Jump to content
BC Boards

Keeping Gibbs busy ~ tricks for an old guy


Recommended Posts

Gibbs turned 11 in October, and with his knee issues, he's not allowed to chase things anymore. We weren't doing a lot of it, but I guess there's a difference between a little bit here & there and NONE. EVER. Every time I take him out to the yard to relieve himself, I swear that dog sighs heavily and lets his shoulders slump. Pitiful, I tell you.

He goes on 3 walks a day, (level ground, not too far) and thank goodness for that. I've got one maze-like feeder that he gets a few times a week and a rolling thing that dispenses kibble as he nudges it. And we get in a nose work class usually 3 times a month. And I hide his kibble dispensers so he has to find them.

Not Enough. I'm waiting for some trick books from the library, everything I've seen so far on the Web has been like, 'teach your dog to skateboard!'  and such. No. And the Crate Games seem to be either about teaching your dog to love a crate, (he's okay with one) or teaching things that he already knows.

Who's got a few ideas for tricks to teach a creaky dog, who is still eager to do SOMETHING with his human?  PS ~ he has no interest in watching talk shows.

Ruth & Gibbs

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Does he tug? That has always been Kit's favorite, and she still loves it. The great thing is that it can be tailored to exactly what energy and strength level the dog has today. Kit, by the way, is 17 now and I will be having a little birthday celebration for her in a few days.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

1 hour ago, D'Elle said:

Does he tug? That has always been Kit's favorite, and she still loves it. The great thing is that it can be tailored to exactly what energy and strength level the dog has today. Kit, by the way, is 17 now and I will be having a little birthday celebration for her in a few days.

I had assumed that tugging would be too much stress on his knees, but in pondering it a bit, I realize much more of the pressure is on the front legs and shoulders than the back. We shall investigate and report back. Thanks for the idea!

R&G

ETA - Happy Birthday, Kit! 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I have a DIY version of bobbing for treats. I have old clothing, towels, etc, that I toss into one of those under the bed clothing storage bins. Scatter his kibble in amongst the clutter, give it a shake, and put it down for a little hunting down the kibble. He's really good at that, too, so it doesn't take too long. Sigh. 

Smart dogs are sometimes NOT the easiest to live with.

Ruth & Gibbs

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Maybe treats scattered among lots of plastic balls or wads of paper.

Jester always loved hide and seek and we played it all his life even when he was almost blind, because he was using his nose. Take favorite toy, hide it somewhere and tell him to find it. He loved that game especially because finding it meant I would throw it.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

×
×
  • Create New...