A couple who visit the large dog park have come up with a great way to not
only give their big boy lots of physical exercise, but also mental stimulation and have fun in the process!
They play hide and seek!
Over on the north side of the creek, where the mowed paths are, they separate. Then,
when they get a ways apart, Mom, who is with the dog (for example), will say "Where's Dad?". So, off goes the pup down
the paths on the hunt for Dad, sniffing and looking and listening and running to try and find him. Meanwhile, Mom jogs
off to a new spot and crouches down out of sight and after the pooch finds Dad, he gets lots of praise and pats
and another mission: "Where's Mom? Go find Mom!". So off runs the eager lad in search of Mom! And so it goes,
back and forth for fifteen or twenty minutes until the pup begins to tire of the game and they do something
else, such as playing fetch or just relaxing.
Peppy Paws was recently the setting for a family reunion of sorts: a group of six dogs
met for a few hours of play. Four were Belgian Tervurens who were littermates but now live in Ohio, Pennsylvania, and
Delaware. Being a herding breed, they also visited Hado-Bar Farms for some time with sheep!
Luke standing at the edge of the "pond"
A little closer...
Callie leaping in!
Wheeeee!
Got the stick!
Callie and Remi
Callie (ashore) and Treena (swimming)
Now that is a wet dog!
Nothing like a good run after a swim!
Callie and Luke
Running with the ball!
"nyah, nyah, I've got the ballllll."
Mouthful
It isn't moving!
Luke focused. Waiting for me to throw the frisbee already!
Remi at Hado-Bar Farms with Judi Bigham. The white stick with the
paddle serves as an extension of Judi's arm and palm, helping to communicate
with the dog. As the dog become more experienced, the shepherd will do away
with the paddle part and just use the stick, which is a modern-day lightweight
version of the traditional "shepherd's crook"
Rudy has made great progress with the teeter! Now he is crossing it with a food
lure. Gus, on the other hand, is only just getting comfortable with putting his front paws on the plank to reach a
food lure. The plank is a little too slippery, though, and I bought some sand to coat it with.
