Fun Class Obedience Games

[rustyredbc]

hello i was just wondering who here has some fun games that a group obedience class can play?

im beginning to find my classes very mundane and if i could suggest something to spruce it up that would be great

thanks for any ideas.

at the moment we just do

-sit, drop, stand group stays including indian file

-fetch

-figure of eight

-recalls

-out of sight stay

-and weaving in between cones both handler up and dog only on way back.

thanks

[Kissindra]

knock out competitions where the slowest to perform a given comand are knocked out are fun, as is dividing a group into two teams and having a competition to see who can go through an exercise and have all dogs in the team lined up in sit/heel the fastest.

we had one game where you have two teams, and you have to get your dogs attention and try to make them wag their tales but you are only allowed to say a word that is a fruit or a vegetable (depending on if you are in the fruit or vegetable team) when the instructor yells sit or drop you get your dogs to perform the command and the slowest is eliminated - giant dogs get two chances :rolleyes:

Sam, our instructor lined up a bunch of games for us with toys and raw hide prizes - have to say all of us went home grinning ear to ear it was so much fun!

Edited June 13, 2010 by Kissindra

[ChristineX]

There is some American lady who has come up with all sorts of games - I know that she is holding a workshop in Adelaide next week.

Ones we have played:

- open the door with dog on leash, get dog to sit calmly next to you while you give pizza 'boy' money, get change, and get (empty) pizza box, close door.

- sitting in chair with dog next to you, 'buying drinks', again, giving money and getting change from 'waiter'

- heel out a word - everyone else gets to guess what the word is

- two team heeling round a course (poles in ground) carrying a glass of water. Winner was the team with the most water left.

Of course, when we did the first one, some local cat decided to camp about 2 metres away and watch the fun!

Hope that gets you started.

Christine.

[pipsqueak]

knock out competitions where the slowest to perform a given comand are knocked out are fun, as is dividing a group into two teams and having a competition to see who can go through an exercise and have all dogs in the team lined up in sit/heel the fastest.

we had one game where you have two teams, and you have to get your dogs attention and try to make them wag their tales but you are only allowed to say a word that is a fruit or a vegetable (depending on if you are in the fruit or vegetable team) when the instructor yells sit or drop you get your dogs to perform the command and the slowest is eliminated - giant dogs get two chances :rolleyes:

Sam, our instructor lined up a bunch of games for us with toys and raw hide prizes - have to say all of us went home grinning ear to ear it was so much fun!

As an owner of a well mannered, but slow large dog, can I just say I hate, hate, hate "knock out" games. We're usually the first out, every time and left to watch all the border collies and poodles show off. All it means for me is that the best dogs get better, and the dogs that are the slow ones and need the most work don't get the chance to get the extra work. It is not at all motivating for me as an owner to stand around and do nothing - and quite often I have gone home and felt quite demoralised.

Edited June 13, 2010 by futuredogtrainer

[Jigsaw]

I like some of the exercises in this video - jumping over people and the egg and spoon race!

http://www.youtube.com/user/ladstwo#p/u/6/GMPC_Fj_UF8

[Prydenjoy]

A game we used to play involved throwing a piece of food, the moment the dog looked back at you give the marker/click and throw the food again. I would always say "get it" before throwing the food, as my dogs are not supposed to eat food until they have my permission. This teaches the dog to keep checking back in on you, the sooner the better. It's simple and easy. A variation I play at home is a hand or target stick touch, then I throw the food away, they have to run and get it and then run back, touch again, run and get the food etc. You just have to be careful to only throw one piece of food, you don't want to reinforce them for NOT coming back to you straight away.

Teaching tricks is also fun, and the possibilities are endless. As part of our old classes (before they changed to block heeling and stay's) we taught tricks. I had one dog that got a pillow and lay down with her head on the pillow, another that fetched a tissue from a tissue box when I sneezed. It was always lots of fun and got people thinking about how to get inside their dogs head to get them to perform things that weren't "taught" in a standard lesson.

[Kissindra]

knock out competitions where the slowest to perform a given comand are knocked out are fun, as is dividing a group into two teams and having a competition to see who can go through an exercise and have all dogs in the team lined up in sit/heel the fastest.

we had one game where you have two teams, and you have to get your dogs attention and try to make them wag their tales but you are only allowed to say a word that is a fruit or a vegetable (depending on if you are in the fruit or vegetable team) when the instructor yells sit or drop you get your dogs to perform the command and the slowest is eliminated - giant dogs get two chances

Sam, our instructor lined up a bunch of games for us with toys and raw hide prizes - have to say all of us went home grinning ear to ear it was so much fun!

As an owner of a well mannered, but slow large dog, can I just say I hate, hate, hate "knock out" games. We're usually the first out, every time and left to watch all the border collies and poodles show off. All it means for me is that the best dogs get better, and the dogs that are the slow ones and need the most work don't get the chance to get the extra work. It is not at all motivating for me as an owner to stand around and do nothing - and quite often I have gone home and felt quite demoralised.

who says you have to stand on the side lines and watch "the best dogs get better"? no reason you can't keep practising the same exercise outside the game. If you are going home feeling demoralised then there is an issue with the focus being more on being competative rather than working with individual dogs and having fun and improving at your own rate. That might come from the training environment or it might come from you. I find I'm always made to feel that the emphasis is on having fun with my dog, reguardless of whether we wish to compete in future or not. I know some dogs will have more aptitude for it than others, and some handlers more devotion than others but I'm never made to feel like not being on of the best or most devoted out there on the field in class is a problem as the main thing is to enjoy it and give it a go and the more you enjoy it the more you are motivated to practice. Then as you see improvements you get more motivated. The trainers make it clear their dogs are not robots who are always perfect and that if we are having a night where we are just feeling frustraited then we'd be better off just taking time to chill with our dogs until we are in a better head space to train. We have people aplenty with dogs not of the border collie/poodle persuasion who do really well and they are inspiration for the rest of us not to focus on the breed we have at the end of the leash, but the individual dog. At the same time they do make it clear some dogs will just take more time to do things owing to size, and so there isn't that feeling that we are in direct competition with one another - rather we are there with our individual dogs, all having a go, all having areas of difficulty and success.

If I get knocked out I either cheer the others on or take the time to have a play or do some practise, try not to take it to heart and just keep the focus on your own lovely boofa ;).

[Erny]

As an owner of a well mannered, but slow large dog, can I just say I hate, hate, hate "knock out" games. We're usually the first out, every time and left to watch all the border collies and poodles show off. All it means for me is that the best dogs get better, and the dogs that are the slow ones and need the most work don't get the chance to get the extra work. It is not at all motivating for me as an owner to stand around and do nothing - and quite often I have gone home and felt quite demoralised.

I agree, FDT. I don't like games that then leave people standing on the sideline looking on. They are there to train as well, not to stand around looking at the others. Knock-out games aren't as motivating as what some people/instructors think. Knock-out games are more appropriate for (eg) Christmas fun events, where people can pick and choose which fun competition they'll put their dog into. I like games that provide competitive motivation and which might reveal to some where their training perhaps isn't as up to scratch as it could be, but where they get to enjoy the activity all the way through, even if they might be losing (so to speak).

Having said that, if it is a knock-out game that's fast (ie concludes really quickly) and done only occasionally, with other interactive games tossed in the mix, then that's not so bad.

Edited June 14, 2010 by Erny

[huski]

I agree, FDT. I don't like games that then leave people standing on the sideline looking on. They are there to train as well, not to stand around looking at the others. Knock-out games aren't as motivating as what some people/instructors think. Knock-out games are more appropriate for (eg) Christmas fun events, where people can pick and choose which fun competition they'll put their dog into. I like games that provide competitive motivation and which might reveal to some where their training perhaps isn't as up to scratch as it could be, but where they get to enjoy the activity all the way through, even if they might be losing (so to speak).

Having said that, if it is a knock-out game that's fast (ie concludes really quickly) and done only occasionally, with other interactive games tossed in the mix, then that's not so bad.

Erny what games would you recommend are good for group classes? I hate seeing classes where it's the same old same old and I know some of the instructors at our club are always on the look out for fun new games to try.

[rastus_froggy]

If knock out games are played I would not get them to stand on the sideline and watch I would encourage them to move to a certain area where they can still continue with the skills/game but not be in the "judged" group.

One game I enjoy is "Simon Says", the dog is in a stay - whatever position the instructor chooses then the instructions are primarily for the handler eg, somon says stand on one foot, simon says skip around your dog etc, sometimes throw in a non simon says instruction. So there are 2 ways that you may need to move to the no longer judged area and that is either by you not following what "Simon Says" or by your dog breaking it's stay.

I really like this as it is fun for the handler, challenging for the dog and it makes the handler not get into a habit of perhaps assisting the do with the stay by repeatedly asking them to stay or by giving them signals.

[Erny]

Erny what games would you recommend are good for group classes? I hate seeing classes where it's the same old same old and I know some of the instructors at our club are always on the look out for fun new games to try.

I tend to adapt games where I can. Eg. If doing "musical mats" .... the ones who are "knocked out" then have to walk their dogs on a loose lead (or heel, depending on what level they are at) around the outside of the group who are still "in". Whether they walk in the same direction or in the opposite direction again depends on the level of obedience they are at, and what group of dogs are in the class. This creates a higher level distraction for those still "in" as well as keeping the others moving and training, as the "in" dogs are a distraction for them too. If I have enough instructor availability, the extra instructor/s can be watching the LLW's and, again, depending on their level, periodically call out commands to "sit" or "drop" or "stand" or to recall out and away, and then resume LLW or heel.

I have also done a 'game' where dogs and handlers are in a line. I call out 'forward' and they walk (LLW or heel, depending on skill level of group) forward. I turn around away from them and call out a commanded position. I count seconds (how many, depends on the class level) and then turn around. Whoever I spot who is still not in the commanded position goes back to the start line. Everyone else keeps moving forward from the spot they were at. The 'winner' is the first one to the line, but no-one gets "knocked out" .... they're all still in there and training. Hhhhmmm .... that was a good game - even the ones who are almost at the finish line can find themselves way back at the start again, and people who think they no longer stand a chance can still suddenly find themselves at the front. Haven't done it for a little while, so might see if I can integrate it into one or two of my groups.

There's also things I have done in stay work. Handlers (eg) drop their dogs at a 'line'. The handler has to walk away from their dog to a specific 'line' and return to their dog, release and move to another line forward of the one they were originally at. They repeat, but need to walk away from their dog to a different (further) specific 'line'. Any dog that breaks has to be taken back to the start line. It is similar to the one I've just explained above. I mix this one up a fair bit - with changes of position; making handlers do the 'walk' to line twice so their dogs don't begin anticipating release etc. The 'winner' is the one who gets their dog to the finish line first. This means the faster the handler is, the more chance they will get their first. EXCEPT, the faster the handler is (eg. running) the higher the intensity for the dog, who might break as a result. So it makes people work within the capabilities of their individual dog's skill level.

There's more - sometimes I make things (rules) up on the spot to suit a particular group. But I like to keep those who are "knocked out" part of the group and active.

Edited June 14, 2010 by Erny

[huski]

Wow thanks Erny they are some great ideas! Will mention them to the instructors tonight at dog school!

[Prydenjoy]

Erny I'd love to be in your class for a while and play some of your games

[Cosmolo]

We do relays at times with various exercises to complete in the relay. Handlers sitting on chairs, sitting on the ground, standing with their back to the dog is also really good. Sits and drops on different surfaces and problem solving for advanced dogs- asking for a sit on stairs for instance.

We now always play Leslie McDevitts "Look at That" (we call it "who's that) to start with as a great game for distracted dogs and something everyone at every level can do.

We also have all the handlers in a line, give them all a number and walk forwards and as the instructor calls the numbers, the dogs sit or drop- the aim is to end up with a nice straight diagonal line of dogs and handlers.

We do loose lead walking with just five paces forward and back (handler walking backwards) to make sure the dog is paying attention and get people using marker words when the dog turns to look at them as they take their first step back.

We also play the 'smackos game' where during the class each time we see a dog or handler improve in any way, they get a smacko- whoever has the most at the end of the class wins a prize. Its not about the 'best dog'- its just about improvement and effort.

Heeling or loose lead walking toward someone else, both people put their dogs in a sit, step over to each other and shake hands and then move back to release their dogs.

There are a bunch of others too- we try and add to a list of exercises we have regularly so that we can keep classes interesting.

ETA This is an interesting thread- i hope others continue to add to it too!

Edited June 14, 2010 by Cosmolo

[Prydenjoy]

Cosmolo, what I said to Erny ^^