Leash Off/Game On

You know how Facebook monitors your browsing and tailors the ads you see based in the data Big Brother collects? (You DO know that's happening, right?) Not surprisingly, 90% of the pop-ups I see are dog related. A few weeks ago there was an ad from dog training from a group in England called Absolutely Dogs. I watched the ad, and I actually bought the product. (Technically, the DVD was free. However, I paid $18 in shipping.)

The DVD I got is called Leash Off/Game On. It contains 10 different games to help create "such an awesome relationship with your dog that the leash is optional." My dogs pull like Mack trucks, so I thought: Why not? I've spent more money on a bad meal.

First of all, I had a hard time watching the DVD. Windows Media Player didn't recognize it. I had to tell my computer to open with the VLC media player and it ran just fine. I haven't tried it in an actual DVD player.

Second, the focus wasn't what I expected. I was hoping it would be games to teach my dogs to behave better on the leash. Instead, it's designed to have better control of your dogs off leash. Apparently, dogs in England are off leash in communal, wide open spaces a lot more than here in the U.S. Still, I enjoyed the DVD and am excited to play a few games with my boys. (It's never a bad idea to have an engaged dog.) The games are:

1. All Eyes On Me Game
2. I Loooove My Name Game
3. Funder Game
4. Magic Hand
5. Double Leash Game
6. Leash Off, Party On Game

7. 

   This not the wanger you're

   thinking of!

   Mighty Middle
8. Catch Me If You Can Game
9. The Wanger Game
10. The Whip Game

We've done variations of games #1 and #2 in S.T.A.R. Puppy training. Also, we've used of #4 to try to teach heeling. (Obviously I'm not doing it right. See the "Mack truck" comment above.) Jedi and I play a variation of Funder (fun + under) Game and Mighty Middle. It was nice to see them formalized and used in a different way.

Lastly, the language differences crack me up. A "wanger" is the British version of a Chuckit -- not at all what I expected! And the "whip" is a toy tied to a horse whip, looking very much like a flirt pole.

All-in-all, Leash Off/Game On turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It's my day off, so the dogs and I going out to play with our wanger. tee hee hee. -- K