Brain Activity For Dogs...

[Ken Nielsen]

I have been reading how some of the more active breeds, like Australian Shepherds, would rather be 'working' than anything else. As I have a fairly active dog (Springer) I would like to know what types of 'brain activity' exercises can be given to the 'activity hungry' dog. This would be for the type of dog where just going out for a long walk alone is not enough. I hear that obstacle courses are good to set up in the back yard for some breeds, but it sounds like they really need to do what they were bred to do: "hunt birds" or "herd sheep" or "save avalanche victims."

[HeartSong]

Are there any clubs or organizations nearby that are for your breed or for active dogs in general? This will sometimes provide activities for their members to participate. Also, they might have information on getting into competitions of different kinds.

For around home, kong or treat balls release some energy, just find one that will last more than a minute. I have a ball for one of my dogs but it dispenses so much at a time that she has it all out in a couple of minutes.
Something that is a bit more like hunting is filling small cups or bowls with dog food and hiding them around the yard or house. That way she'll have to search around to find her food. Find places that aren't too obvious but that she can get to safely.
Also, something just as simple as playing fetch or frisbee can be better than just a walk.

[erdog3]

We played a great game with Sophie, seek and find, first of all we did it with my son, we would hold onto her where she couldn't see, then tell her to go find mike, he would call here and there, till she got the hang of it, then after a while he didn't have to call anymore, I would just say go find mike, she did, everytime, much to my sons dissapointment. We would play it inside too.
Then we advanced to hiding treats, biscuits under a paver, on a branch of a bush, etc. she would spend ages fossicking the garden.