Activities For Dogs After Labor

When a mother dog has recently given birth; whether it was a natural whelping or via c-section, she is bound to be quite sore. But more than that, she rarely wants to leave her baby puppies who are completely dependent upon her for their survival. Still, even the least active dog in the world will start to go a little "shack wacky" without something to keep their brains occupied, and a new mother dog is no exception. Touch the Target is a fun game that can just as easily be played indoors as outdoors. Best of all, it requires very few items. All you need is a decent-sized lid and a handful of tasty treats, and you're off to the races! Teaching a dog to find or touch a target is a great skill that can be transferred to all sorts of other games. It is one activity that every dog owner should have in their "rainy day game arsenal." It appeals to a dog's sensibilities on two different levels; it asks him to find then touch an object, and it rewards the dog with treats for doing so. From your dog's perspective, you'd be hard-pressed to find something more fun!

Recent research reports that dogs bear nasal capacities that are up to 30 times more potent than our own. Sometimes this works out to our advantage, but when it comes to scent work, our dogs definitely have the upper hand. Turns out, not only do our favorite canine pals have powerful noses, but they also love to put them to work, making nose work an ideal game to keep a dog recovering from a recent birth well-occupied. Scent work, also known as nose work, essentially works by training a dog to detect the presence of a particular scent such as rosewood, vanilla, lavender, or even eucalyptus or orange. As dogs become more adept at finding scents, more subtle fragrances can be incorporated and the "search" area can also be widened. However, for a female dog recovering after labor, it is best to keep her searching in a small and limited area so as not to overtax her.

While it has been said that you can't teach an old dog new tricks, you can definitely teach some to a new mother dog! Dogs love to learn new skills, and they also revel in showing off all of the clever things they know how to do! Trick training is a great way to give your dog a modicum of exercise while making maximum use of the brain. Choose from tricks that require limited amounts of physical exercise or that are more cerebral in order to keep your dog interested but not overly fatigued. Shake 'Em Both is simply a variation on everyone's beloved trick - Shake a Paw. This game takes it to the next level by asking the dog to not only offer one paw but also to extend the other as well. A fun trick for all dogs to learn, you will soon find your dog offering to Shake 'Em Both as often as possible because she knows it's bound to bring a smile or a laugh; either of which is good in her books.