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Easy Pet Care Games

October 24, 2016 by Mary Telesz

pet-care-games
In the modern climate of tech innovation, what’s the best way to play with your pet? There is no need to spend your cash on costly toys—playing pet care games with your furry friend has become a much more creative process.

Easy Pet Care Games

Sometimes toying around with your pet goes beyond fetch. While keeping an animal can be a ton of work, figuring out how to effectively entertain them is critical to their health and happiness. The following are a few fun ways to help your four-legged friend stay on their toes.

Blanket Forts

If it’s a rainy day or you have a small space to exercise your dog—believe it or not, creating an obstacle course is one way to keep them moving. Just think about how excited you were to build forts when you were a kid. Clear out enough space to lay out some rolled up blankets, then prompt your pet to jump them. Don’t use anything that is hard or could harm your animal in any manner.

Giving treats often makes the training process much easier—but remember, this is about fun! Walk your dog (or adventurous cat) through the course a few times, all the while rewarding them.

Once you have done this a few times, position yourself at the end of the course to see if you have conditioned them enough to jump the hurdles. Not only is this a cute and inexpensive exercise for your pet, but it’s a form of training (and they probably don’t even realize it).

Hide and Seek

It’s not just for toddlers. My cat goes crazy over this one; all I need to do is display an eye around a corner. Pets in general love the concept of “now you see me, now you don’t.” Grab a handful of treats or your pet’s favorite toy (in my case, it is actually a marker), and use it to entice them to your hiding spot.

Domesticated animals love mystery. It reminds them of their hunting instincts in the wild. A simple game of hide and seek can move mountains when it comes to bonding with your pet.

Word Recognition

Believe it or not, both dogs and cats can actually recognize specific words and phrases if they are repeated enough (and in the same tone). Start off by using 1-2 of your pet’s favorite toys. After calling out the name of the toy, throw it so the animal recognizes that you are associating that phrase with that particular object.

Keep the terms simple and maintain the same tone (at times it can get squeaky). Eventually, your pet will begin to recognize and place the sound you are making, with the object you are referring to—thus training them on word recognition.

If people are critical of whether both cats and dogs can accomplish these tasks, one might only look to potty-trained felines to understand that both species possess the cognizance to be trained (with the proper amount of effort, of course).

Red Light, Green Light

Like the classic children’s game, this can also be played with an adventurous pup (sorry cats). If your dog knows how to “stay,” and “come”, this is the perfect game to get exercise, and involves other people.

One person stays as the game “moderator,” but instead of shouting “red light!” “green light!” the moderator will be yelling “stay!” and “come!” This allows the dog to essentially participate in what has always been a game for human children.

If you treat your dog after each command, they are sure to pick up the game in no time. Now not only can you have an affordable fun time with your pup, but you can get everyone involved in the fun!

Nosework

Play detective with your dog. Hide various treats around the house, and see how fast your friend can find them. Once your pet has located treats in obvious places, start getting more complex.

Move into the yard, and begin training your dog on how to locate the same smells from farther distances. Nosework is about stimulating your pet’s olfactory glands, while playing with them in the process.

Easy pet care games only need involve two common factors: attention and love. Using simple household items to challenge your pet and sharpen their abilities are some of the best ways to play with your pal.

Whether you’re playing hide and seek over forts, or using word recognition during a game of red light, green light, your furry friend is sure to be engaged and thankful for the creativity and attention. Contact Paw Pals for more information.

Filed Under: Pet Care

Contact Paw Pals for More Information

Paw Pals specializes in professional dog walking, dog sitting, and pet sitting services. One of our reliable, adult staff members will keep your pet safe, while providing your pet the love and care they need when you are away. Contact us to learn more!

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Paw Pals Pet Sitting, LLC
14001-C Saint Germain Drive #213
Centreville, VA 20121
(703) 345-1695

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Centreville – 20120, 20121
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Paw Pals Pet Sitting
Paw Pals Pet Sitting
5.0
Andrea Hall
Andrea Hall
22:45 03 Oct 20
I wasn't sure about hiring a new doggie walker service... after all they are our kiddos... my babies were in great hands and I felt relaxed having them in their care. Thank you for everything!
Phillip Evans
Phillip Evans
14:38 11 Jul 20
When we adopted our new dog in January, Paw Pals agreed to walk her and give her some outside time so she wasn't in the crate all day. She loved her dog walker and you could see her excitement every time the walker showed up. We moved out of the area but would recommend Paw Pals to anyone needing someone to care for their pets.
Katie Russell
Katie Russell
15:01 17 May 20
Paw Pals is fantastic! I have had a great experience with Mary! Compassionate, professional, responsive, and prompt! Thank you!
Kristin Conrad
Kristin Conrad
16:00 16 Nov 19
We are so grateful we found Mary and her team at Paw Pals. They are exceptionally responsive, amazingly organized and detail-oriented.We have such peace of mind when we travel knowing our home and pets are so well cared for. Paw Pals is the best pet sitting service we’ve used, and we’re so happy we found them.
Dr Tammy Cashion
Dr Tammy Cashion
21:11 12 Mar 19
We have used Paw pals pet sitting on multiple occasions for our bunnies while we are away. Many pet sitters are not interested in small pets however; Mary and her team, are amazing and we trust her implicitly! We are very happy with the outstanding service we have received from her team including texts and photos of our pets when we are out of town. They always go the extra mile and we highly recommend them!
Cindy Welgoss
Cindy Welgoss
13:12 27 Nov 20
We have been using Paw Pals for several years, and through a variety of pets that we have loved. Mary and her team have always been *exceptional* in every way. They are professional, courteous, and truly love our fur family! Mary herself is an organized and stellar administrator of her pet care business, keeping detailed records of our pet’s needs, scheduled pet visits, payments, and balance due easy to keep track of as the pet owner. The pet caretaking team is reliable and trustworthy. When our dogs see any of their Paw Pal friends, they get SO excited to see them! Follow up comments are left via text to keep the pet owner informed of the visit and how the pets are faring. Paw Pals has allowed our family the peace of mind to leave our pets at home, for work, weekend getaways and longer times away when necessary, where they are the most comfortable and familiar. We are grateful to Mary and her team for giving us the ability to enjoy pet ownership without feeling tied down. The responsibility of having pets comes with the need to keep them safe and comfortable at all times, and Mary and her team affords us this when our family has to be away.
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