trying out a 'fun-for-dogs' toy

Here we are, trying our own version of one of the toys from 'fun-with-dogs', the German site devoted to enhancing human-canine interaction. (If you click on the British flag you will get the main page in English.)



And I'm just gob-smacked by the wonderful games on the page devoted to a competition to find the most creative toy. You don't need to read German, because the photos speak for themselves.

I think I love the last one on the page best of all. An old hand-puppet has become a friend that only opens his mouth to reveal a wonderful treat when the dog offers an interesting behaviour. The reward is for creativity, for thinking up - and offering - a new behaviour.

active learning for dogs

Today I received an email from Spass-mit-Hund. The email, and the accompanying flyer, were in German, which is always a little problematic, given that it's more than twenty years since I studied German - okay, I'll admit it is a LOT more than twenty years!

(But the link I've added above is in English, if you click on the picture of the British flag.)

Here's a link to the first page of the flyer, with two pictures of games that look to be fun and cheap. I'm going to try to make the one with the upside-down stool and the plastic pipe. I also think the other game looks like fun, the one where you get a muffin-baking-tray and hide treats under a variety of objects, such as tennis balls and balls of crinkled-up newspaper. (Just click the flyer up to 400% size to get a good look at the pictures.)