After watching a story on Black and Tan Coonhounds on Animal Planet this AM, I was reminded of a game I devised for one of my Golden Retrievers. She had been injured in an accident and had slipped a disc in her back. She lived 10 more years, but she was forbidden to engage in jumping and hard chasing retrieves.
To amuse her, I devised the “Bird” game. I kept a frozen duck wing in my freezer at all times. One of us would restrain the dog and cover her eyes (she liked to peek) while the other would tiptoe out of the room and hide the wing someplace in the house. Then we’d let her go and she would “track” our scent until she found the wing. She’d bring it back, and we’d start all over again.
The only time I could trick her is when I’d take it upstairs. She’d stand and the foot of the stairs, sniffing the air and looking confused. Then a light bulb would go off and she’d scramble up the stairs, find the wing, and bring it back.
We played this game for years. She never tired of it.
On the other had, my next Golden wasn’t interested in the game at all. He didn’t like to retrieve, and he refused to pick up anything with feathers on it. The difference could have been that I was using a freeze dried (purchased) wing for him. The scent probably just wasn’t there for him.
retrievers. She had been injured and had slipped a disc in her back and had been partially paralyzed for a time. Her doctors at the Vet School in Madison had decreed that she could no longer jump, retrieve balls, etc., as it was too much strain on her (now recovered) spine.
To keep her amused, we devised the “Find the Bird” game. I kept a duck wing in my freezer at all times. When Terra needed amusement, or attention, I’d pull out the wing and hid it in the house and let her go search until she found it and brought it back. Since this was an indoor game, there was no danger of her overdoing it. She would play for hours, if I’d let her.
One of us would hold her back and cover her eyes while the other would sneak off and hide the wing. Then we’d let her go and she would “track” until she found the wing and would proudly bring it back And we’d start all over again.
The only thing that would confuse her would be if I took the wing upstairs. She’d stand in the hallway and look around (obviously lost the scent). Then you’d see the light go off in her head, and she’d charge upstairs and find the prize.
My more recent Golden didn’t like this game at all. He didn’t much like retrieveing, as a matter of fact. And he refused to put anything feathered in his mouth. He had other good qualities, but retrieving was not one of them.
I like that idea and am going to give it a shot in the future. I have finally figured out that for walking that I should quit fighting his nose. Now I let him smell as much as I possibly can, without intruding on people’s yards, then he is a much happier and much more exhausted dog. At the same time, I less frustrated and less fighting a pull. He is actually more responsive to the leash while he is “scenting.”
We are learning and will keep working on it!