PDTE 2013 Winter Newsletter

Edinburgh – Sunday 30.09
Home-made nose and
brain games
AGNES
DEGEN
THE NETHERLANDS
I have put together a little book that
gives owners some ideas on how they
can create home-made nose and brain
games for their dogs. You can find
material for these games anywhere in
your home, either inside or in the garden.
It also makes you a more creative
dog owner! Once you get a few ideas,
you’ll be amazed how inventive you
become. Best of all, it’s not expensive.
Of course there are really nice brain
and nose games available in pet shops,
but one can make just as good ones at
home. It activates not only the owner’s
brain, but also the brain of the dog!
The games are started such that they
are easy for the dog, and gradually
they can be made a bit more difficult.
Because the owner and the dog are
doing something together, it also activates
their social relations. It is therefore
something I use and advise when
people have new dogs. Especially with
easy games, it strengthens the bond
between the owner and the new dog.
It stimulates self-confidence in the
dog, which also helps the dog cope
with everyday problems. It stimulates
the natural dog’s natural instincts, giving
the dog a nice hobby so he doesn’t
get into undesired situations. And best
of all, it reduces stress factors. Sniffing,
chewing, focusing on the game lowers
the heartbeat.
I have designed the book like a recipe
book. Every page has its own game,
or “recipe”. Every game starts with a
nice name that is easy to remember.
The ingredients are what I needed
to make the game — for example, a
tube, a toy, or a box, depending on the
game. There is then advice on how to
prepare the game and set it up, followed
by instructions on how to play
the game with the dog. Included is a
list of dos and don’ts. I may also advise
on whether it is a very basic game that
should be tried before other games,
etc. Also, for example is advice on
things the dog should not eat. At the
end of each game I share a few words
from “the chef” on our vision and
about dogs. For example, I might write
a few lines on wearing harnesses, or
why one should never, ever punish a
dog when he’s barking because he’s
trying to tell us something.
And of course no brain gain would
be complete without an enriched
environment. Smells, boxes with treats
inside, a bottle with treats inside,
something hanging on a string, all form
part of the picture. Hiding things in
closets or in trees, or in boxes filled
with shredded paper are other ideas.
The possibilities are endless. Threading
toilet rolls containing treats on a hulahoop
is a real fun challenge for a dog.
And after all this of course, the dog
needs a long, long sleep!
My hope is that this book will reach a
lot of dog owners. Dogs have fun with
these games, and the owner as well. In
the back of my mind when I am talking
with dog owners, is the following little
poem:
I have moved stone, in a river on Earth
The water will be different than before
Because, by moving that stone,
The flow will never go the same way
again.
(Bram Vermeulen)
I hope that together we can move the
stones in the lives of dogs and owners
with our vision. The recipe book is free
to download on my website:
http://www.petnanny.nl/hondenschool/nose_braingames_uk.pdf
Please feel free to hand it out to all
dog owners. The last piece of advice
in the little book says it all: Be sure to
make every recipe with passion, love
and respect the dog. Take the time and
enjoy the moment, do it in a Burgundian
way.
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