Keep your dogs busy and happy - San Antonio Express

Dear Cathy: I enjoy reading your column each week and always find new ideas or thoughts.

I wonder if there is some central listing for dog trainers in San Antonio? My two standard poodles are 4 and 7 and know basic obedience, but I would like to find some mentally challenging exercises for them. After their walk, their day doesn't have much to offer. I'd like to keep them busier all day long.

Harriet Christian

Dear Harriet: It's great, Harriet, that you walk your dogs daily. Dogs love walks.

Unfortunately, there is no central listing for dog trainers in San Antonio. Dog trainers may work at pet stores, kennels and animal shelters. Humane societies and pet stores will likely offer basic obedience and sometimes canine good-citizen classes. Kennels may offer obedience, canine good-citizen classes and agility classes. So you will have to call around to see what each place offers.

Training is great, but here are a few more things you can do to entertain your dogs.

First, play games with your dogs, such as fetch and hide-and-seek. For hide-and-seek, ask your dog to “sit” and “stay,” and then hide somewhere in the house or yard. Call your dogs' names and wait for them to find you. They will love this game, but more important, it reinforces their “sit,” “stay” and “recall” (coming when they are called) commands.

Second, find people who like to play games with their dogs, such as flyball. Several local clubs will come up during an Internet search.

Third, give your dogs lots of toys. It's mentally stimulating for dogs to chew — that's why they do it so much!

Finally, if your dogs are well-behaved, take them to the dog park, pet store or doggie day care a few times a month. Adding field trips to their routine can help alleviate boredom.

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