Hide and Seek Recalls is a game that I have played with my dogs a lot. I started way back when I first got Zoe. We'd go to completely fenced dog parks and I'd hide and let her find me. Sometimes I would call her and sometimes not. She would need to use her sight, hearing and nose to find me and it was a great way to work her brain.When we got Phoenix we didn't play as much because getting Phoenix to take her eyes off of me for even a second didn't happen very often. I used to call her "Overly Attached Girlfriend" (Have you seen those memes? They are hilarious).
Zoe says, "I see you, silly mother!!"
Now that we've been going to the same park a lot and Phoenix has more confidence than she did when I first got her, we are able to play this game a little more. The girls love it. The joy on their faces when they figure out where I am makes it worth it! The game has had an added benefit of also teaching them to keep an eye on their "errant" mother because she might just wander off! They've learned that they need to keep up with me, too.
"Ha! Found You!!" says Phoenix.
There are some variations of this game you can play with your dog. You can hide in your house or your backyard. I've used empty dog parks before, too. I would just recommend that you do it in a safe place if your dog isn't very reliable. Always consider their safety before doing anything like this! The way I do it is a more advanced version of the game and I would recommend starting small until they get better at it. You can get your whole family involved and have someone hold the dog by the collar while you run and hide. Or you can have everyone in the house hide and recall the dog back and forth or when the dog gets to you the helper hides and they go find that person. Help them find you if they get stuck. You never want your dog to get freaked out by this. This is supposed to be a fun game that helps build their attention on you and their recall. As soon as the girls find me they get a jackpot reward and we have a party.
Happy Hide and Seek everyone!
Have you ever played any games like this with your dog? Does your dog get a kick out of finding you like mine do?
I love this idea. Harvey is a minx for going off, he always keeps his eye on me - but often I lose sight of him (hence his new neon orange harness so I can spot him in the undergrowth!) I need to take some time out with Harvey alone (Nanny to walk Willow) and play this game - he'd love it and it'll work on his recall hugely. Great suggestion, thank you :)
ReplyDeleteWhat fun! I agree that the game helps build confidence. I used to play it with our golden when we first got him. He was an adult and not all that sure of himself at first so I would play it in our house. It really went a long way to make him feel comfortable in a new place. Love the pictures and I really want to go there and throw bumpers for the dogs. That high grass would be a good challenge. :) Thanks for joining the hop!
ReplyDeleteI should really be doing more of this with Delilah. She is my runner, although in the house, I'm rarely out of her sight. Take her out to the woods and the first whiff of something intriguing and off she goes.
ReplyDeleteSampson will wander ahead of me, but typically stops if I'm too far behind him.
Thanks for joining the blog hop!!
Sounds like a fun game. I haven't tried it with my dogs, since they rarely go far enough away for me to try. But I do have a whistle for them that means hey, dummies, I am on a different path and you are going the wrong way. Which means they need to come find me and the path I am on.
ReplyDeleteSO much fun!
ReplyDeleteღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
A fun game for dogs!
ReplyDeleteYour Pals,
Murphy & Stanley
Sounds fun! I've been wanting to play but we don't have many places for me to hide. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat looks like so much fun!
ReplyDeleteSadly, when I try to play hide and seek with Blueberry - she usually lies down and naps, not caring at all where I am. It's kind of funny in a way. My last dog Shadow loved this game - although she could get a little anxious when she couldn't find me easily.
I have some one hold the dogs out of sight while I hide, then release them to find me. It's a favorite game! When we're out of the yard they don't go far enough away to play. Pike gets too anxious when he can't see me!
ReplyDeleteThank you for making me waste 15 minutes on the overly attached girlfriend memes. :p