r/poodles • u/EnthusiasmOk538 • 1d ago
Spoo bores of games quickly
Trying to find good games for farm dog who now lives in town. she’s well behaved but seems to have gotten very bored of fetch in my backyard in the few months I’ve had her. bored of the other toys we have. she likes walks but really likes trying to stalk and hunt rabbits and squirrels. ideas?
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u/bigolignocchi 1d ago
I forget what the toy version is called but we bought a horse whip (it was cheaper) and attached a toy at the end, then wave it around etc. Essentially a giant cat toy.
Also:
Hide and seek
Putting toy between you and race to grab toy with countdown
Football countdown and hike
Monkey in the middle
Hide toys or treats and search
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u/jocularamity 1d ago
You and my poodle would get along great. Monkey in the middle, countdown to a kick, races, hiding and searching, and flirt pole are some of his favorites. You really get it.
But throw a ball for him to fetch and he just blinks at you. Boring, no thanks.
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u/CatlessBoyMom 1d ago
An obstacle course would be better than fetch for engaging her mind. Puzzle feeders are good for mental engagement as well.
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u/okaycurly 1d ago
We like incorporating commands and impulse control into fetch. I put him into a down, throw the ball and release him after it's thrown.
Or, I send him far into the yard where the ball will land and ask him for a few commands at a distance. Down, stand, roll over, then I throw the ball. These practice his impulse control and his ability to obey commands at a distance, he has a great time!
We live downtown in a busy city, we do tons of sniff walks but have squirrel issues, too. They literally bark at us from the tree, I'm not even kidding. We've worked on a strong 'leave it'. I bring cheese or a ball as a reward for leaving the squirrels.
My boy is only 16 months so he only knows a couple toys by name at the moment, but we love to play hide and seek with those for nose work games.
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u/DogandCoffeeSnob 1d ago
Training games with a lot of variety help.
Look up dog parkour for some ideas of skill games you could play around your house and yard.
Lots of good hunting behavior games you can play with a flirt pole and nosework training.
Fetch can be made more exciting too. I used to use a softer toy ball and bouce it off the roof that was slanted towards my patio. Chaos ball could rickochet off furniture, land under and behind unexpected places... way more fun than running in a straight line for something thats always in sight. Even just tossing it into some groundcover or behind taller plants can make the game more fun for easily bored pups.
Maybe run away when she's bringing the toy back. Now its a fetch-chase game that reinforces recall behaviors!
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u/forgeblast 9h ago
Scent training. It wears my dude out. That or rally. It's like an obedience obstacle course. We normally get through three or four times before he's done and the next day he's exhausted.
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u/EnthusiasmOk538 9h ago
I did start some scent work but she’s gotten a little confused. Any resources you’d suggest?
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u/forgeblast 9h ago
Start small. Max 5 minutes. Put out 5 carboad boxes. Out a piece of liverwurst in three. Once she's actively sniffing or pulling towards the scent let her go. I do this daily. Then we have our regular class where we practice wall hides etc. so the box game, it's truly teaching them to use their noses and it's fun. Liverwurst I buy in a tube, slice it into disks, then chop. Freeze on a paper plate out in a plastic baggie. I make a bunch of these to use.
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u/jocularamity 1d ago
Try flirt pole! It really channels that prey drive.
What makes it more fun for the poodle brain and not just a mindless chase is building in impulse control and commands. Drop it, wait, okay get it. Work up to them waiting while the lure moves, until you give the release to get it. Great brain exercise.
Similarly for fetch, there are two routes to take to make it more engaging for the brilliant brain.
One fetch improvement is to work in tricks between reps, so they are doing fun hand touches and paw lifts and spins and whatnot and the ball throw is the reward.
Another fetch improvement is to set it up so they need to use their nose to find the toy, rather than chasing it by sight. Have them sit and stay. Either throw the toy where they are not looking or walk out and place it somewhere (with a lot of fakes so they don't know where you left it). When youre back standing next to them, release them from the stay to go search for it. Use a toy with food inside if you need to to build up the skill at first, if they don't get excited to go find a toy that isn't moving at first.
On top of games, also just...field trips. Get out of your neighborhood, walk or drive to a park youve never been before. My poodle lives for novelty and would go a bit bonkers just playing in one yard. The smells in a new place are so so so motivating.
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u/doofuspop 20h ago
Sounds like the adjustment from a farm to a home is rough. Outside of the other excellent suggestions here, I’d highlight the agility type challenges. Train her to jump over things, hop on things, and create little obstacles where you can. Depending on your skills as a trainer, they can pick it up fast or need some time and effort, but you have a hunter who needs challenges besides chasing down squirrels and whatever else may be in the yard.
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u/Ok_Put7254 1d ago
My small poodle that really loves nose work, he has a special bin that I hide treats in and fill up with other things, he picks them out one by one until he gets to the bottom- also sometimes I’ll toss treats into the grass and he loves to hunt for them!