Play With Your Dog by Pat Miller

Author:Pat Miller
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: DogWise Publishing

Helen Fine and her Golden Retriever, Daisy, run side-by-side.

Run the Bases

Running together with a goal in mind—to run the bases on a ball field.

My friend and fellow positive trainer, Laura Dorfman of Glencoe, Illinois, plays this one with her Terrier mix, Kaiya. Part of the game is that dog and player have to touch each of the bases as they pass. Laura says:

As I took Kaiya on her birthday walk the other day we did our favorite base-running routine of starting at home plate and running all the bases until we get back to home. This last time as Kaiya got to home plate she missed it and I called her back and said, ‘Kaiya, touch!’ With her right front paw she slapped the plate, turned around and walked toward the dugout. I never pass a ball field with any dog without running the bases.

Monkey in the Middle; a Game the Whole Family Can Play

Dog runs back-and-forth between two humans who are tossing a toy/ball back-and-forth.

This is a perfect game for dogs who like to chase flying objects, even dogs who don’t retrieve, and great for the family because there’s no limit to the number of human players. You can also play with more than one dog, if they’re compatible and no one gets guardy.

Humans stand some distance apart—in a circle if there are three or more—and throw the toy/ball to each other randomly. Dog chases the toy/ball, and occasionally gets to have it, either if someone drops it, or one human decides to throw it for her. This provides great exercise for the dog, without worrying about the retrieve part of a fetch game. Positive trainer Gina Crimmons of Bartlett, Illinois, plays this game with her dogs Tess and Riley. Tess doesn’t retrieve, but loves to chase. Riley loves both chase and fetch. Crimmons says, “I miss a lot (hee hee) so then Riley will go get it and bring it back. He seriously loves this game, and is a high energy Jack Russell Terrier, so it’s a great way for him to get some good exercise.”

Value of Running Games

Exercise, exercise, exercise (for both of you!) and, like all the best games, relationship building. You can use running to teach a good recall (come) response.

Chasing Games

Another very popular activity with both species, Chasing is a variation of the Running Game. Instead of running with your dog, one of you is chasing the other.

Gimme Tat Tang

Known more familiarly as “Keep Away,” in this game your dog gets to grab a toy or other object, and run away as you chase her. Of course some dogs do this with “forbidden objects”—things they are not supposed to have. That’s not the game here—the worst thing you can do when your dog has a forbidden object is to chase him to try to take it away. With the “Gimme” game, you either offer your dog a “legal” play object or notice that he already has one, and start the game with a specific cue, such as “Gimme that!” and the chase is on.

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