Training ideas

[roaringwater]

I'm looking for training ideas for my 1 year old GSD.

Typical of the breed, he needs as much mental exercise as physical so I try to build some training time into each day (I mean inside the house, not things like loose-leaf walking, recall etc that we do out on walks).

I've trained the following skills (obviously I keep them ticking over): sit, lie down, paw, leave it, waiting at an open door until he's told he can go in, go to his bed, basic 'find it' with a hidden treat.
What else could I do to keep his little grey cells working???

Roll over, bow (like a play bow), crawl, weave in between legs as you walk, touch hand with nose, touch object with nose, snoot (stick nose in circled fingers), middle (run from behind to stand in between your legs and then walk forwards and backwards with you), spin one direction and the other, circle around objects (like tables) one way and the other, go to bed/mat.

There will be others but this is most of our basic repertoire!

Instead of teaching tricks why not do something like scentwork which harnesses their natural instincts?

Amazing, thank you.
Any top tips if training videos to follow?
I'm working on 'middle' at the moment actually but he isn't a big fan!

Scentwork and more scentwork

Dogs love it - it is easy to do and relaxes tires out and mentally stimulates dogs.

You can get good online courses from Talking Dogs Scentwork. They have a course for those who only want to do scentwork at home.

Yes, absolutely open to this - just looking for advice for one step at a time.
I'd like to expand on his scent work skills but not an expert on how to do it.

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That's really useful, thank you

Some of the basic retrieve games - chase and catch where you just roll out a ball and let the dog run after it and bring it back.

You build that up to directionals, memories and blinds. I can send one of my back several hundred yards to a memory.

Hiding items and sending him to find them (scentwork).

Also long sit-stays wear them out: the sheer focus really stretches my two.

Oh, also tracking if you can find a club.

Freeshaping with a clicker. YouTube it 🙂

Tidying toys away into a box, teaching toys names, hide and seek with toys.

Expand the find the treat game to make it harder, I put treats in small boxes then hide them under stuff, stick them to the underside of tables etc. I also get my pup to sit and stay in one room whilst I hide things in another.

If you do ever want to do any scentwork it's a good idea to work on an indication early on. So the behaviour you want when something is found, e.g. sit/lie down/nose touch etc.