Thursday, June 28, 2012

The Alphabet Game







As trainers we are always looking for fun ways to practice obedience.  As a lazy mom I am always looking for ways to push chores off on my kid.  The Alphabet Game accomplishes both!  The rules of the game are simple - for each letter of the alphabet the human will pop a treat in the pups mouth as long as the dog remains in one position.  You can do this with a Sit, a Down or even a Stand depending on what your dog knows.  If the dog gets out of that position then the alphabet starts over.  Have more than one child?  Make this a little competitive by seeing who can get further in the alphabet without the dog moving.

The treats must be in a bowl or in a pocket so the human has to reach to get each treat.  No fair having multiple treats in your hand so you can say the letters really quickly!  And if your pup has a bit of a harder mouth (you hear Justin say "ow" a few times when Darcy gets too into the game) you can have the person hold the treat in a flat palm rather than pinched between fingers.