Training and exercises that make your dog happy

​

When you want a well-stimulated dog, it is not enough to go for a walk, it needs to use its head and nose!

​

If your dog is understimulated, it may be that it is pacing the room, reacting to the slightest sound, is whining or overly attention-seeking, etc. It may also be that your dog retracts and becomes passive.

In short: a walk and socializing with you is not enough - the dog's brain must be stimulated with tasks that the dog can solve and then be rewarded for. Mental activation is incredibly important for your dog's well-being. Get inspired below on how to activate your dog.

​

 

 

​

​

​

​

​

In general

 

Read what AniCura writes about activation and mental stimulation here.

​

We can also recommend that you visit www.harmoniskhundeliv.dk, if you are looking for inspiration on activating the dog indoors and outdoors. HarmoniskHundeliv.dk divides the exercises in mental activation into three groups:

• Nose work / problem solving,

• Body control with balance exercises and

• Obedience exercises / tricks.

Read what they write about the different exercises here.

​

Mental activation - it is tirering. See what Olivers writes about this.

​

DcH Video 1 - Activating your dog's nose.

​

https://www.anicura.dk/fakta-og-rad/hund/mental-stimulering-af-hund/

​

Danish Kennel Club - 'How the dog learns'

​

DKK. Know and understand your dog.

​

DKK. Dog language. In this series of 5 films, DKK helps you learn dog language. You get a better relationship with your own dog because you can read its moods and react to it, and you can also navigate more safely among stranger dogs that you and your dog meet.

• Dog Language 1 - Introduction

• Dog Language 2 - Socialization

• Dog Language 3 - Dog Language

• Dog Language 4 - Dog Meetings

• Dog Language 5 - Good Advice

​

Exercises you can do at home

​

• Brain exercises for dogs. Hundehold.dk has an inexhaustible list of good ideas for tricks and exercises that you can activate your dog with. Read more here.

• At VoresHund.dk, a website run by ambitious dog enthusiasts, you can also find good inspiration for activation exercises for dogs. Eg. these two exercises with homemade activity toys:

  • "The shoe box".   All you need is a box (shoe box), some toilet rolls and the dog's food.

  • "The kitchen roll hideout". You will need approx. 6 empty kitchen rolls, some fabric scraps and the dog's food. Easy-peasy. Let yourself be inspired.

​

• Hide and seek. Monica Lyllof, passionate dog owner, shows on her YouTube channel and her website several good ideas for fun activation of the dog. Hiding games are one of them. Simple but fun for both dog, kids and owner.

• Hundehold.dk has a number of tips for brain gymnastics for your dog. See more here.

• DKK. Search exercises.

• DKK. Contact exercises

• Haderslev Animal Hospital: Activation of your dog. How can you activate your dog through training or play. Why it is a good idea to activate your dog. Look here.

• Monica Lylloff. Tips for fun mental activation of your dog. Look here.

• Monica Lylloff. An idea for mental activation of your dog in everyday life. Look here.

• The Danish Hunters' Association. Activate your dog. Look here.

• Monica Lylloff. Activate your dog in a busy day - no. 1. See here.

• Activation of your dog Nyborg Animal Hospital. Concrete exercises.

• Simone Falckenberg. 3 easy and cheap tips for activating dogs.

• Netdyredoktor. Activating your dog - move firewood.

• Net vet - Activating your dog - slalom.

• Veterinarian Vibeke Nordrehaug & Nordic Vet Shop. Train the dog's brain; homemade toys that make your dog smarter and give it better self-esteem.

​

 

Exercises for the walk and picnic

​

• The Outdoor Council has allied itself with behavior consultant Lise Lotte Christensen. On their YouTube channel, she offers good suggestions for fun and play with the dog on the picnic. Watch the movie here.

• Video from AniCura Denmark with exercises for the walk. See here.

• "Get more out of the walk". Watch video from Snudesjov here.

​

​

"Sports" for your dog

​

Below you will find a list of super fun activities that your dog can attend, and which help to stimulate your dog physically and mentally.

​

Rally Obedience
Is, according to DDK, a mix of several different dog sports disciplines - just like with agility, the dog and handler must go through a course with exercises, but the elements are based on obedience exercises, such as sit, lie down and jump, combined with other exercises not known at all from obedience training. In rally obedience, the dog and handler must go through a course with 10-20 signs that indicate which exercises the dog must perform. And as in agility, the course that dog and handler must go through is different from time to time, and designed by the judge of the day.

​

Agility
The aim is for the dog to run through a set course with combinations of different obstacles as quickly as possible, and with as few errors as possible. The dog must i.e. jump over obstacles, run slalom, balance on a seesaw and move through a tunnel. Cf. DKK.

​

Soft agility
Is an alternative to traditional agility. Soft agility activates the dog in a way that pays special attention to the dog's physical and mental ability. Soft agility is more gentle than regular agility. The focus is not on speed, and the obstacles are less physically stressful and adapted to the dogs.

 

Nosework
Is a dog sport where the dog learns to find different scents in different environments. The dog uses the nose optimally, and loves it! Virtually all breeds can participate. Age does not matter. You work according to fixed rules. One can choose to go to competition or just use it as activation and fun with the dog.

 

Obedience training
Is a sport where dog and handler together must perform a series of established exercises in certain ways. One e.g. train calls where the dog should come when called, the retrieval exercises, line guidance, etc. You can compete or just do it for fun.

​

To walk tracks
A really good activity for the dog, where tracks are laid and the dog must learn to follow the trail and find its reward if it succeeds in reaching it. Tracks increase the dog's ability to concentrate and work independently under the driver's control. At the same time, the dog and owner are outside in fresh air.

​

Heelwork To Music - dogdancing
A dog sport where dog and handler together perform a choreography that matches a piece of music. There are two disciplines. Heelwork To Music, where the dog constantly works close to the dog handler, and freestyle, where everything is allowed. DKK.

 

Greyhound track

At Midtjysk Greyhound Stadium in Bjerringbro, your dog can try to run on a Greyhound track and really get to test its physique and hunting instinct.

 

Trick training
Is a combination of fun and games as well as dog training. Various tricks are practiced with a focus on cooperation and understanding between dog and handler.

 

Running and cycling training
If you love running or cycling, why not bring your dog with you. If you have plans for this, it is very important that you familiarize yourself thoroughly with how to exercise so that your dog is not overloaded. Dogs need to be exercised just like humans.

​

Dog swimming
Used for rehabilitation, cardio training, gentle healthy exercise, muscle training, and fun / different activation. There are venues all over the country.

​

Motor function exercises and body control
Teams are offered where your dog trains his stability, agility, balance and mobility.
Good body control helps prevent injuries, joint problems, and strengthens e.g. unstable joints. In addition, the dog is mentally strengthened.

​

Reading Dogs
Your dog can become a reading dog. A reading dog is a friendly and child-friendly dog ​​that motivates children to read by listening patiently and interestedly to stories from all over the world.
A reading dog helps to create a positive and different reading experience, and the result is increased self-confidence and desire to read.

​

Therapy Dogs
Dogs have a positive effect on rehabilitation, mental health and social relationships in e.g. patients in hospitals, children in schools and the elderly in care centers.

Your dog can become a therapy dog ​​by undergoing training. A visiting dog e.g. is a dog that is trained in and approved to visit e.g. care centers and thus create joy in the elderly. A visiting dog can also visit e.g. the seriously ill. The dog creates joy by its mere presence, and of course receives lots of hugs.

​