Surfaces

Author: Denise Partlow

Instagram: @modernk9 Carolinas

This a great confidence building activity-The objective is to have your dog walk over different textured surfaces.

Gather a bunch of different materials such as plastic bags, newspaper, aluminum foil, plastic mats, cardboard, paper, etc. It really can be anything and everything you have available that can be laid on the ground. Then guide your dog on and over.

You may want to start with one material at a time and gradually add more in as your dog’s confidence grows.

Another way to modify is to sprinkle food on the surface to encourage your dog to walk on top. You may even have to break that down in even smaller increments by just sprinkling some food around the perimeter and then maybe at just the entrance and then keep increasing the distance.

Another idea for some dogs might be to leave a trail of treats from one end of the path to the other.

Overtime, your dog should be able to walk straight across the entire surface and will receive a treat once completed. I like to advance this by having my dog stop somewhere in the middle and either sit or go in a down. And to take it a step even further, I would pick up one of those different textured items, toss it and ask my dog to bring it to me (if your dog has been taught that-just be careful he doesn’t try to eat it).

And that’s it! Have fun with it and start out slowly. If your dog is having difficulty and your not sure how to modify, reach out and I’ll guide you.

#dogenrichment #doglife #dogactivity#doglover #dogco