10 Summer Activities for Your Pet
Don’t let the summer heat keep your pooch from living their best life! Get down and dirty with your pup this summer with these 10 fun activities, whether it is inside or out.
1. Treasure Hunt
Let your pup’s imagination run wild as you create a treasure hunt for them around the house. Have them sit and stay patiently in one room while you go around the house hiding Pup Corn in various nooks and crannies. When you’ve finished, release your dog and see how many they find! Keep a mental map of where you hid them, so you don’t happen upon these lost Pup Corn pieces days later.
2. Hide & Seek
A fun little game of scent work to keep your puppy on their toes! Have your pooch sit patiently in one room of the house while you try to find a good hiding spot. Once your tucked away, call for your pet and see how long it takes for them to find you. This can sometimes work best with a sidekick so they can release the dog without giving any hints to your hiding place.
3. Scent Work
The best way to have a tired and satisfied pooch at the end of the day is to work their brains. Scent work is an excellent way to keep their gears turning. First, you will need to teach your dog to identify the specific scent that you want them to find. Then you will collect a few toys and place them on the ground, out of view from your dog. Select one of the toys and rub the scent on the toy and place it amongst the rest, being careful not to contaminate the other toys. When you are ready, release your dog and see if they can find the special toy.
4. Agility Course
Though there are plenty of agility elements available online, you could easily make your own agility course in your back yard. Most agility courses have a jump, an a-frame, weave poles, a tunnel, and a balance beam. Be creative and see what you can find around the house to make each element!
5. Three Cup Game
See if your pup can keep up with your sleight of hand with this fun game. Place a Pup Corn piece underneath one of the containers while letting your dog watch. Slowly shuffle the containers around a few times and then let your dog pick which one is holding the treat. If they choose correctly, reward them with the treat! Start shuffling faster and faster once your dog gets the hang of it. Hint: poking a hole in the container will let the treat smell escape and let your pooch rely on their strong sense of smell.
6. Set up a splash pad or sprinkler
Help your fur-bestie cool down with a splash pad or sprinkler. Simply set one up in your backyard, don your favorite swimsuit and run through, calling for your dog to follow. For added fun, play a game of fetch with your pooch, throwing the ball through the sprinkler or splash pad. Some might take a bit to learn that they can run through the water instead of around, but that is half of the fun!
7. Use the treadmill
Sometimes it’s just too hot to go outside. Teaching your dog how to use a doggie treadmill might just be the trick to keeping them in shape during the peak of summer heat. Take your time as you introduce this new skill; the moving belt can be scary for dogs at first. The first step would be to let them adjust to the noise of the treadmill. Then you can use Pup Corn pieces to encourage them to step up and onto the belt. Once they feel comfortable with the treadmill, slowly start the belt and feed treats as they start to walk and up the pace once they get the hang of it.
8. Learn a new trick
Adding a new trick to your dog’s arsenal is always a great way to combat boredom. Scour TikTok or Instagram for some well-behaved pups and see if they have any special tricks that you want to copy. Remember, repetition and rewards are key to helping any dog learn new tricks!
9. Learn the names of their toys
This one might take a bit of time but it is a great trick for when your pup wants to show off. At first, stick to one specific toy, preferably their favorite. Each time you hand it to them, whenever they bring it to you, or if they are engaging with it exclusively, make sure you say its name. Eventually, you can lay out multiple toys and ask for them to bring a specific one to you!
10. Try Yoga
There are many positives to doga (oh yes, that is yoga for dogs). Much like for humans, some of the benefits for your pup include: improving circulation, learning impulse control, and calming anxious nerves. Start by incorporating them into a few of your simpler poses and easing them into the more relaxed ones. At times, you will be helping your pup into specific poses, using them to support yourself in certain poses, and giving them love and pats between movements. This game easily turns into a play-fest as soon as one of you fall over. Let the belly rubs, treats, and laughs fill you with joy!
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What activities did we leave out? Give us a shout on social and let us know of any activities you’re going to try!
