Keeping Your Kids & Your Dogs Busy!

School's out for summer!  Did you just sing that line? I know I did!  This summer will likely be unlike any other given that social distancing is still in place, masks are recommended in public, and many of the summer activities we all normally look forward to (county fairs and state fairs, public swimming pools, summer school classes, etc.) have been canceled. Every summer, I teach at least one, if not two, sessions of my Kids & Dogs class.  This class is a blast to teach and I've had kids return to take it multiple times with their siblings and their friends from school. I will miss not teaching this summer class, but I have had fun modifying some of the games so that my clients' children can do them at home as part of their training.  So, for those of you with kids (or grandkids!) home this summer with the dogs, here are some games and activities they can do together:

1. Teach a new trick every week:  In class, I teach the kids to group tricks together by the body part the dog uses.  So, for example, shake, wave, and high five all use a dog's paws.  Start with the most basic trick, shake, and build up to the more difficult tricks like high 5 and high 10. If we were working with a dog that didn't even know shake yet, we'd have a month's worth of activities to build on to get all of those paw-based behaviors!

2.  Agility for kids and dogs:  Have your kids set up an obstacle course with things they already have. Gather hula hoops, soccer cones, crawl through tubes, baby slides, kiddie pools, bike tires, etc. for your course.  Parents can help with cement blocks and 2 x 4 boards to create harder obstacles as well. Set up your course so that you child and the dog can weave between the cones, crawl through the tubes, slide down the slides, jump over the pools, dodge the bike tires, and crawl under and jump over the 2 x 4 boards.  Set the hula hoops at the beginning and end of the course and have the dog sit and stay to start the course and end the course.  Have the kids work as a team with the dog on leash and take turns seeing who can help the dog to do the course the best with the fewest mistakes. They can time themselves with a stopwatch.  Junior agility kids can teach their dogs to run the course without a leash and running alongside the dog!  Just remember to keep any jumps at the dog's shoulder height or lower for safety.

3.Red light, green light:  This is a game for homes with multiple kids and even multiple dogs.  When someone says "red light" all dogs and kids must stop, and the dogs must sit.  "Green light" means moving together as quickly as possible, and "yellow light" means slowing down.  The dog and kid who gets to the person calling out the signals first, wins!

4.  Tic-tac-toe:  Another game for home with multiple kids and more that one dog.  Have the kids use chalk to draw a large tic-tac-toe board on the ground.  The kids divide into teams with one to two kids on each team and one dog on each team.  If you only have one dog, that's fine too, then one team is kids only! The rules of tic-tac-toe apply and the dog must sit or lay down and stay in the square where assigned.  If the dog moves out of the square, then that team loses the game. If there aren't enough kids or dogs to fill a team's squares for every move on the tic-tac-toe board, then each team can use small bean bags to toss into the squares on their moves.  Once again, if the dog moves from its square to chase a tossed bean bag, then that team loses.  This game is fun to watch as kids will often get so focused on keeping their dogs in the stay that they forget how to play tic-tac-toe!

5.  Limbo:  Have two kids hold a pool noodle, broom, or large wooden dowel at shoulder height as other kids and their leashed dogs move under the pole, limbo style.  As the pole gets lower, kids will have to crawl under the pole and coax their dogs under too. No touching the pole!

6.  Set it all to music:  Have the kids add music to their training.  All of the tricks and behaviors they've taught the dog can be timed with music, and extra credit for matching costumes IF the dog doesn't mind playing dress-up.

Encourage your kids to be involved in the day-to-day needs of the family dog.  They can fill water bowls, help with feeding, and learn how to brush teeth, groom, etc. Dogs show more respect for kids who take an active role in their care and training.  Supervise your kids as they build lasting relationships with the family dog.  And always remember the importance of "down time" for everyone.  Family dogs need a quiet place to rest and recharge and everyone should respect that to ensure the safety and sanity of all family members.

I hope everyone has a terrific summer!  If you want my help to work together, outdoors and with social distancing, on any of these games with your family, please let me know.  As always, you know where to find me.

Flying touch is one of Ozzie's favorite tricks!  Any game or trick that allows him to jump up is on his personal list of favorites!