Help! I need ideas for an active puppy

[wintermom]

It's windy, cold and snowy (and yucky). Being outside is not pleasant, but it must be done for puppy's sake. He's a 3-month old border collie.

He used to run after tennis balls I would roll along the ground, and herd them under the trailer in the backyard. He has stopped running after tennis balls and I don't know why. Somehow the motivation is gone. I probably took away the reward inadvertantly, or he just got bored.

So in order to get him running, I ran him back and forth in the yard on his leash. I'm too old for this, and I don't want to do these intense intervals. 

He's getting this booster vaccine next week, so I need to keep him in the backyard until then. We have a large yard, I have a few small homemade agility jumps for him. There's a breech in the fencing so someone needs to be outside with him, and I'd want to do this anyway so that bad habits don't form and for his safety (he eats anything he finds on the ground).

Any tips for mental and physical stimulation that will tire out puppy but not me? (I hope I'm not asking for the impossible) 😉 

One last thing - I work full-time from home. I do have time to provide attention to puppy throughout the day, as do other family members in the house.

[Navymom]

Start scent work.  Denise Fenzi has an online course if you need some direction.

It is a great mental and physical workout for the pup with minimal effort on your part! It is amazing to watch dogs work out the 'puzzle'.

Please don't allow your puppy to use agility jumps, it is not recommended at such a young age.

[wintermom]

16 minutes ago, Navymom said:

Start scent work.  Denise Fenzi has an online course if you need some direction.

It is a great mental and physical workout for the pup with minimal effort on your part! It is amazing to watch dogs work out the 'puzzle'.

Please don't allow your puppy to use agility jumps, it is not recommended at such a young age.

How well do puppies do with scent work. I understand that their sense of smell isn't fully developed.

Thanks for the tip on agility. 

[Selkie]

Do you have another dog that will play with the puppy? Wrestling and playing with another dog is a great way to wear off puppy energy and good for puppy’s mental well-being and social development.

[wintermom]

15 minutes ago, Selkie said:

Do you have another dog that will play with the puppy? Wrestling and playing with another dog is a great way to wear off puppy energy and good for puppy’s mental well-being and social development.

We have a 9-year old standard poodle who will play a little with the puppy, but he's older and a poodle which, in this case, means he's got a mind of his own and he 'plays' in different ways than other dogs. 

[thewellerman]

I would try to get the ball drive back. He is still small enough that you could try ping pong balls.  Get a bunch and bounce them off the floor all at once.  The herding instinct might kick in, and he might run all around trying to get them all.  

[Granny_Weatherwax]

1 hour ago, Navymom said:

Start scent work.  Denise Fenzi has an online course if you need some direction.

It is a great mental and physical workout for the pup with minimal effort on your part! It is amazing to watch dogs work out the 'puzzle'.

Please don't allow your puppy to use agility jumps, it is not recommended at such a young age.

I'm so glad you said this. My puppy is 14 months and I have just been cleared by the vet to begin low level jumps and basic agility work.

[thewellerman]

1 hour ago, Navymom said:

Start scent work.  Denise Fenzi has an online course if you need some direction.

It is a great mental and physical workout for the pup with minimal effort on your part! It is amazing to watch dogs work out the 'puzzle'.

Please don't allow your puppy to use agility jumps, it is not recommended at such a young age.

Are her courses suitable for my 15yo?  He would like to learn more to work with our puppy.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

We play fetch down the hallway daily. We also go to dog parks. The hallway doesn’t equal the amount of exercise at a dog park but the sprinting does tire them out!  

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Mental stimulation games might keep him from becoming bored but won't take care of the physical needs.

An easy inexpensive game is to place treats in a muffin tin and then place tennis balls on top. The puppy has to learn to get the tennis balls out before he gets the treats.

Snuffle mats are great if they have a lot of pockets to hide treats in.

Three to four short training sessions a day on basic commands would also provide lots of mental stimulation. Sit, down, settle, touch, leave it, wait (at thresholds) are all easy commands to work on indoors.

Tricks are also good - weave, middle, two up

My puppy loved learning the weave when he was little. Now, middle is his go to if he has any anxiety.
 

Edited: He is 3 months old. He only needs short bursts of activity a few times a day (but you know that).

Edited March 28, 2022 by Granny_Weatherwax

[wintermom]

12 minutes ago, thewellerman said:

I would try to get the ball drive back. He is still small enough that you could try ping pong balls.  Get a bunch and bounce them off the floor all at once.  The herding instinct might kick in, and he might run all around trying to get them all.  

Good idea. He went nuts over ds's volleyball. I can try to find something safe for puppy and ds's volleyball. 

Ping pong balls don't sound safe at all, though - choking hazard.

[Pawz4me]

I'd be working on a ton of obedience training, hide and seek (hide things and let him find them) and stuff like that. Contrary to what passes for common wisdom, nothing--and I do mean nothing--wears a dog out like using his brain. And that's especially true for a dog like a Border Collie. More physical exercise means he gets more fit and needs more and more exercise to tire him out. Focus on brain stuff.

[thewellerman]

19 minutes ago, wintermom said:

Good idea. He went nuts over ds's volleyball. I can try to find something safe for puppy and ds's volleyball. 

Ping pong balls don't sound safe at all, though - choking hazard.

Maybe I misjudged the size of his mouth.  Our dogs have always loved racquetballs, and our last 2 have loved soccer balls.  We often go outside and kick 3 or 4 between us and let him run after whichever he chooses.  Our GSD pops soccer balls right away now, and gets so sad.  They would last a month or so until he was about 8 months old.  My husband found an unpoppable ball on Amazon, and it seems to be holding up!  We don't let him chew on it, but he runs around with it in his mouth for most of the day.  

[thewellerman]

I will delete, so please don't quote, but this is my GSD last summer with his favorite ball.  

 

 

Edited March 28, 2022 by thewellerman

[ShepCarlin]

Can you do a Wobbler from Kong? It rocks about and dispenses food on the floor. He has to chase it and whack it. We used to have one for our boxer mix and he absolutely loved it. My husband hated it though as it shot food out everywhere. I liked it because it kept him busy.

 

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-PW1-Wobbler-Large/dp/B003ALMW0M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2JWO8HK4Y7TU6&keywords=wobbler+kong&qid=1648483658&sprefix=wobbler+%2Caps%2C619&sr=8-2

[SounderChick]

The red laser pointer light works great for getting our puppy to run without having to run around. Tug is always good. Treat puzzles, snuffle mats.  

[thewellerman]

10 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

The red laser pointer light works great for getting our puppy to run without having to run around. Tug is always good. Treat puzzles, snuffle mats.  

Careful with the laser, though.  Some dogs get obsessive about it, and that's all they can think about.  We accidentally did that with our gsd.  It took about 6 weeks for him to forget about it.  At first, when the sun went down, he would whimper and hop all around and wouldn't do anything at all except beg for the laser.  

[Jean in Newcastle]

1 minute ago, thewellerman said:

Careful with the laser, though.  Some dogs get obsessive about it, and that's all they can think about.  We accidentally did that with our gsd.  It took about 6 weeks for him to forget about it.  At first, when the sun went down, he would whimper and hop all around and wouldn't do anything at all except beg for the laser.  

Our Rottweiller/German shepherd mix is obsessive that way about balls.  We don't take the balls away from her.  We just redirect her from whining and have ball time at certain times and not others. 

[wintermom]

42 minutes ago, thewellerman said:

Maybe I misjudged the size of his mouth.  Our dogs have always loved racquetballs, and our last 2 have loved soccer balls.  We often go outside and kick 3 or 4 between us and let him run after whichever he chooses.  Our GSD pops soccer balls right away now, and gets so sad.  They would last a month or so until he was about 8 months old.  My husband found an unpoppable ball on Amazon, and it seems to be holding up!  We don't let him chew on it, but he runs around with it in his mouth for most of the day.  

The crushability of the ping pong ball would be an issue for lots of different sized dogs, but then again dogs can find and swallow a million different things to cause a blockage. I just don't want the blockage (throat or intestine) to be promoted by me.

[Pawz4me]

18 minutes ago, rebcoola said:

The red laser pointer light works great for getting our puppy to run without having to run around. Tug is always good. Treat puzzles, snuffle mats.  

I wouldn't use a laser light with any dog, and especially not with an intense breed like a Border Collie. There have been too many cases of OCD like behavior correlated with their use. You can Google "laser pointer syndrome in dogs" for lots of info (yes, it's enough of a thing that it has a name).

[wintermom]

1 hour ago, Pawz4me said:

I'd be working on a ton of obedience training, hide and seek (hide things and let him find them) and stuff like that. Contrary to what passes for common wisdom, nothing--and I do mean nothing--wears a dog out like using his brain. And that's especially true for a dog like a Border Collie. More physical exercise means he gets more fit and needs more and more exercise to tire him out. Focus on brain stuff.

Unfortunately, I don't get paid from doing a ton of obedience training. 😅 I do what I can, and a variety of ideas would be helpful. If you have specific obedience ideas, or a link to a youtube video, that would be wonderful. 

[wintermom]

25 minutes ago, ShepCarlin said:

Can you do a Wobbler from Kong? It rocks about and dispenses food on the floor. He has to chase it and whack it. We used to have one for our boxer mix and he absolutely loved it. My husband hated it though as it shot food out everywhere. I liked it because it kept him busy.

 

https://www.amazon.com/KONG-PW1-Wobbler-Large/dp/B003ALMW0M/ref=sr_1_2?crid=2JWO8HK4Y7TU6&keywords=wobbler+kong&qid=1648483658&sprefix=wobbler+%2Caps%2C619&sr=8-2

We have a few different ones already, and they're helpful. Puppy also gets overstimulated, so there's a balancing act between providing enough physical and mental stimulus, and knowing when to turn it off and enforce a naptime. I'm still working on this. 😉 

[Granny_Weatherwax]

Check out Sexier than a Squirrel

They have a lot of ideas. Their main focus is to ditch the food bowl and play games with your dog with his daily allotment of kibble becoming the rewards/reinforcers. It keeps the dog active. The games are fun for both dog and human. When done in 3-4 10-15 min sessions, its doable.

STAS was originally designed for dogs with reactivity/behavior issues, but lots of people use it for entertainment and trust building.

Edited March 28, 2022 by Granny_Weatherwax

[Granny_Weatherwax]

https://www.thesexierthanasquirrelchallenge.com/sexier-than-a-squirrel-2-01618522334883

[Pawz4me]

1 hour ago, wintermom said:

Unfortunately, I don't get paid from doing a ton of obedience training. 😅 I do what I can, and a variety of ideas would be helpful. If you have specific obedience ideas, or a link to a youtube video, that would be wonderful. 

I'm a dinosaur. I learned from people like Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor. I don't know what online resources they have available. I'm hopelessly out of the loop when it comes to newer/younger trainers with lots of social media presence. At just three months old I'd start working on a solid foundation of basic skills like sit, down, stay, come, leave it, place, and loose leash walking (the best place to start practicing leash walking is inside!). You can also Google something like "brain games for dogs" and get tons of ideas on fun little things to do that aren't necessarily teaching a useful skill but will help keep his mind busy.

[Navymom]

Yes, the Fenzi course would be fine for a 15 yo.

A 3 month pup can certainly begin scent work! 

I have taught scent work and had puppies all the way to older, retired dogs. All ages can learn it. 

It is great for older dogs too, who may be physically unable to compete anymore in obedience or agility, and their owners want to continue working with them.

Warning, it is seriously addicting! 

[Navymom]

Check out the Fenzi academy online. There are a lot of good courses, for the person that just wants a well behaved pet to those that compete.

Edited to add-PLEASE do not use a laser light with your dog. 

Edited March 28, 2022 by Navymom

[wintermom]

58 minutes ago, Pawz4me said:

I'm a dinosaur. I learned from people like Patricia McConnell, Ian Dunbar and Karen Pryor. I don't know what online resources they have available. I'm hopelessly out of the loop when it comes to newer/younger trainers with lots of social media presence. At just three months old I'd start working on a solid foundation of basic skills like sit, down, stay, come, leave it, place, and loose leash walking (the best place to start practicing leash walking is inside!). You can also Google something like "brain games for dogs" and get tons of ideas on fun little things to do that aren't necessarily teaching a useful skill but will help keep his mind busy.

I'm a dinosaur, too. I'm already doing sit, down, stay, come, leave it, spin, roll-over, wait, sit for the dinner bowl. I need to keep working on cementing these or he'll get confused.

I can't wain until I can take him places and introduce him to other nice dogs! That will definitely help with the mental stimulation.

[SounderChick]

3 hours ago, thewellerman said:

Careful with the laser, though.  Some dogs get obsessive about it, and that's all they can think about.  We accidentally did that with our gsd.  It took about 6 weeks for him to forget about it.  At first, when the sun went down, he would whimper and hop all around and wouldn't do anything at all except beg for the laser.  

The reason it can be a problem is their is no reward.  We play with it but it always leads to a treat reward. 

[Catwoman]

Well, color me disappointed.

I opened this thread looking for more puppy pictures.

 

[wintermom]

15 hours ago, Catwoman said:

Well, color me disappointed.

I opened this thread looking for more puppy pictures.

 

Just for you (and other puppy lovers), happy boys with new toys! 

 

[wintermom]

Talk of the laser pointer reminded me of this cartoon from the meme thread. 😅

Edited March 29, 2022 by wintermom

[Catwoman]

I love your dogs!!!!!

[BookMamaLade]

Doggy puzzles. Word buttons. Training extra commands.

[YaelAldrich]

3 minutes ago, BookMamaLade said:

Doggy puzzles. Word buttons. Training extra commands.

Ok, on the word buttons.  I'm kinda obsessed with the short videos on dogs communicating with their owners with buttons.  Is this for real?  Are some dogs too dumb (for lack of a better word) to do this?  Are some dog breeds better than others at this?

[Pawz4me]

1 minute ago, YaelAldrich said:

Ok, on the word buttons.  I'm kinda obsessed with the short videos on dogs communicating with their owners with buttons.  Is this for real?  Are some dogs too dumb (for lack of a better word) to do this?  Are some dog breeds better than others at this?

I think it's a lot of owners subconsciously cueing their dogs. People do it when they'd never in a zillion years realize they're doing it. Clever Hans was a horse, but his case is probably the best known incident of inadvertent cueing.

[BookMamaLade]

5 hours ago, YaelAldrich said:

Ok, on the word buttons.  I'm kinda obsessed with the short videos on dogs communicating with their owners with buttons.  Is this for real?  Are some dogs too dumb (for lack of a better word) to do this?  Are some dog breeds better than others at this?

I definitely believe it's for real, but yes, some dogs are smarter than others. Dog breeds that tend to exihibit more independent intelligence (vs just being really trainable) are going to do better at it.

Bunny is the best example. She has come up with novel statements to solve problems. She has asked existential-type questions. My dogs on the other hand showed no interest lol.

[YaelAldrich]

5 hours ago, BookMamaLade said:

I definitely believe it's for real, but yes, some dogs are smarter than others. Dog breeds that tend to exihibit more independent intelligence (vs just being really trainable) are going to do better at it.

Bunny is the best example. She has come up with novel statements to solve problems. She has asked existential-type questions. My dogs on the other hand showed no interest lol.

Bunny is so cool and smart! Poodles are smart, sometimes too smart! I know many more dogs which don't seem to be great thinkers; they don't even "dog" that well!

[ktgrok]

On 3/28/2022 at 10:01 AM, Navymom said:

Start scent work.  Denise Fenzi has an online course if you need some direction.

It is a great mental and physical workout for the pup with minimal effort on your part! It is amazing to watch dogs work out the 'puzzle'.

Please don't allow your puppy to use agility jumps, it is not recommended at such a young age.

Was going to say the exact same things, lol. 

On 3/28/2022 at 11:20 AM, Pawz4me said:

I'd be working on a ton of obedience training, hide and seek (hide things and let him find them) and stuff like that. Contrary to what passes for common wisdom, nothing--and I do mean nothing--wears a dog out like using his brain. And that's especially true for a dog like a Border Collie. More physical exercise means he gets more fit and needs more and more exercise to tire him out. Focus on brain stuff.

Oh my goodness, this made me laugh! Figured this out when my hound was young, and we were taking him to the dog part to survive, ended up taking him TWICE a day, an hour each time, at one point, just to survive. I will never forget looking at him running and thinking, "I don't think I'm wearing you out, I think I'm increasing your stamina!"

 

[ktgrok]

My FAVORITE way to both work the brain and mind is to play a round robin type game of recall. 

Have various family members ( need at least two people, more is even more fun) and everyone gets a handful of treats. Start al standing fairly close, like all in the same room, and take turns calling the puppy. When puppy comes, you give puppy a treat, then IGNORE PUPPY and look away or at the ceiling as another person calls the puppy. Puppy runs over to that person, gets treat. That person ignores puppy, and first person or another person calls puppy. Once puppy has the idea of the game, you can start spreading out, eventually being spread out in various rooms all over the house, and puppy gets to run from room to room getting treats and solidifying the recall command. 

(do be careful about having a puppy run on slick floors though - joints are tender at this age - put down carpet runners if need be)

Oh, and once puppy knows "stay" well, you can put puppy in a stay, then go hide, and then call puppy to come. He gets to play hide and seek! And wears out brain and body. 

[wintermom]

Thanks for all the great advice! Puppy is doing really well with the mental stimulation and obedience training. 

@Pawz4me said, "I think it's a lot of owners subconsciously cueing their dogs." and I think this is very true - for dogs and kids. 

There's a saying, "You aren't always teaching, but they are always learning." The stuff that makes the commend cement in their minds may not be what you think it is. 😅  If we could only read their minds it would make training dogs way easier.