Games to Play with your Puppy for Training and Fun
As people ask questions and we write answers for them, I will use that for adding to this great section on how to puppy train with games.
FEEDING AND SHARING
Someone posted on a goldendoodle group that their puppy was possessive over bully sticks. Here are some tips to start establishing your puppy's understanding of what "sharing" is:
Starting after the first week of taking puppy home (preferably), or if it's too late for that - start this anyway -
You should play a "game" with her. Get a box of good chew stuff, bones, bully sticks, etc., and a bag of little smelly high motivation treats (merrick salmon is good or little pieces of boiled chicken). Sit on the floor with her. Give her something she really likes, like the bully stick, and let her chew on it for a few seconds, then take some treats from the bag, offer the treats with one hand off to the side so she has to take her attention off the bully stick and reach for the treats, and take the bully stick from her with the other hand (if she snatches at the bully stick, your treat is not special enough - find something, even if it is bacon, that is highly motivating and smelly). If a puppy bites at you, try not to snatch your hands away - snatching your hands away creates a "chase" factor. If your kids run in the house, you will have a harder time with puppy nipping - chase is the most fun game. (If you watch Cesar Milan work with dog aggression, you will see he does not snatch his hands or his body away, even if it means he gets bit.) Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Every day play this "game". Every time you take something away, give her a good treat. She will learn that her stuff being taken away gets her a reward. (btw, if you have a pup with a sensitive stomach, bully sticks are a terrible idea) If you have kids, after you have shown your puppy the "sharing" game, have your kids start doing this game with the puppy. If you watch dogs in Mexico, you will see that they have not learned how to share - so, it is natural for them to not like sharing - but, with a little bit of fun game, you can condition them to believe they are always getting something back for giving up a valued bone.
Also, hand feed her her meals. Alternate that with playing a game with her meals. Put her kibble in a Kong or "hide" little piles of her kibble (with her watching you) around the room - and she has to find her kibble. Everyone in the household should take turns feeding her. ESPECIALLY if you have little kids in the house (they should definitely feed her). If you can, have her sit before "hunting" for her food (or whoever is feeding her). The more games you 'play', the more you keep her mind busy and she will understand that she has to 'earn' things. It is not natural for them to just eat a bowl of food - it is natural for them to hunt and scavenge and have to find things. By the way, I do this with the puppies in group format too. When I'm feeding a litter, I'll put some in a food bowl, some in their crate, some under a blankie....they LOVE the game of looking for it and helps for me to not have them all jumping on top of one bowl all at once. It also takes away the "fighting a sibling for food" factor to a certain degree - they are not all pushing and shoving at one bowl, but roaming around, looking for the pieces of kibble that are spread around.
FEEDING AND SHARING
Someone posted on a goldendoodle group that their puppy was possessive over bully sticks. Here are some tips to start establishing your puppy's understanding of what "sharing" is:
Starting after the first week of taking puppy home (preferably), or if it's too late for that - start this anyway -
You should play a "game" with her. Get a box of good chew stuff, bones, bully sticks, etc., and a bag of little smelly high motivation treats (merrick salmon is good or little pieces of boiled chicken). Sit on the floor with her. Give her something she really likes, like the bully stick, and let her chew on it for a few seconds, then take some treats from the bag, offer the treats with one hand off to the side so she has to take her attention off the bully stick and reach for the treats, and take the bully stick from her with the other hand (if she snatches at the bully stick, your treat is not special enough - find something, even if it is bacon, that is highly motivating and smelly). If a puppy bites at you, try not to snatch your hands away - snatching your hands away creates a "chase" factor. If your kids run in the house, you will have a harder time with puppy nipping - chase is the most fun game. (If you watch Cesar Milan work with dog aggression, you will see he does not snatch his hands or his body away, even if it means he gets bit.) Repeat. Repeat. Repeat. Every day play this "game". Every time you take something away, give her a good treat. She will learn that her stuff being taken away gets her a reward. (btw, if you have a pup with a sensitive stomach, bully sticks are a terrible idea) If you have kids, after you have shown your puppy the "sharing" game, have your kids start doing this game with the puppy. If you watch dogs in Mexico, you will see that they have not learned how to share - so, it is natural for them to not like sharing - but, with a little bit of fun game, you can condition them to believe they are always getting something back for giving up a valued bone.
Also, hand feed her her meals. Alternate that with playing a game with her meals. Put her kibble in a Kong or "hide" little piles of her kibble (with her watching you) around the room - and she has to find her kibble. Everyone in the household should take turns feeding her. ESPECIALLY if you have little kids in the house (they should definitely feed her). If you can, have her sit before "hunting" for her food (or whoever is feeding her). The more games you 'play', the more you keep her mind busy and she will understand that she has to 'earn' things. It is not natural for them to just eat a bowl of food - it is natural for them to hunt and scavenge and have to find things. By the way, I do this with the puppies in group format too. When I'm feeding a litter, I'll put some in a food bowl, some in their crate, some under a blankie....they LOVE the game of looking for it and helps for me to not have them all jumping on top of one bowl all at once. It also takes away the "fighting a sibling for food" factor to a certain degree - they are not all pushing and shoving at one bowl, but roaming around, looking for the pieces of kibble that are spread around.