Activities For Labloodhounds
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Introduction
Labloodhounds may very well hold the title for the most complicated name in the hybrid dog kingdom by a landslide but they're relatively simple breeds by comparison. Labloodhounds like to play, make friends, and engage in challenging activities. Thanks to their Labrador Retriever and Bloodhound heritage, they're well equipped to engage in a number of varied and unique activities. Labloodhounds have pretty great senses of smell, so they'd be happy to engage in a number of smell based activities. Labloodhounds are also very crafty creatures who have brain power enough to solve a number of intricate puzzles and obstacle courses.
Sand Tag
Popular
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Any Day
Free
Easy
20 min
Items needed
Leash
Doggy Waste Bags
Activity description
Let's start things off nice and light with a friendly game of Sand Tag. As the name implies, you and your Labloodhound will be chasing one another around in the sand with the intent of trying to evade the touch of whoever is currently "it". What makes Sand Tag so much different than a regular game is the terrain you'll be playing on; sand is loose and uneven compared to concrete or even grass, so your leg muscles will have to work harder than normal during this activity. It sounds tough but you and your dog will get used to it fairly quickly, and your leg muscles will become much stronger as an added bonus.
Step
1
Warm up
Sand Tag certainly isn't the hardest activity on this list but it is the one that'll require you to be the most physically active. Before you and your Labloodhound head off to the races, we recommend that you stretch your body to avoid getting cramps during the game. Don't forget to help your Labloodhound do the same before you two begin.
Step
2
Not it
As with a regular game of Tag, the goal here is to avoid getting touched by the other player for as long as you can. Your dog will eventually learn that they are supposed to avoid you once you say "it" over time, so keep at this game and they'll come to understand the significance of certain words and commands.
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Scented Treasure Hunting
Popular
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Any Day
Cheap
Normal
30 min
Items needed
Shovel or Spade
Dog Toys
Dog Treats
Towels or pieces of Cloth
Activity description
If you're looking to fill your dog's life with a sense of adventure just like the explorers of old, then we think you're going to love this next activity. Scented Treasure Hunting is another activity that has a very straightforward name but is a bit more involved than one might initially think. This activity will put your Labloodhound's sense of smell to the test as well as your ability to set up a fun and challenging hunting ground. The idea here for you to get a number of toys and treats that you know your dog loves, mark them with a powerful yet pleasant scent, bury them slightly under a pile of dirt or sand, and then prompt your dog to find them.
Step
1
Making space
This is where the shovel or spade comes in handy. The first thing you'll have to do is bury your dog's toys or treats a few inches or so underneath some dirt, mud, or grass. To help your dog's toys and treats stay clean, we advise wrapping them in a piece of cloth or a towel before burying them. Space the piles out too, so that they're not too close to one another.
Step
2
Marking the place
After the items have all been buried, you'll next need to mark the areas where you've buried them with distinct scents. We suggest you go with scents that most dogs love like Lavender or even an aroma that they've come to associate with you (provided you're not actually wearing it while the two of you are doing this activity.) If you can mark one of the item mounds with the scent of your dog's favorite food, all the better.
Step
3
Treasure hunting time
After all of that's been taken care of, you and your dog will be set to head out and track down the treasures you've just buried. Once your dog successfully sniffs their way to a mound, prompt them to dig it up and then take it out of the cloth so that they can play with their toy for a bit or chow down on the snack that they've just unearthed.
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Scent Training
Popular
0 Votes
Any Day
Moderate
Hard
1 hr
Items needed
Leash
Scented Items
Activity description
Labrador Retrievers and Bloodhounds are two breeds of dogs whose senses of smell are so refined that law enforcement agencies and rescue workers around the world have employed these breeds of dogs to aid during times of crisis. These dogs undergo strenuous Scent Training to truly become the best at what they do and it certainly pays. Even if you have no intentions of volunteering your Labloodhound to work as a rescue worker, we still suggest you have your dog undergo some Scent Training to help them be all that they can be. Plus, you never know, a scenario may arise where your Labloodhound's sense of smell could save the day.
Step
1
Enroll in a course
There are a number of Scent Training courses that you can enroll your Labloodhound in if you prefer to let a professional handle this activity. Places like Petco and K9 Nose Work offer classes that pet owners can enroll their dogs in for a nominal fee. These courses can take weeks to complete, but your dog will have much more refined senses as a result.
Step
2
Do it yourself
Conversely, if you're more of the hands on type, you can get a hold of a dog Scent Training kit and train your dog to use their nose more effectively yourself. These kits are fairly cheap, running from anywhere between $20 USD to $50 USD and more. Starting off, we suggest going for quality and safety as opposed to getting a cheap kit because it costs less. Commands like "stay" and "search" will be utilized as you develop your pup's skills. Increasing the distance between the scented object and the starting point, or going out alone prior to a session to hide scented items will be explained in the kit.
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More Fun Ideas...
Ring Stacking
This sort of activity is perfect for a dog that's as brainy and mindful as a Labloodhound. Best of all, it's really cheap and very easy to set up! All you need to do to help your dog get into this game is get a hold of a couple of plastic rings and some sort of rack for them to stack the rings on.
Dock Diving
Labrador Retrievers are pretty good swimmers, which helps their Labloodhound offspring out a lot when it comes to Dock Diving. This activity is relatively simple; all you need to do is gain access to a pool or other fairly shallow body of water, toss a ball in it, and prompt your dog to swim after it and bring it back.
Conclusion
The Labloodhound has been making waves in the designer dog scene as a truly remarkable breed that adapts and adjusts to a myriad of situations using their natural abilities and intuition. Though we were only able to list a few activities that we feel you and your Labloodhound should try out, we hope that you'll continue to look for inventive, out of the box ways to bond with your dog as well as help them refine their abilities over time. Labloodhounds like a good challenge and will appreciate that you've gone the extra mile to give them a chance to put their natural talents and abilities to good use.