Cooper is a larger than life dog. He's sociable and full of energy. As soon as someone walks through the threshold of his home, your puppy is desperate to investigate. He sniffs around, then stands back and eyes the person up. You can almost see his brain working. You love this about him. You were expecting a cute, little ball of fur. Not only did you get that, but you also got an intuitive, switched-on canine companion. In fact, you’re swiftly realising you’ll need to mentally stimulate your puppy.
Training your puppy to play 'connect the dots' is a great way to do just that. You’ll take all that energy and put it to good use. One benefit of which is that he'll continue to grow and be exercised both psychically and mentally. It also makes for a great way to tire your puppy out, ensuring you get your tranquil evenings back.
Training a puppy to play connect the dots isn’t the most straightforward of tasks. However, if your puppy is clever then it may be easier than you realize. Your first job is to incentivize him to get involved. To do that, you’ll probably want to use treats or a favorite toy. You’ll then need to turn 'connect the dots' into a fun game where the end goal is that reward.
If Cooper is highly intelligent and keen to learn, then you could see results in just a week or so. But if your puppy is stubborn and more interested in rolling around in puddles, then it could take a little while longer. You may then want to set aside several weeks for training. Don’t give up on training and you’ll soon have a fantastic way to keep Cooper busy. It will also fascinate others to watch him at work. Lastly, playing 'connect the dots' with your puppy will simply make for great bonding time.
Before you can start training, you’ll need to make sure you have a few things. A yard or a large room will be needed. You’ll then need an array of treats or toys. These are going to be the incentive behind each dot. You’ll then need clear markers. You can use small cones or anything with different colors or shapes and smells.
This sort of training will be fairly challenging for your puppy so you’ll need to keep sessions to no longer than 10 minutes, especially to begin with. But do try and set aside that much time each day.
Once you’ve got all that, just bring patience and a proactive attitude, then work can begin!