Games for Distance in Obedience

This is intended as a continuation of the post from June 19, 2009 entitled "Considering Distance in Obedience". In this post I have listed some suggestions for games, tricks, and ways to interact with your dog to make them comfortable preforming tasks at various distances (1-3) while still paying attention to you.

(1) Close Distance:
* Hand touch (of paw or nose) best taught using a clicker.
* Maintaining position at side either right or left or between legs. Dog can be oriented either forward or backwards this can be a moving or stationary exercise. Often taught in freestyle.
* Spinning circles both directions in front or on either side of you.
* Tugging with toy; in front, on either side of you, and while dog is between your legs
* Retrieving when toy is thrown straight up in the air. Perhaps you and the dog compete to see who can get to it first (you may be sitting on ground).
* Other freestyle exercises such as dog making a circle around you while you are stationary or moving around with them. This can be done with dog moving either backwards or forward.
Another good one is dog weaving through your legs. Again this can be done either backwards or forwards.
* Calling the dog through a tunnel.
* Position Changes often called Puppy Push ups, where the dog is asked to down, sit, and stand in random order.

(2) Medium Distance, Quick Task:
* Sending the dog through tunnel you running along side (the dog must now shift their attention from you to the tunnel to do this successfully).
* Retrieving thrown toys thrown away from you.
* Cookie toss games. Where you throw a cookie away from you and after eating the cookie the dog is asked to preform an action (such as down) while still separated from you. Or the dog is asked to return and preform an action close to you (such a front).

(3) Long Distance, Complex Task:
* "Find It" Game as detailed in Carol Lea Benjamin's book "Dog Training in 10 minutes".
* Teaching your dog to touch other peoples hands (or parts other parts of their body, the butt is a funny one, though, I must warn you, it is not universally appreciated). Sending them off to do this.
* Teaching your dog the name of a certain object such as "yellow ball" and on the command "yellow ball" your dog will bring that object to you. Be creative. Put "yellow ball" in pile of other objects and impress your friends or teach "get your leash" and save yourself having to get it.
(My friend has her dog pick up all her other dogs food dishes and bring them to her when they have finished eating -- very useful and helpful).
* 101 Things to do with a box: http://www.clickertraining.com/node/167
* Other complex tricks that require the dog to work independently at a distance. For example here is Bridget Carlsen and her dog Hootie demonstrating his Cookie Jar Trick: