# Keeping Thunder Mentally Stimulated



## networkn (May 28, 2008)

Hi Thunder is 10 months old and it's interesting watching him develop. 

most of the time we aren't playing with him, he spends lying down nearby usually on the cool tiles since it's summer here. I am really not sure how much "down" time is normal. When he isn't down or playing with me, he might shred something or chew on recycled plastic bottles etc, but I am wondering on things I can do to mentally stimulate him?

He loves playing tug on the end of a towel, or pretty much anything, he likes fetch games for a relatively short time, we sometimes give him a kong to clean out, and we have a hard ball which has biscuits which it dispenses when it rolls a specific way...

Any ideas?


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## DianaM (Jan 5, 2006)

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=postlist&Board=74&page=1

On that section of the board are "Training Challenges." Check them out.







They're neat things to teach your dog and really get the brain cogs rolling. Post your progress if you try any.


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## networkn (May 28, 2008)

At 10 months old is he old enough to try these tricks?

I ask because I am struggling with this:

http://www.germanshepherds.com/forum/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=938922&page=1#Post938922


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

clicker training!!!!!

Fun for both of you and a 10 month old could already be doing:

sit
down
beg
shake (both hands)
spin (both directions)
roll over (both directions)
heeling
come
target training

If you go to youtube.com and put in a search for "puppy clicker training' you'll get to see alot of puppies much younger than yours doing TONS of tricks!


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## networkn (May 28, 2008)

Can you do clicker training if he already has learned these commands without?

He knows:

Sit, Down, Shake (can do both feet), Wait, Come, Stand (still working on it), Heal (working). Around (come around my right behind me and sit close on my left). Drop (not perfect when excited), Ok (release from wait or stay), stay, bring it back (85%). Over (jump an obstacle), up to mean either jump up on me, or jump into the car, Pull and a couple of others I can't recall right now.

I haven't managed to get him to roll over. 

I can get him to sit nicely still whilst I put treats on his paws, but his nose won't stay still in one place to try the trick on the nose with the treat.


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## Dee Phillips (Nov 29, 2008)

I have a small car tire tied to tree limb,my girl will spent alot of time by herself hitting and bitting it.There is a rope on it so she shakes and bites, ties to yank it out of the tree.She is 3 and has loved it since she was 12 weeks old she just gets harder at it.


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## MaggieRoseLee (Aug 17, 2001)

You can clicker train any dog at any age. And they will do the behaviors they know even faster/better when they catch on.

General exercise in the woods and offleash. The new sight, sounds, smells, etc help wear them out mentally and physically.

How are dog classes going? I'm amazed what my dogs can do when we find a good set of classes. And if the classes/instructor aren't that good, I go somewhere else!


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## networkn (May 28, 2008)

To be honest its been a few months since I went with Christmas and a new baby on the way, my wife hasn't been feeling to great, so I have been picking up the slack.


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## Castlemaid (Jun 29, 2006)

Mental stimulation? Train new tricks, as suggested, but what I find VERY important for my pup is GOING PLACES!!!

For example, we:

Go to training twice a week (Schutzhund & Obedience Level II/Agility Class)

We have been socializing around horses on a regular basis (just because)

Visit pet shops about once a week. 

I live in a quiet, rural area. So I take my dogs into town for stimulationg walks in new, busier areas. 

Recently took them to a local ski hill. Just hung out at the base of a hill and watched the skiers and snowboarders coming down standing in line for the lifts. 

When the weather isn't too cold, we go cross country skiing on some trails around my place. 

I know that if it is summer in New Zealand there aren't too many opportunities for skiing, LOL! But they are examples of how we adapt our activities to the season/place that we are in. 

Basically, just GO PLACES with Thunder! He'll love it!


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## networkn (May 28, 2008)

Hi There!

Thanks, this week I taught him bang! (lie down and die) which he does about 50% of the time so far. I also perfected (95%) round (walk around my right side and come sit close and look up at me).

I expect Thunder will get the % rate up on the bang thing, but I am not sure why sometimes he gets it, and other times not, even though it might be 2-3 times in a row and he won't get the third time, despite all the praise and treats he gets for doing it right the first 2 times. 

I am not sure how persistent to be with him when he doesn't get it right. I keep training sessions to 5-10 minutes. 

For some reason he doesn't understand the word as clearly as the hand signal and sometimes he will lie down but his head will be looking at me, so I point at the ground and down goes the head!


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## missykel3 (Jul 29, 2011)

networkn said:


> Hi There!
> 
> Thanks, this week I taught him bang! (lie down and die) which he does about 50% of the time so far. I also perfected (95%) round (walk around my right side and come sit close and look up at me).
> 
> ...


It sounds to me like your dog DOES get it, but you may be asking him too many times. If he does it perfectly, my experience is to END it there. As he gets to know the command, and is 100% confident (like as confident as Sit), you can ask him more times in a row, but in the learning phase, it is best to end it when he does it right so he knows he did it right. If he does it right and you keep asking him to do it, in his mind he is thinking "Well, I thought I did it right, maybe I am only supposed to lie down, not roll over?" So he may try a different action on the 3rd command, because he thought he was supposed to try something different. Good luck, and have fun!


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## AthenaClimbs (Aug 19, 2011)

I would love to hear how you taught your GSD the bang! trick


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