A PAWposeful Life Challenge: Week 2 Building Skills and Expanding Your Dog’s Abilities

 

Week 2 focuses on training for practical skills, physical activity, emotional connection, and mental stimulation to help your dog thrive. If you missed week 1, you can find it here.)

Items Needed:

• High-value treats (like shredded chicken or cheese)
• Boxes (approximately six, for enrichment)
• A 6-foot leash (minimum length)

Behavior: Learn How to Teach Cooperative Care - Example from Tails of Connection

Help your dog feel at ease during grooming or vet visits by practicing cooperative care.

Activities to try:

• Chin Rest: Teach your dog to rest their chin in your hand or on a surface as a cue for calmness. This is the first and foundational behavior in cooperative care training.**Watch this example video by Battersea.
  
• Nail Trimming: Begin with this 4 step process from Kelly Duggan. **Watch Kelly Duggan's nail trimming tutorial. 
• 1) show clippers while giving treats, 
• 2) clippers touch nails then give treats, 
• 3) pick up paw and touch each nail with clippers and give treats, 
• 4) clip a nail and follow with a treat after each nail

Note: If your dog experiences anxiety during veterinary visits, see this video for how I helped my dog to overcome this anxiety. 

Body: Get Started with Beginner Dog Parkour

4 Paws On - See it in action!

Engage your dog physically and mentally by starting novice-level parkour training with the 4 paws on behavior.

Activity: Just have fun with it! If you are interested, the International Dog Parkour Association Requirement is: Dog approaches obstacle and places all four feet on in a safe manner and remains on the obstacle for at least 5 seconds. Dogs must demonstrate the skill on three different obstacles. One of these obstacle performances must include an at least shoulder height jump onto the obstacle. 

Video of my dog Brady beginning his parkour journey.

In this video, we are having fun becoming comfortable on different surfaces. 

Bond: Reduce Anxiety and Encourage Calm by Meditating Together

Strengthen your emotional connection through calming meditative bonding with your dog.

Activity: Use the Zoundz app or Sama Dog Meditations to relax together. For 7-8 minutes, sit quietly, pet your dog gently, and focus on your breathing as a team. 

Note: Zoundz Therapeutic Sounds uses species-appropriate tempo, sound frequencies, and instrumentation that are research-based to produce maximum calming effects in dogs. You can try it for free for 14 days by clicking on the link above. Sama Dog is a free version of typica calming meditations for humans on YouTube that have been created to do with your dog. Actual meditation begins at about 2:10 secs into the video.

Balance: How to Do Nose Work With Your Dog at Home - Beginner’s Challenge

Nose work taps into your dog’s natural scenting abilities.

How to start:

• Use six boxes, some with treats hidden inside.
• Encourage your dog to sniff and find the treats.
• Play 3-5 rounds lasting 1-2 minutes each, but keep sessions under 15 minutes total.

Advanced options:

• Loosely close boxes for added difficulty.
• Place boxes at different heights.
• Nest boxes inside one another.
  

This week’s challenge encourages a well-rounded approach to helping your dog thrive by focusing on skill-building, physical activity, emotional bonding, and mental stimulation. From cooperative care training and beginner parkour to meditative bonding and nose work, these activities are designed to strengthen your connection and expand your dog's abilities. Remember, every small step you take together helps build trust, confidence, and joy in your partnership!

Ready to take on this week’s challenge? Share your dog’s progress or tag us in your photos—let’s celebrate their achievements together!