The day dedicated to sweethearts is right around the corner. That means you’ll want your inquisitive canine to be feeling the love. Valentine’s Day often means chocolate, and lots of other, candy. Poncho and I want to send a gentle reminder to make sure you’re managing your environment, keeping all of those types of human yummy treats out of your dog’s reach. Yes, safety is top priority for pets – through management of his or her environment – but that doesn’t mean you can’t show your love in a multitude of other ways.
How about making it a scent-ual Valentine’s Day and setting up a Kibble Hunt? Poncho loves playing this as much as we love setting up the course.
A few tips on setting up Kibble Hunt:
- Instead of serving his or her food out of a bowl, set up a scavenger course in and around your house. In the yard or inside your home, or both. If your dog eats kibble, this will be easy! Just place pieces in strategic places around the yard. Or, if it’s an indoor arrangement only, place pieces of kibble around areas of your home. Behind doors, under corners of rugs and pieces of furniture, or wherever your dog likes to explore or is easy to explore. Note: If your dog eats wet food or out of a Kong toy then you can certainly “hide” these as well. Kong toys are convenient to hide around the yard or areas in kitchens. Wet food can be divided into smaller containers and hidden in various places.
- Add a bonus. Although I usually hide Poncho’s regular kibble, I’ll also place a few pieces of his favorite treats. Why not? Makes the game that much more fun! Plus, it’s Valentine’s Day!
- Set your dog up for success. If Kibble Hunt is a new activity for your dog, or if your dog is more of a runner than a hunter, consider letting he or she watch you set up. Leash and tether your dog in an area where he or she can watch you arrange the course. Then, “let the dogs out” to search and rescue all the goodies. You could also have your dog watch through a window, seeing all the steps you’re taking, in order to assist in the hunt.
Kibble Hunt is an excellent physical and mental stimulation activity for your dog and will help keep him or her occupied when spending time on their own. Providing opportunities for dogs to use their hunting skills helps build confidence. Also, it’s just darn fun! By the way, Kibble Hunt is just one of the many and very fun activities in our Out of the Box Dog Training Game!
What better way to say “I love you” to your inquisitive canine? Wishing you all a very happy and pawsitively rewarding Valentine’s Day.
The Inquisitive Canine Doggie Blog is written by Joan Mayer, a certified professional dog trainer based in Santa Barbara, California. Joan is also a human-canine relationship coach and frequently consults with Poncho, her 10-pound mutt who knows a lot about human and canine behavior.
Joan and Poncho love making new friends. Post snapshots and videos of your favorite Inquisitive Canine on their Facebook page.
One Response
I love this idea! I always get my dog a special treat when it’s a holiday, I feel as though I can’t leave her out! My dog would LOVE the Kibble Hunt. Definitely something I’m going to try!