10 Fun Activities To Do With Your Dog

Getting out and taking part in regular activities with your dog boosts your relationship by promoting better communication and gives your dog more opportunities to learn good manners. Dog activities also ensure that your dog gets enough exercise and that you reduce the chance of boredom in your dog which may lead to destructive behavior.

Here are 10 activities that you can do to have fun with your dog:

  1. Agilityis a sport where a dog handler directs their dog through an obstacle course. The dogs performance is measured by time and accuracy. You can learn agility methods from books and purchase your own practice equipment or you take your dog to an agility training school.
  1. Assisted Therapyinvolves taking your dog to visit people in health care institutions to provide mental and physical stimulation. You will need you dog to have the right attitude for this activity. Therapy dogs need to be social, calm, tolerant and friendly.
  1. Disc Dogis a sport where a handler and dog take part in distance and freestyle catching competitions using a Frisbee.
  1. Flyballis another competitive sport for dogs. Dogs compete in a relay race in teams of 4. Dogs jump over a set of hurdles, step on a spring loaded box which shoots out a tennis ball, catch the ball and return across the hurdles. For more information look at the website: http://www.flyball.org/
  1. Dog Parksare available in many communities where you can take your dog and let them off leash in a fenced area where they can run and socialize with other dogs.
  1. Play Gameswith your dog at home for exercise and interaction. Games for dogs include find the treat and follow the leader. For game information go to http://www.wagntrain.com/Games.htm
  1. Dog Partiesare a fun way to celebrate a major event in the life of your dog by inviting friends and their pets to a party. Parties can be held at home, at a dog day care facility, or at a dog park. Send out invitations, have a doggie cake, play dog games, and even give out doggie bag favors to your guests.
  1. Group Dog Walksor hikes are organized as charity fundraisers or by local dog walking groups. You can also organize your own walk at a local trail with a group of friends. Make sure you take plenty of water for the dogs and apply sunscreen!
  1. Dog Water Sportsare a fun activity if your dog is relaxed and comfortable playing in the water. There is an official associationhttp://www.caninewatersports.com that promotes local events and splash dog training.
  1. Dog Campsare a vacation option for you where you must take your dog. Get away to a unique location and enjoy participating in group dog agility, obedience and games.

Why not take this time at the end of the year to plan how you can get involved in one of these fun activities with you dogs in 2009.  It will make their year!

What about owning a pet business?

Owning a pet business does not guarantee you success, but it is generally not difficult to set up your own pet business adn many who own pet businesses love the hard working lifestyle and the closeness to pets. You will have to compete with those who may be better trained, may have lower cost structures and those who “pretend” to have your skills and experience when they do not. (eg not all those who advertise themselves as groomers are actually Groomers).

Essential skills for working with dogs

There are also key skills that all dog industry professionals should possess. Here are some of the most critical skills and abilities for those hoping to work with dogs professionally: Basic Dog Handling and Training Skills, ability to recognize behavioral signals.

Safety tips for working with animals

Animals can be somewhat unpredictable when they are under stress or in an unfamiliar environment, like when they visit the veterinary office or the grooming salon, so it is important to be attentive and stay aware of the animal you are handling at all times.