Now that we are in the heat of summer you may be looking for ways to get your family out of the house to enjoy the sun and play some fun games for dogs and kids alike. Of course, this may be difficult to do without excluding anyone unless you just stick with a simple family dog walk. To help your family avoid boredom during this summer season, we’ve put together a short list of games and exercises your whole family (including your dog) can do together.
#1 Obstacle Course
Even if your dog has no experience with agility training or obstacle courses, it’s still completely doable for your family to put something together that your pet will be able to get through with enough patience and practice. Something as simple as a stick between books for the dog to jump over can be a fun challenge for the family to work through.
Be sure to remind the children with the treats that are leading the dog through the course that it may take a while to get the animal to properly go through the course.
Other obstacles that your family can include in the course are a series of cones or books laid on the ground for your pet to weave through, or something to walk on that has a strange texture or firmness.
#2 Hide & Seek
Another fun game that your family can play with your dog indoors or outdoors is hide and seek. Simply give your child some sort of toy filled with treats like chicken that have a significant smell and tell them to hide somewhere.
If this game becomes too easy for the dog, you can also try to teach them new tricks before giving them the treat.
#3 Round Robin
If you have more than one kid or just simply want a game that involves the whole family, you can have everyone circle up together (15-25 feet apart) and, one by one, call the dog over and ask them for a trick before giving them a treat.
#4 Fetch
Last but certainly not least, Fetch is a classic game for dog and child. You do not need a strong throwing arm, and it requires just open space and a ball. Initially, your dog may be hesitant to cooperate, or too fixated on the ball to bring it back. But with patience, practice, and perhaps a few treats, you and your family can all participate in a fun activity with your pet. Just mind your aim!
Keep in mind though that with all the treats being given out during these games, you want to make sure you are still keeping up with those family walks that we mentioned at the beginning of this blog post. You definitely don’t want your pets putting on any extra poundage during these hot summer months.
Even though we mentioned getting out of the house for some family fun, we’ve all experienced those summer days where it is simply too hot to be outside for more than five minutes at a time. Luckily, with all of the games that we’ve listed, you should be able to play them inside as well depending on the size of your home.
