The Cockapoo, a popular small dog with an big personality. One of the original "designer dogs," emerging in the United States as far back as the 1950s.
This delightful breed is the result of crossing a Cocker Spaniel with a Poodle, typically the toy or miniature size.
Known for their intelligence and strong attachment to humans, Cockapoos are incredibly affectionate and generally welcoming to all they encounter.
Here are 3 games I recommend to keep your Cockapoo entertained, help you achieve your training goals and enrich your Cockapoo's life.
1) Scent games: Tap into that inner Cocker Spaniel and play some scent games. You can keep it simple by 'scatter feeding' your dog (sprinkle your dogs food or treats in grass or leaves for them to find) or make it more difficult by hiding a toy for them to search for in the house or garden.
If you really want to entertain them, you could use a toy such as The Clam from Tug-E-Nuff. Simply fill it with smelly treats and hide it in a box stuffed with scrunched up paper or your garden. Then, let them sniff it out and reward themselves by opening the ‘shells’ of The Clam with their snout.
2) Retrievals:
I like to use a training dummy for retrievals, as they don't bounce when they
land, so they tend to create less arousal and the game focuses more on the
retrieving and bringing the dummy back as opposed to just chasing the ball.
Teach your dog a god retrieval using treats first and eventually you can start
to use throwing the dummy again as the reward for completing the exercise.
Make this game harder eventually by making your dog hold a sit or down
whilst you throw the dummy, start small with dropping the dummy a reward
if your dog doesn't break position, and slowly start throwing further away.
3) Tug games:
Interactive play such as tug can be a great bonding exercise and a good outlet for some of their energy. You can use a game of tug as a positive reinforcer for successful recalls, giving them a great reason to come back every time.
Find an appropriate sized tug, such as the Tug-E-Nuff Pocket Squeaker Tug.
Ask your dog to sit before starting the game, and teach them a good drop or
release command to end the game. This can be done using positive
reinforcement and by offering your dog a treat to encourage it to let go of
the tug.
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