s undivided attention every now and again then you should switch up your walking routine. An easy way to do this is by changing the route you typically take when you take your puppy for a walk. You can start off by going in a different direction or making a left when you normally take a right but can also try somewhere completely new to challenge your puppy even more.
Exposing your puppy to new sights, smells and sounds will throw them off with immense joy, so you want to make sure that they are paying attention to you and following your lead. Make sure before exposing your puppy to a new walking environment that it’s safe for both of you.
3. Hot & Cold Game
The Hot & Cold game primarily uses verbal communication and tone to help the puppy find a hidden treasure, treat, or toy. Hide a treat when your puppy is not looking. Use a calm tone for colder if your puppy moves away from the hidden treat. Use a more excited tone for hotter as your puppy gets closer to the hidden treat. This game increases listening skills. It also helps build the special bond shared by you and your puppy.
Read Also: How To Start Dog Training As A First-Time Pet Owner
4. Teach Your Puppy To Solve A Problem
This is a very interesting and easy game, and your puppy will surely love it. Let your puppy figure out how to pull a string to get a treat. Tie a piece of ribbon or small rope to the treat and hide it under a small platform or piece of furniture, far enough back so they cannot reach the treat with their mouth or paw. Encourage your puppy to investigate and see how long it takes for him to tug on the string to retrieve the treat. Reasoning skills are essential for developing puppies and older dogs in the same way. Successful problem-solving is also a big confidence booster.
5. Play Hide And Seek With Your Puppy
This isn’t just a kid’s game. It’s a fun game to play with your puppy with you being the ultimate reward. Ask your puppy to stay and sit, while you take your time finding the perfect hiding spot. When you’re ready, ask your puppy to come and find you. Since puppies have a sense of smell so it is pretty incredible, it shouldn’t take very long for them to find you. Reward them once they find you. Over a period of time, you can pick more challenging spots to hide in, so they have to do some extra hard work to figure out where you are.
Frequently Asked Questions:
Puppy training games help build essential skills, strengthen the bond between you and your puppy, and make learning fun and engaging.
Hold a treat near your eye or forehead and ask your puppy to look at you. Gradually replace the treat with a hand signal and verbal command to maintain their focus.
Changing the walking route exposes your puppy to new sights, smells, and sounds, keeping them attentive and mentally stimulated.
This game enhances listening skills by using verbal tones to guide the puppy toward a hidden treat, improving focus and communication.
Tie a string to a treat and hide it under furniture. Encourage your puppy to figure out how to pull the string to retrieve the treat, boosting reasoning skills and confidence.
Hide-and-seek strengthens your puppy’s sense of smell and recall skills while making them work to find you, rewarding their effort with attention.
Eye contact builds focus, helps redirect your puppy when distracted, and releases happiness hormones like oxytocin, enhancing your bond.
New environments challenge your puppy, keeping them curious and engaged, while helping them adapt to unfamiliar situations.
Problem-solving improves cognitive abilities, builds confidence, and keeps the puppy mentally stimulated, benefiting them as they grow.
