How did everyone’s first day of the #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge go? Did you, or more importantly – your dogs, have a lot of fun? We hope so and we also hope you had some tired, but happy pups at the end of the day! Today is Day 2 of covering the 6 categories of enrichment and Miss Molly and the pack are raring to get started!

Day 2 of the #PAW5EnrichedLifeChallenge has us doing a fun Kibble Grass Hunt! We will also take a walk and work in a little training time. There is also a Stuffed Kong treat, which I’m sure the pups will enjoy. And, let’s not leave off the music and TV time! The pups will also get really spoiled today with a nice massage! Hum! I’m starting to wonder if I can be a dog for a day? 🙂

Easy Kibble Hunt, Training and Doggie Massage!

Kibble Grass Hunt

Simply spread their kibble outside in the grass, let them enjoy the hunt for their food!

For an inside kibble grass hunt, check out this cool PAW5 Wooly Snuffle Mat! We got one the other day and the pups love it! The Wooly imitates a grass hunt and can be enjoyed indoors!

Stuffed Kong

Take a Kong toy and simply stuff if with your pup’s favorite treats! Miss Molly’s favorite is our Homemade Banana and Pumpkin Kong filler. Or, you can visit their website for a ton of tasty recipes he’ll surely love. There’s so many to choose from, you can try a new one every time!

Leave It and Touch It Training

Now, there are some steps to these, but it’s still very simple to practice with your pup:

Leave It

● First, take two of your pup’s favorite treats; take the treats and your dog over to a low level place like the floor or a coffee table.
● Put one of the treats in your pocket, then set the other on the floor or table right in front of your pup’s nose.
● As you put the treat down instruct your dog to “Leave it” very slowly and firmly. Keep your hand next to the treat, because when your dog leans in to get it, cover it with your hand and repeat the command “Leave it”.
● Give it a few seconds, then pull the treat away, praise your pup for a job well done, then reward him with the treat in your pocket (don’t give him the treat he is leaning on, it is being used as a training tool.)
● Repeat this a few more times, and eventually your pup will catch on!

Touch It

● Grab your pup’s favorite treat in one hand in close it. Take your other hand and place it close to your dog’s nose, palm facing them, with fingers pointing to either side of your dog (picture a sideways “stop” hand signal) then instruct them to “touch” that hand. Only say the word “touch”.
● What you’re looking for here is for them to touch that open hand with their nose, licking your hand doesn’t count!
● Once they accomplish the touch respond to them with the word “Yes!” — this will be the signal for him that he did the right thing. Then reward him with the treat.
● Repeat this; eventually you can work with larger distances, instructing your pup to come from across the room to touch your hand.

Massage

Your dog of course loves a good pet, a rub on the belly or a scratch behind the ears. But they, like us humans, also appreciate a good massage! But be careful, you don’t massage them the way you would massage a human:

● Always make sure they are in a calm, relaxed state before you start.
● Start by petting them gently all over. Talking softly to them will help keep them relaxed.
● Move to their neck, massaging in circular motions, keeping the pressure gentle still.
● Continue onto their shoulders — since that’s a spot they can’t reach maybe spend a little extra time there.
● Move onto the chest and the legs — be mindful of how they react to the legs, if they don’t seem very into it, move onto a different body part. If they do seem to like it, maybe try their feet, but again, be mindful with the pads on their feet.
● Massage their back using those circular motions, keeping gentle pressure.
● Make your way to the hind legs and tail area. Once you’re done you should have one stress-free pup!

For the full PAW5 Enriched Life Challenge with ground rules, advice, activity instructions, and alternative activities, head over to the PAW5 Enriched Life Challenge home page.