# Teaching your dog to RELAX



## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

great article by Nan Arthur http://www.clickertraining.com/node/3493?SSAID=314743


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

one game that is great for mental stimulation that I like ,is a game I call Hide Da Treat. lol Dogs love scent games usually. It's their cheif sense. I play this for twenty minutes with Molly almost daily. Use high value treats . Simply put your dog in a stay, go to another room and hide da treat. Call your dog and enjoy watching them hunt. Start out with a simple find, and then make it tougher. Then put them in a stay again, go to another room and repeat. Make them hunt. LOL Molly loves this game. Mental stimulation is just as important as physical IMO. Molly makes a clucking /clacking sound as she does this. I still get a kick out of it. Subtract the calories from their alotment. Hav fun.


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## lise (Sep 1, 2006)

I'll have to try that one. Ted will do almost anything for a treat


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## tokipoke (Feb 13, 2012)

When Louis first came to my home as an adult, he had a very hard time relaxing. So did I, because I had to constantly watch him to make sure he didn't pee somewhere. He always wanted to wander and was very restless. Getting an adult not housetrained was a challenge, but we are doing great now.

He gets many walks throughout the day, ranging from 30 minutes to an hour. His play sessions consist of wrestling, fetch, and chasing a cat toy. Sometimes I will end the play session with the "plate game." In the plate game, you tell your dog to sit and stay. Walk away to a plate (you designate how far you want the plate to be, start with short distances first), and place a treat on it. Walk back to your dog where you are on the dog's side, both of you facing the plate. Then release your dog to get the treat, come back to you, and sit for another treat. I love this game because it gets him moving and he has to use focus because I fluctuate the duration he has to keep the stay command. It's both physical and mental stimulation.

For strictly mental stimulation, I use a treat dispenser to wear him out. I recommend this one: Tug-A-Jug Bullet-proof TOUGH Interactive Dog Chew Toy & Treat Dispenser

The dog really has to figure out how to get the treats out. It is best if you use a mix of odd shape treats. I put in tiny biscuit type treats (easy to get out), then a little bit bigger chewy morsels (medium difficulty), and then thin chicken strips (hard), and then a treat that is too big for them to empty (impossible). You can load any sized treats from the bottom of the canister. I place an impossible treat in there so that they keep working on it until they tire themselves out.

The treat dispenser comes in many sizes. And to be fair, I SHOULD get a smaller size for Louis. He will work over an hour trying to get the treats out. Just be careful not to give too many different types of treats several times, because it can give them the runs. You can also feed their kibble using the dispenser and it's a GREAT way to tire them out.

I also crate the dogs for their downtime to "put them down for a nap" like a baby.

I can now enjoy sitting in the living room watching TV and Louis will actually lay down and go to sleep!


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## davetgabby (Dec 29, 2007)

great stuff, keep em entertained.


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