Games.

fatmammycat

Now that the pup has hit 8 months, his training is starting to really pay off. He's recall is improving, he walks very well to heel ( on lead), and no longer pulls with excitment when he sees another dog ( he LOVES dogs, especially labradors). He gets plenty of exercise daily and likes being out and about, but he particulary loves games and gets very focused when playing ( which I encourage).
When he's a litte older I intend to get him into agility and tracking and trailing classes. His current favourite game, aside from catching kicked leaves, is to chase after a six feet length of rope, catch it mid-air and then we play a fairly rough and tumble tug game. He releases on command 99/100 times and we start off all over again. 20 -30 mins of this seems to be the equivalent of a really long walk for some reason and he comes in pooped (rather like me). As soon as he sees me pop the rope into my bag, he heads straight to the front door, waiting to go.
I was just wondering, are there other games people might suggest for a bright, energetic pup (he's not terribly ball focused, he will chase it, but expects you to chase him to retrieve it. This, apparently, is terrific fun; he absolutely loves being chased)?
Thanks.

DBB

How about starting some nosework with him?
When you say tracking and trailing, what do you want him to track and trail?

fatmammycat

He loves following any kind of scent and can locate exactly which trail we took when we're in marsh land even a day after we've been there, and there's a GSA club out in Waterside that offer all sorts of classes including trailing. This fellow loves a task, and I think he'd enjoy it a lot so I am going to get in touch with them and see what they offer. He might be a bit young at the moment, and I don't want to put him under any pressure, but I'd be delighted if he enjoyed it.

planetX

Hide and seek is my standard dark winters evening game....embarrassing, but I have a very hyper dog to tire out indoors:o

fatmammycat

Heh, I like that one too, but there's only so many places in my house one can hide . It's so funny when they go tearing past where you are though.

DBB

There's absolutely no reason why you shouldn't start doing some more targeted nosework with him. I'm training my GSD for professional tracking work, and whilst the early stages were great fun, I let her gradually develop her hunting skills, because experience plays a huge role in the skill.
Indeed, we took an enforced break for a couple of months, and got back to it a couple of weeks ago, and I couldn't believe how much she'd come on and built on the early basic skill. She needed age and time to teach her to actively hunt for a scent, and her first day back at work clearly showed that the work we'd done during her break, such as chucking a ball a big distance into long grass so she had to look for it, had really helped her hunting prowess, and her tendency to move away from me to hunt for something.
A couple of good books to teach you the skills, including understanding how scent works, include "Ready! Training the Search and Rescue Dog" by Susan Bulanda, or "Search and Rescue Dogs. Training the K9 Hero" by ARDA. You don't have to be into search and rescue for these books, esp the former, to be very useful for tracking!

fatmammycat

Thanks DBB, I'll look into them, I think he'd really enjoy this.

DBB

fatmammycat wrote: »

Thanks DBB, I'll look into them, I think he'd really enjoy this.

It sounds like he will! The fact that you've worked to get his obedience up to par is really important, and will really stand to you.
I always knew dogs have a great sense of smell, but since starting specific nose training with this young lady, I am in serious, serious awe of what they're capable of, it's breathtaking really!

fatmammycat

I am ridiculously impressed with this guy anyway- totally biased though I am. He's wicked smart and really enjoys learning tricks and doing things/tasks, so that's why I thought this would be ideal for him. He's my first GSD, and I have to say I don't think I would never have another breed again, he's just such a good-natured, easy-going dote ( I say this, but actually I love all dogs and have a particular fondness for smiley-faced staffies and labs, but you know what I mean).

DBB

fatmammycat wrote: »

I am ridiculously impressed with this guy anyway- totally biased though I am. He's wicked smart and really enjoys learning tricks and doing things/tasks, so that's why I though this would be ideal for him. He's my first GSD, and I have to say I don't think I would never have another breed again, he's just such a good-natured, easy-going dote ( I say this, but actually I love all dogs and have a particular fondness for smiley-faced staffies and labs, but you know what I mean).

Aw! Snap for my GSD too... When you get a good GSD, they're a hard breed to beat, they can turn their paw to anything, including being a big eejit goofball chilling at your feet! I've been really lucky, my first GSD was a dog of a lifetime. When she died I was lost without her. And then, didn't I find her niece, my current GSD, looking for a home on this very site a year ago! She's so like her aunt, so I get to have another dog of a lifetime!
They are the breed of choice for tracking work too :-)