5 Games You Can Play With Your Husky

Playing games with your pets not only keeps them healthy it also stimulates their mental health and well-being. Having routine playtime with your pet is very important in your dogs’ psychological and physical development and well-being.

Relationship building is the most extraordinary result you get out of playing games with your husky. Their social skills also improve since games involve many rules and regulations that they have to follow. Your pet will learn to follow them and make them friendlier even with new dogs and strangers.

While teaching your husky a new game, always establish the rules first. Ensure that your husky understands all the laws of the game properly before you introduce a new one. You should always be in control of the game and let your husky realize that you are the leader, and thus, whatever you say, they have to follow. It is advisable to incorporate basic commands like “sit” or “stay” in every game so that your husky remains disciplined though out the game. Learn more about what goes into a husky’s training on here.

Here are five games that you can lay with your husky:

1. Tug-of-war

As simple as it sounds, a game of tug-of-war is easy to teach and simple to play. Since this game involves a lot of roughhousing, people have a misconception that it might encourage dogs’ aggression. However, if you teach your husky how to play tug-of-war, with ground rules already set, it is a very efficient way to keep your pet entertained and incorporate training along with the game.

Precaution: The one precaution to keep in mind is to teach your husky that you are the only initiator of the game to prevent them from pulling on anything you might be holding, anticipating another round of tug.

The game:

This game requires a tug rope; while holding one end, give the other end to your pet husky and move it from side to side, encouraging your husky to pull it towards them. After a short tugging session, stop all movements and tell them to “drop” the rope. Always reinforce obedience with praises and treats. This game enforces obedience and impulse control in huskies effectively.

2. Agility course:

An agility course is one of the best games to teach your husky for mental stimulation and expel excess energy. You can create your agility course in your backyard or even indoors if you want. This game involves a lot of commitment to teaching your husky to follow the rules and stay on track. The best part about this game is that you don’t need to purchase anything; you can use whatever you find in your storage and create fun little obstacles that your husky can enjoy through the course.

Precaution: A necessary precaution is to make sure you don’t use household items with sharp edges or those that can harm your husky.

The game:

You can gather household items such as baskets, sticks, planks of wood, chairs, cones, and even hula-hoops to create an exciting obstacle course that your husky has to run through. The dog has to complete each task while progressing to the next and finally reach the race’s end. If you want, you can even purchase tunnels and hurdles for your husky to enjoy the game even more. The only way to teach this game effectively is by imitation. Take it step-by-step and introduce each obstacle to your husky with a lot of patience and understanding; while reinforcing obedience and compliance.

3. Hide & Seek

This game tests the problem-solving skills of your husky. It is a great game to play with your husky if you do not have the provision to play games outside. A game of hide&seek works great indoors since your husky also knows where to go and where everything might be located. The key to making this into a successful learning game is to gradually increase your hiding place’s difficulty so that your husky will be motivated to keep searching for you after each accomplishment. Another variation of this game is to hide the toys and ask your husky to find them. You can read up on some good toys for your husky on https://www.k9ofmine.com/best-dog-toys-for-huskies/. This game is more effective if you use your husky’s favorite toy or treat because they will be even more motivated to find them. 

Precaution: Make sure to hide yourself or the toys in plain sight first and then gradually increase the difficulty of the hiding spots as the game progresses. This tactic will ensure that your husky stay interested in the game and is motivated to seek.

The game:

The most simple of all the games listed here, in hide&seek, you are the object that your husky has to find. First, command your husky to sit or stay while you go and hide in an area that is accessible to your dog. After this, you can call your husky to come and find you. If they are having trouble locating your presence, you can keep making noises or calling their names to help them follow your voice until they find you. For playing with toys, first show them the toy, and then go and hide it while your husky sits or stays in one position, then ask your husky to go and find it. If your husky is having trouble finding the toy or treat, you can use prompts by leading your husky towards the location where it is hidden. Make sure to reward them with praises and treats when they find your hiding spot.

4. Soccer

Soccer is a fun way to incorporate the fun of running. You can play soccer with a smaller, softer ball if you play with puppies and use bigger, more firm balls for larger dogs. You can even set up soccer nets and goals for the ball. It might take a long time to teach the rules of the game to your husky, but you have to be patient and make sure that all the rules are learned. 

Precaution: Make sure to use a big enough ball so that your husky cannot pick it up with its mouth or bite it.

The game:

Just like a regular game of soccer, use an inflated ball to kick around with your husky. You don’t have to play soccer like it is traditionally played; you can pass the ball to each other since the whole point of this activity is to exercise your husky and teach commands. If you want to make it more interesting, you can use nets and teach your husky to take the ball towards the goal. Use controls like “goal” to indicate the game. Your husky might initially start by nudging the ball with its nose; use a sound reward system to encourage this behavior until your husky learns to kick it with its paws, pass the ball and eventually score a goal. Use a lot of encouragement when they kick the ball and move with it. Allow your dog to score goals as often as you can and celebrate each one with a treat or verbal motivation.

5. Fetch 

As the most common game to play with your dog, this is also the easiest to teach. The excitement of chasing and picking fast-moving objects stimulates their drive to run. Huskies are great fans of running. A fetch game can serve this purpose efficiently while also making the activity of running more enjoyable. This game offers excellent exercise for your husky since it involves a lot of running. Not only that, but it also enhances their smelling and searching skills since they have to locate the toy, stick or Frisbee, pick it up and bring it back to you.

Precaution: Games like fetch can be entertaining for some huskies while others may not be; this is normal. Some dogs aren’t fond of running, so you shouldn’t force it on them if they show any disengagement during the game.

The game:

You can use several toys like a ball or stick and fling it as far as you think your husky can run to go and fetch it. When they bring it back to you, encourage them to drop the object and wait for you to fling it once again. Use commands like “stay” and “sit” while you further away from them and throw the toy. Use the “fetch” command to tell your husky to start running. You can kick the game up a notch by using a Frisbee. With Frisbees, you can encourage your husky to jump and catch the disc while it is in midair. You can throw the fetch object as far as you want and see if your husky can locate and bring it back to you.

Through games, you get to keep them entertained, engaged, active, and happy. In many instances, playing games with your pets and keeping them busy is a great way to monitor their behavior and keep them out of trouble. Learn about what games huskies are good at here https://dogcare.dailypuppy.com/husky-dogs-good-sports-7915.html. The best thing that comes out of playing games with your husky is the relationship bond you create with your dog. Being in each others’ presence regularly and enjoying an activity together makes you feel closer to each other, and your husky will begin to trust you even more.