Hobbies. Simple training for your dog to stay home alone without whining How your regular walk should go

After all, when everyone is at home, she’s just a good girl! She gets the apartment dirty and damages the doors. Is this her revenge for being left alone at home or is she missing something? How to teach her to stay home alone? The behavior of dogs in the absence of their owners in the apartment is often destructive - howling, barking, damaged furniture and walls - all this upsets us, no matter how much we love our pet.

Do you remember the moment when an affectionate baby just appeared in your house? You took a week's leave from work in order to completely devote yourself to a new family member, from the first minutes of his appearance, the puppy was caressed and kissed, followed you around the entire apartment (just like now), and he sleeps next to the bed or on it. Then you have made a big mistake.

The basic habits of puppies are formed between the ages of one and 3 months.

You did not teach the puppy to be left alone and now that he has grown up, every time you leave is a huge stress for him. No, your dog is not taking revenge on you, he is simply in despair from his loneliness. For an animal, chewing is a kind of sedative, just like chewing gum or cigarettes are for people. And any punishment for damaged things is ineffective in this case. Dogs have short memories, and when you punish your dog for eating a shoe a few hours ago, he won't understand. For him, punishment will only be associated with your return. And next time, the stress will be even greater - not only is she left alone, she will also be punished upon the owner’s return.

The following tips will help teach your dog to stay home alone.

Give your dog a good walk before leaving home. Engage in active games with her. A tired dog has less energy for destructive activities. The lesson should last at least 20-30 minutes.

For dogs that are afraid to be alone at home, you need interactive toys that can keep your pet occupied for a while. The ideal option is a Kong toy. The classic Kong is shaped like a snowman, made of high-strength rubber and is hollow inside. You can put various treats, cookies or special pastes into Kong. So, don’t feed your pet in the morning, but stuff several rubber toys with the morning norm. If in order to interest your dog you need something more tasty, prepare this minced meat in advance (several recipes are given in the afterword to the article), stuff it into toys and freeze it. Give out the toy about five minutes before leaving home.

When leaving, do not make stormy farewell scenes, and when you come home, do not communicate with the dog until it calms down.

The next very important point in training to be alone is to confuse your pet and not let him understand that you are leaving. Dogs are very smart and observant, and our Shar-Peis especially, and you've probably noticed that they start to get nervous as soon as you start getting ready. Your task is to confuse the dog and change your behavior in such a way that it would be almost impossible for him to understand that you are leaving home. For example, a dog reacts to your changing clothes. Change your clothes several times during the day, but stay at home. Does your dog get excited when you take the keys? Take them several times during the day and sit down to watch TV. And so on. Analyze your behavior and make your departure unpredictable.

By the way, if the dog becomes nervous and shows signs of anxiety, under no circumstances should you try to calm him down. All your dog will understand is your worried tone and this will only strengthen his belief that things will soon get worse. You should speak in a calm, cheerful tone, without excessive emotionality. You can gently pat or stroke your pet's chest. It is on the chest, and not on the tummy, tail and other erogenous zones of the dog, by stimulating which you only increase tension, while your task is to relax the dog.

Use the calming remark “I'll be back soon” only in cases where you are sure that you will return within the period of time that your dog can calmly endure. To do this, leave the house more often and return after a short period of time. You will teach the animal that you can return at any time, and the severity of the experience will subside.

If you have a good relationship with your neighbors, ask one of them to come regularly to check on your bored friend.

Sometimes, namely in cases where the dog is not fixated on the owner, but is simply afraid to be left alone, the appearance of a second animal in the house helps a lot. The neighbor's Doberman, whose owner likes to "walk" at night, kept the entire entrance from sleeping with his howling. The howling problem was solved instantly as soon as he got a cat as a companion. However, if you decide to get a second pet, it is ideal to “borrow” it from friends for a few days to see if it helps your dog.

The next tip for calming an anxious dog is to use a dog pheromone-releasing fumigator. Large pet stores (in Moscow, for example, the Beethoven chain) sell D.A.P. Dog Appeasing Pheromone Pheromone for dogs (diffuser + bottle). This fumigator releases pheromones that imitate the pheromone of the mammary glands of lactating bitches. These pheromones have a calming effect on animals, creating a feeling of security in them.

If, despite your efforts, you cannot solve the problem using natural methods, you can resort to medication. They will be discussed in the next article.

Several recipes for the Kong toy:

1.Ingredients: 1 egg, some vegetables, any low-fat cheese.
Beat the egg. Place the vegetables in the Kong, top with the egg and add some cheese slices. 20 sec. Microwave and you're done. Refrigerate before use.

2. Ingredients: Lean fish fillet, a couple of tablespoons of plain yogurt without additives, a little grated carrot. Stuff a Kong with this and freeze. Both tasty and healthy.

3.The simplest option: mix the food you usually feed your dog with processed cheese; the cheese will stick the pieces of food together like cement.

When getting a puppy, many owners have no idea what awaits them, and sometimes they simply hope for a miracle, each time being surprised by chewed shoes, overturned flower pots and torn sofa cushions. I will not hide that quite recently I was one of those naive people.

I've had the cutest Labrador puppy for four months now, and all this time my house has looked like a dump, in the literal sense of the word. I love my pet very much, so I tolerate all his pranks, but for days on end one thought bothers me: what to do with the dog at home so that he doesn’t destroy everything to smithereens?

What do we expect from dogs and what actually happens?

When we were offered to adopt a Labrador puppy, I agreed immediately after seeing his sweet, good-natured and well-mannered mother. I was carrying this “cute”, who was only 30 days old, and was touched. Such a quiet, calm honey. Sweetie licked my hands, gave me a funny smack, and fell asleep right in my arms. The husband suggested naming the “cute” Ares, in honor of one of the ancient gods. I just forgot to explain that this character was responsible for wars and destruction)))

And how right he was! Our Ares would definitely take first place in the destroyer competition! And he showed his character exactly 3 days later, when, having acclimatized after the move and separation from his family, he began his dirty work.

The first thing he did was tore his pillow to shreds, the diaper we tried to put on him and the box from which we wanted to make him a house. And he not only tore it up, but scattered the pieces throughout all the rooms. The next day he began chewing on the fabric arm of the sofa and the bottom bookshelf. A week later, he somehow got hold of my book and tore out all the pages from it. Then it got worse... Chewed steps on a wooden staircase, kitchen stools, all the shoes he could get... books, magazines, food bowls, including cat ones... Now you can’t list everything, I’ll only say one thing - he helped us get rid of from trash. I threw out all the flowers that stood below the high window sill, long, already boring curtains, old shoes that I couldn’t put my hand on “what if they would come in handy”... and many, many unnecessary things...

Now I remember what I was thinking about when I agreed to get a puppy: I saw a big, beautiful, and lazy dog who brings slippers on command, eats little and entertains guests by performing various tricks. What did I get? Still a small, hyperactive, energetic dog who sleeps little and is constantly creating something. Do you think this only happened to me? Check out the Internet! All puppies, and even adult dogs, behave equally!

How I tried to deal with it

Our Ares Yurievich Gerasimov was caught at the crime scene). Well, okay, the food, but why did you chew the sofa?)))

This is where the fun begins. If I dealt with one problem called “puddles and poop” quite quickly by teaching the dog to ask to go outside (I’ll talk about this in a separate article - it will be useful for many), then the second problem - the ability to destroy things was ineradicable. So, more about what I tried.

I bought some anti-chewing spray. . Such sprinklers are sold in all large stores where there are departments for pet products. The inside of the bottle is terribly smelly - there is no other way to say it, the liquid is stinking. When I, happy and contented, sprayed it on the stairs, all family members immediately ran outside. And a neighbor who stopped by on business decided that we had a dead body buried somewhere. What about the puppy? For the first 20 minutes he sniffed, sneezed and winced funny. I really didn’t bite, but as soon as the rubbish wore off, everything started all over again.
Sprinkled with pepper . In fact, this should not be done, since substances that irritate the mucous membranes are very harmful to a dog’s sense of smell. But I was so sorry for the new sofa that I decided to take a risk. The dog did not touch the covered area, gnawed a hole and pulled out the stuffing 20 centimeters from the “powder”.
Sprayed with bleaching liquid . It contains chlorine, and dogs hate the smell of chlorine. My dog gave up - he didn’t chew anything, but everywhere where I poured the solution there were disgusting white spots, and it was impossible to live at home due to the terrible smell of bleach. In general, this option doesn’t work either.
I also built barricades so that the puppy cannot get into other rooms. But it was in vain - the cunning and inventive dog, possessing a completely plump figure, managed to get through even the crack. And if this failed, he leaned with his whole body, strained, but managed to move suitcases, boxes and even an overturned table!

I searched all the forums, re-read all the sites, and came to the conclusion that we cannot defeat the instinct of destruction in dogs unless we come up with something more interesting for them to do than gnawing, tearing and breaking. So, I finally began to think, not how to protect things, but what I could do to keep the dog busy so that it wouldn’t ruin the whole house to the ground.

What to do with your dog at home

Someone is also lucky with a pet!

“On the street it’s a completely different matter, there are so many interesting things around! You can gnaw branches, chew leaves, lick pebbles and lap up water from a puddle. What's at home? Homes are boring!” - this is what my favorite most likely thought, chewing on another slipper. So I decided to look for information about indoor games, but I didn’t really want to spend money on expensive dog toys, since they were needed to make up for the damage that had already been done. So, here's what my pet liked.

In which hand? We all remember the children's game with two fists, in one of which something was hidden. Why not offer it to your puppy to play with? This develops the dog’s sense of smell, makes the dog think and at the same time entertains the owners. So, we let the dog smell the sausage, saying “sniff”, then we hide the treat in one hand and give the command “look”. If the dog guesses correctly, we give away the treat. We gradually complicate the task by choosing products with a weak odor. This is Ares' favorite game: now he finds any tasty treat right away! And when he responds to the command “sniff” he immediately begins to move his nose. You can make the game more difficult by hiding food under one of several identical plates.
Mastering the stairs. Do you want to lose weight? I definitely need this, but I have no desire to go out and run outside - I can’t stand slush, and I’m also a lazy person. So I had to come up with the idea of running up the stairs with the dog. Within a few days, Ares calmly overtook me, but after a few “up and down” spitting on my excess fat, he went to bed. He had no strength left for hooliganism.
Hide and seek . Another children's game that dogs love! Aren't they children? They are just as naive, kind and playful, so they can easily be invited to play “Khovanki”. The essence of the game is this: you hide, and then call the dog loudly. Repeat the call only if he is completely confused. If he finds it, give him something tasty. Dogs are always looking for something faster to “chew” something. Gradually lower your voice tone and shorten your phrases. By the way, this game may well help you out someday, for example, if you get lost in the forest.
“Well, get it” . This game has no price! She occupies the dog for an hour, or even two. Take some kind of hard box or plastic bottle, put something tasty and fragrant inside. Give it to your pet and enjoy the silence! My dog cannot chew through a tightly packed plastic bottle of mineral water.
"Bubble" . This entertainment is as simple as it is free! Try blowing soap bubbles near your dog. This spectacle will amuse all family members, and the puppy will be completely tired.
“Chewing Bones” . I saw a bone in the store, made of I don’t know what, but the dog liked it. You need to give treats sometimes so that you don’t get bored. While he chews, the house is in perfect order.
Rubber toys - squeakers . They are inexpensive and sold everywhere. I bought 3 pieces - a hedgehog ball, a stick and a cloth animal of an unknown breed. Dogs enjoy playing with these toys. And they know for sure that these are their things. I was convinced of this when I moved the puppy to a new place, into a cooler room. While she was carrying the mattress, the dog tried to stuff all three toys into his mouth at the same time. In the end, I dragged them one by one myself.

What to do with your dog while he's home alone

To be honest, I haven’t found the answer to this question yet. The best thing I have come up with is to leave the dog alone for as short a period of time as possible, while wearing a leash. At the same time, I leave food, toys, old shoes, etc.

It seems to me that while the puppy is small, it is difficult to teach him to behave ideally. By the way, now I notice that Ares is showing less and less attention to our things, and is playing with his toys. Therefore, I hope that over time, everything will fall into place. I’ll definitely tell you what comes of it!

I love dogs! Alena Gerasimova

What can you do to make your dog behave well at home? How to entertain your dog at home?

Some of my clients are faced with the problem of what to do with their dog at home so that it does not demand attention, is not distracted, and does not interfere with guests. If it is not possible to exhaust the dog with play, but at the same time, so that the dog does not get full. After all, many dogs are street fed.

And now, in spring, food motivation is needed more than ever. After all, spring is the time of love (many bitches are flowing) and wonderful aromas (heaps of garbage that have been accumulating for several months of winter have already emerged from the snowdrifts). And you need a powerful weapon against these temptations - food! This means that the dog should eat at home to a minimum. Of course, the easiest way is to give the dog something to chew on; this activity will keep you entertained for an average of 30-60 minutes. And the dog relaxes in the process and becomes less clingy. So, our selection of goodies that you can’t get enough of, but that will keep your dog busy for a while:

1. Beef bone with a minimum of meat. A large callus with remnants of tendons that are difficult to tear off from the bone is a good option.

2. Deer horn. A healthy mineralized chew that is very difficult to finish. Please note that the structure of the horn has more or less porous areas. More porous areas are chewed faster and are well suited for small dogs. The less porous areas are very dense, better suited for large dogs or those with jaws like crocodiles - they grind quickly and into crumbs. There are also options for artificial “horns” made in America. They are made from horn crumbs mixed with edible plastic. Their advantage is that they do not leave crumbs or splinters that could harm the dog. A dog like Amstaff lasts for a couple of months! But their main disadvantage is the price. They cost about 1000 rubles. a piece.

3. Toy with pate or canned food. Most often, a Kong or other hollow toy is used, from which all the treats do not fall out at once. The beauty of the pate is that it is difficult to pick it all out in a short time; you have to sweat to reach all the nooks and crannies of the toy with your tongue. You can initially spread the pate along the edges of the toy; we don’t want the dog to eat.

4. Ice cubes. A simple recipe: pour the meat broth into ice molds (or any other forms), throw a couple of tidbits into each mold (vegetables, fruits, meat, whatever your dog likes) and leave it to freeze in the freezer. Most dogs enjoy this ice cube for a long time (especially in hot weather), licking it. But there are also representatives who prefer to chew, and the cube disappears into the depths of the mouth in a matter of seconds. There are a couple of tricks for such swallowers. The ice piece should be large, larger than the distance between the upper and lower jaws when open. This will prevent your dog from grasping the piece and will be forced to lick it. You can also freeze a string in a cube and hang the finished cube at muzzle level. When weighed down, a slippery piece of ice is also difficult to chew on; you have to lick it and just play with it.

5. If the dog copes with ice cubes quickly, then the broth can be frozen in a hollow Kong-type toy. And also freeze the rope toy with broth. This can be done by pouring the broth into a tall tetra-pack bag, such as a juice bag, and putting a rope toy in it. After freezing, remove the bag and give the dog “ice on a string.”

6. Searching for goodies in the drawer. Throw a handful of treats or regular food into a box or box (I use a plastic box from IKEA). Place items on top that the dog will not be able to choke on if they accidentally fall into the mouth. I throw toys and rags. Also suitable for this purpose are tubes from used toilet paper, wine corks (pre-washed to remove the smell of alcohol), balls for filling a children's pool, etc. The dog will rummage for a long time in search of food.

7. Yumki, wrapped in pieces of paper, in a box. Prepare a handful of food, cut small pieces of paper. We wrap 1-2-3 pieces in each. We push all the yums wrapped in paper tightly into the box. The dog chews the box, takes out the pieces of paper and unfolds it to get to the treats. True, then you’ll have to crawl on the floor and collect torn pieces of paper)) But it’s worth it! The dog is captivated for an average of 30 minutes if you use a small box, like toothpaste, cream, etc.

8. Variation of point 7: place the “bookmarks” described above in different places in the apartment so that the dog finds them one by one and chews them. The options described above can also be used for anxious dogs that “refuse” to be left alone at home. When leaving, leave one or more of the described treats for your dog. This will keep her busy for a while and tire her out. Moreover, your departure will be associated with pleasant events for her. This way the dog will not destroy the apartment.

The owner doesn't know how to entertain the dog. Coming up with ideas is exhausting. It's much easier to get off the couch and occupy your pet when the manual is at hand. Read the article, find out how to spend time with your dog at home if there is bad weather outside.

Why do you need physical activity?

Bored dogs seek adventure and end up in trouble. The person either figures out how to manage the animal’s time, or the dog takes the initiative. The result is deplorable - chewed shoes, torn wallpaper or upholstery on upholstered furniture.

Play with your dog a couple of times a day. And then destructive behavior, the desire to chew things and excessive barking, will bypass the house.

Find food

Smelling games are an easy way to tire your dog out. Teach your pet the game of “find treats”, help tire out mentally and physically, and hone natural skills.

Take treats and place treats around the room. Give the dog the “find” command and praise each time the treat falls into the mouth. Make it more difficult. Hide treats in hidden places, such as under a rug. The animal will use its sense of smell to find the pieces.

Thimblerig

Place a treat under the cup. Move objects like station swindlers do. Give the command “find a treat.” The game stimulates the mind and develops problem solving skills.

Find a treat in King Kong

Kong is an intelligent toy for dogs. Stuff the insides of the object with food. Leave the toy and go to work without worrying about anything. Extending your gaming time is easy. Place the treat item in the freezer overnight. Take it out before leaving. Thawing will take 30 minutes. During this time, the dog's interest in the hidden treat will only increase.

The Kong toy is indestructible. The item is environmentally friendly, does not break, and is easy to clean.

Tug of War

You don't need a lot of space to play. Let your dog win. Victory will bring pleasure to the dog and make him want to play more. After this exercise, pets become obedient and their confidence in their owner’s actions increases.

"Mom's Helper"

Animals like to do work. For example, bring home slippers.

Work off your food

People surround their dogs with care - the animals sleep softly, they take care of their pets, and the dogs eat a lot. But not so long ago, by historical standards, a person’s friends helped with the housework. Pets lack mental and physical exercise.

Make the dog work off the food. This is done in two ways. The dog either retrieves a portion of food from a dispenser toy or performs a trick before receiving a treat, such as tumbling on the floor.

Learn to recognize the names of toys

Start with one item and repeat the name as you play. Soon the animal will begin to associate the toy and the word name. It's easy to check your memorization. Ask your pet to bring the desired item by choosing from the items. Give a treat every time a task is completed correctly.

Teach your dog new tricks

Your pet can jump through a hoop - don't stop at this trick. Teach you to jump over your leg. Come up with new exercises, repeat old ones.

Guess which hand

Hold the treats in your palm;
Place your palms in front of your pet's face;
The dog will find it with its nose and give a sign and try to get a piece;
Don't resist, give the food.

Teach your dog basic obedience

The dog follows the basic commands “sit, stay, take, come.” Repeat sometimes, refresh your memory of animal skills.

Learn how to massage

Massaging your dog's limbs relieves pain and tension after walks. Movements along the back disperse the blood. A person does something nice for an animal. Dogs do not refuse massage with hands or brushes.

Take care of your dog's appearance

People give dogs haircuts, bathe pets, trim their nails, comb out their undercoat, and brush their teeth. This takes time and effort, both from the person and the care recipient.

Call your dog every now and then

If you notice that your pet is bored, take a toy or treat in your hand. Call the dog. Allow me to grab the object from your hand. Praise for obedience, pet. The pet will engage in a bone or play with a ball and unwind.

Overcoming obstacles

Teach your dog to jump over a stick. Raise it a little higher, repeat. Place obstacles on the floor. Call the dog. Give a treat only when he jumps over the object.

Dogs love to catch soap bubbles. Children's toys are safe for dogs and do not contain toxic substances.

Invest money in toys, change, hide old items for a while

People and animals get tired of routine. Buy new play items for your dog. Maintain your pet's play enthusiasm. Hide old toys from time to time. The dog will forget about them and will happily play with the item from the closet after a while.

Invite friends

Invite friends with dogs over. People and animals will spend time together. The owners will talk and discuss business, the dogs will have plenty of play.

This is how it’s simple, inexpensive, and effortless to occupy your pet’s time with useful activities.

When a person gets a four-legged friend, there is a need not only to create normal living conditions for the pet, but also to develop and entertain it. A dog, like any other family member, requires attention and care. You need to spend time with her, play, teach. The best way to learn is through play.

Why games

Through games, the animal not only learns the rules of behavior necessary for it. They help the pet to throw out accumulated energy.

You can often notice while walking bored dogs. They don’t know what to do with themselves, and the owner doesn’t pay attention to them. This is wrong, because on walks the dog should not only relieve itself. Communication with a pet through games allows you to establish contact between it and its owner. He learns to always obey you, to be near you, and not to run somewhere in search of adventure. Playing with the owner, the dog draws positive emotions from this process. He develops a desire to always be the best for his owner in order to receive praise and approval.

Important! The more time you spend playing with your pet, the more loyal he becomes.

Do not think that you need to start instilling love and respect in your pet not in infancy, but in a more mature age, when he learns to control his behavior. Puppies also need your attention. And the sooner they feel your attention and care, the sooner they will repay you in kind.

During the game, the puppy masters various life situations and figures out how to solve them. This helps him later in life. It's better to start playing with the puppy as a family- this will allow the pet to learn to understand the family hierarchy and correctly build relationships with each family member. When the animal begins to understand its place and role in the “pack”, it will become more self-confident.

How to play with your dog outside

Playing outdoors helps your dog not only express his emotions, but also improve his health.

Jogging and catching up

To cheer up your dog, you can play catch-up. Touch the dog to get his attention, and start running away from him. You need to encourage your pet to run after you. Sometimes the dog grabs a toy and starts to run away from you, thereby showing that he wants you to catch up with him.

You can simply start jogging, dragging the dog along with you. You can teach an animal to run from three to four months. First you must learn to cover short distances, no more than 200 meters. Longer distances at a young age do not always have the patience. You need to run not on asphalt and tiles, but on the ground, so that the animal does not injure its paws.

Did you know? Most dogs can run at speeds of up to 30 km/h. Greyhounds run at speeds of up to 72 km/h.

At competitions of this kind, the dog needs to run through slides, tunnels and other obstacles. At this time, the owner runs nearby and guides the pet.

While walking, if there are no specially created obstacles nearby, you can run up the steps, learn to jump over benches or run under them, run around trees and bushes.

An excellent place for such entertainment can be playgrounds. You just need to play them either early in the morning or late in the evening, when the little one is at home.

Frisbee

Most dogs love catch objects in motion. Therefore, Frisbee will become their favorite pastime. All you need for this game is to buy a special flying disc. Make sure that the material of the product does not harm the animal’s teeth. Also, the dimensions of the disc must correspond to the dimensions of the dog.

The flow of the game is very simple. You throw the disc by moving your hand away from you, thereby imparting torque to the object. In order for a dog to run after a toy, it needs to be interested. First give your pet the opportunity to get acquainted with the object. Then rotate the disk in front of your pet so that he wants to jump and grab the toy with his teeth. If your dog grabs the disc, give him the opportunity to chew on it. When your pet develops a grasping reflex for the toy, you can begin the game.

Place the dog next to you and toss it up a little frisbee If the animal managed to catch the disc, you can increase the height and range of the throw. When your pet has caught the disc, ask it to return the item to you using the “Give” command.

Did you know?People with a dog at home move 66% more than others.

Burying and finding things

Educational games for dogs include searching for things or treats. You can play both at home and on the street.

Start simple - searching for treats. Show your dog a piece of food, scatter the goodies around the yard in front of his eyes, and give the command “Search.” It is important that at the moment of scattering the dog is on a chain or someone is holding him so that he does not rush for food ahead of time. You may have to walk around with your four-legged friend at first until he gets the hang of the game.

When the animal has mastered the essence of the task assigned to it, you can complicate the game by hiding a treat nearby. When this stage is mastered, you can begin to hide it in the ground. Here you should use not only treats, but also your favorite toys. If you live in a private house, then set aside a piece of land for the dog, where he can dig the ground to his heart’s content. Start hiding objects there.

You can train your dog to jump over obstacles. To do this use stick or hoop.

At the beginning of training, hold the stick at the level of the animal's withers or slightly lower. This way the dog will learn to overcome the height of its own height without injury. Gradually the height needs to be increased.

To make your pet jump, hold a stick in one hand and a treat in the other, at some distance from the obstacle. Say “Barrier” and get their attention with a treat. When your pet performs a jump, encourage him with words.

For jumping through a hoop, the principle of operation is similar. You just need to first allow the dog to get acquainted with the object so that it does not cause fear in him. The diameter of the hoop should be slightly larger than the height of the dog at the withers.

Every dog can learn to crawl, but not every dog will be happy to take a course on mastering the task. Indeed, in nature, animals move in this way extremely rarely. Before you begin to master the crawling technique, your pet must learn the command “Sit” and “Lie down.”

We start the lesson by sitting the dog next to us with the help of "Sit" commands. Then, after half a minute, please lie down. To do this, when giving a command with a straight hand, we perform a downward movement. After laying the dog down, squeeze the yummy food in the fist of your right hand and hold it near the ground - let the dog smell the bait. Then give the command to crawl; At the same time, begin to move your hand parallel to the ground, moving away from your pet.

If the dog tries to stand up, press it with your hand to the ground at the withers. If the animal was able to crawl at least 30 centimeters, reward it with tasty treats and words of praise, but do not allow it to get up. Let him rest, and then try to cover the same distance. With each session, gradually increase the length of the movement.

Important! During the exercise, dogs become very tired. Therefore, at first, do not force your pet to crawl more than a meter or one and a half meters.

Games at home

Playing with your dog at home is no less important than playing outside. By playing with your pet, you distract him from damaging property and teach him adapt to life indoors. We will tell you below how best to play with your pet.

Opening the doors

This game will help your pet overcome obstacles such as a closed door when moving around the house. True, there is also a minus here. When the animal masters the technique of entering the room, then it will be much more difficult to hide from him behind a closed door, unless the door is locked.

Leave your pet alone in the room and exit, closing the door behind you. At first there should be a small gap through which the dog can see you. Call your pet. If the dog has no desire to push or pull the door, lure him with a treat. Then he will try to escape from captivity as quickly as possible. Once your dog has mastered the method of opening the door, close it completely and repeat the exercise.

Let's give a paw

Mastering this command is useful for facilitating the inspection of the animal's limbs.

Sit your pet down using a command "Sit". Then say: “Give me your paw.” At the same time, touch one of the front legs with your hand. If the dog himself does not want to give his paw, carefully take it above the wrist and lift it a little. Hold it for a while and praise your four-legged friend.

You can conduct training in another way. Take a treat, show it to the dog and hold it in your palm. When the dog tries to get a treat with his paw, take him by the limb and say: “Give me your paw.” Hold the limb for a while, release it, treat your pet with a treat and praise it.

The most common food trick: catching yummy food in the air. To perform the action, try to throw the treat so that the animal catches it on the fly, and does not take it from the floor. Otherwise, he will develop the habit of collecting everything from the floor. Even if the dog was unable to catch the food in the air, do not give him the opportunity to pick it up from the floor. Stop the attempt with the word “No.” Praise should be given only for the yummy caught. During the throw you need to say “Op.”

When a dog is left at home alone, it’s worth thinking about what it can do to keep itself busy so that it doesn’t cause mischief. In a dog must have their own toys, so that she chews them, and not shoes and things. These can be plush, rubber, interactive toys.

You can teach your dog to recognize toys by name. To do this, throw the toy and name it. The dog must hear the request to bring a certain thing. There should be no punishment here. You are not training a pet, but simply playing with it.

Performing a bow

To teach your pet to perform this action, take a treat and show it to the dog, after placing it next to you sideways. Place the treat between the front legs. The dog should reach for the bait and lower himself onto his elbows. To prevent the animal from completely lowering its body to the ground, hold it with your hand under its stomach. Encourage your pet. All actions must be preceded by the “Bow” command.

It happens that during games the dog bends over on its own. At this moment, say “Bow.” This is how the command will be learned. Always reward your pet.

Turn around yourself

Take the treat by holding it with your thumb and forefinger. The dog should not snatch the treat, but only lick it. Start moving your hand with food away. The dog should reach for it. Say the command “Circle”. When the animal makes a full turn around its axis, reward it with treats and words.

Many owners don’t know how to play with their dog at home to make it interesting. Most pets love to snatch something from their hands. To teach the animal to obey its owner at this moment, try playing tug-of-war with it. Take a strong rope and give one end to the dog; keep the other one yourself. Command “Pull.” Try not to let him get too involved in the game. He should stop easily and give you the rope.

Important! Do not use personal items for this game, otherwise the dog will only grab them in the future.

Basic rules of the game

Start learning a new game in a place that is comfortable for the dog, so that nothing frightens or distracts the animal.
It is necessary to attract your pet to play at a time when he is full of energy and strength. As a rule, such a moment comes when you have just crossed the threshold of your apartment upon returning from work.
Do not pet your pet before playing.
The game should be played at an energetic pace, without baby talk.
The game shouldn't last long. Learn to interrupt her before your pet loses interest in her.
If the dog does not want to play, stop communicating with him. He must understand that play is a way of communicating with the owner.

As we see, play is very important for a dog. It allows her to establish contact with the owner and master a number of important actions. The timely release of the dog's energy will allow you to enjoy relaxation after work and protect your property from damage.