Dogs Just Want to Have Fun

It's back-to-school time for students at the Potter Pet University too, and the latest class at the Potter Leage for Animals on Wednesday night brought together dog owners, without their canine companions this time out, to learn how to teach and play games with their furry companions.

Director of Behavior and Training Byron Davies, who led the class, kicked off the lesson by explaining that dogs need mental stimulation and physical activity just as much as humans. Many people expect their dogs to just lay on the couch and be cute, she said, but noted that animals get bored too.

Teaching dogs games also teaches them how to follow commands and become better trained pets, she noted.

Games can be as simple as tug-o-war and fetch, or pet owners can go so far as to buy actual mind games for their dogs, such as one game where animals must figure out how to extract a treat from a contraption, she said, giving one example.

Davies suggested other games including hide-and-seek, where the owner hides a ball in a different room and the dog must find it, setting up an obstacle course in the garage or basement, and playing the shell game in which the dog has to find the treat under a bowl.

Davies also encouraged class members to teach their dogs tricks because they're both fun and they teach the dogs to follow commands. And, believe it or not, Davised said she has even trained some cats--a so-called untrainable species--to learn a few tricks.

Besides games, Davies also recommends agility training for dogs as a fun outlet. After 45 minutes in the classroom Wednesday night, everyone headed downstairs in the Potter League to watch the agility class that was also underway at the Potter League.

"Agility builds a dog's confidence because they're tackling things they're afraid of," noted Davies.

Davies offers some general rules of play between owners and dogs that also help maintain positive pet behaviors:

• Make sure the human wins when playing tug-o-war. That way, it is clear that the human is in charge.
• Put away toys when it's not time for that particular game. 
• The pack leader makes the rules so it's important that the human assert himself or herself as the pack leader, in order to maintain a well-trained dog. Otherwise,  or the dog becomes confused.
• Don't wrestle or play fight with the dog, as it pits the dog against the owner.

The Potter League has a wide array of obedience and play classes for dogs including playgroups, Puppy 1, Puppy 2, Basic Obedience, and Small Breed Obedience. For fun, they also offer a Tricks Class, Clicker Class, Doggy-O, Agility and the new favorite "Dancing With Your Dog."

For more information on the Potter League's classes for your dog, go to www.potterleague.org.

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