Activities to Try With Your Labradoodle

If you own a Labradoodle, you’ll be well aware that they’re fluffy bundles of energy. It’s no secret that they need a lot of exercise and mental stimulation to keep them happy and well-behaved. While some owners are content simply to go for long walks or hikes with their doodle, you might prefer to mix it up a bit and tire them out with some more interesting or unusual activities in addition to their daily walks. It’s important to wait until your Labradoodle is fully mature before you try more strenuous activities. Consult your veterinarian if you’re unsure.

Agility

You and your Labradoodle can take part in agility either competitively or just for fun. The aim is for you to direct your dog against the clock over a course which has a variety of different obstacles, such as jumps, seesaws and tunnels. This involves rigorous training and a good bond between you and your pooch.

Flyball

Flyball is a fast and furious team game for dogs, which has a big competitive following. It’s sort of like a relay race, but slightly more complex. Your doodle has to race over a series of jumps, then activate a spring loaded platform to release a ball, catch the ball, and finally tear back over the jumps where the next dog in the team will be ready to go. The speed and intelligence that a Labradoodle has makes them great at this game.

Heelwork to Music

Heelwork to music is sort of like dancing with your dog, which might sound a bit silly, but actually takes a lot of skill and training. You’ll make up a choreographed routine of up to four minutes long and set it to music. Your Labradoodle must be able to intensely focus and follow hand commands impeccably to excel at this activity.

Canine Good Citizen Program

The Canine Good Citizen Program was set up by the American Kennel Club. You can participate to get a certification that proves your dog is well trained and has a stable temperament. This program is often the first step in training a therapy or service dog.

Frisbee

If your dog loves to play fetch, he might enjoy playing Frisbee. Not only is it fun for your dog, it can also help teach commands like “drop” or “leave it.” If you get really good, you can even take part in canine Frisbee competitions. It might be wise to consult your vet before playing Frisbee too regularly, as it involves lots of jumping and can put a strain on the dogs joints.

Dock Diving

The name dock diving is fairly self-explanatory. It’s an event where dogs run down a dock and jump into the water. The idea is for your dog to jump as far as possible, with the dog who jumps the furthest being the winner. While there are some high level events, Dock Dogs competitions are open to dogs of any ability and require no sort of qualifying event. They’re generally judged in divisions, so that smaller dogs aren’t judged against larger dogs and so on.

Obedience Training

While you can teach obedience training at home, you can also attend classes, which is a great idea when you want to learn more advanced commands or if you’re a novice at dog training. If you and your Labradoodle take a shine to obedience training, you can always take part in it competitively. You could also try rally competitions, which are almost like a cross between agility and obedience, with a range of obstacles to tackle but also certain commands to perform.

Photo credit: Roy Niswanger/Flickr

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