- Hiking
If walking around the neighborhood isn’t your thing, you might want to take your dog on a hike through the woods. Many labradoodles love exploring the woods, mountains and the outdoors in general.
It’s tempting to let your dog off the leash when the two of you are exploring the great outdoors. But this isn’t always a great idea. Your dog might encounter a wild animal or run too far away from you and become lost. If you do let your dog run off the leash in the outdoors, make sure of two things:
- Your dog must be well trained so he’ll always come when you call.
- You must also know the area pretty well.
If your area has ticks, you’ll want to check your dog after each outing. Labradoodles can have thick fur, so you’ll need to be thorough.
- Visit the Dog Park
Many dogs love visiting the dog park. They can run and play with other dogs. The key here is proper training and socialization.
You want your dog to be accustomed to being around other dogs. The best way is to start early with puppy training lessons. This will be formal instruction with an expert and a class consisting of other humans and puppies. Not only will this give you a great foundation for how to train your dog, the environment will help your dog learn to be calm and obedient even when other dogs are around.
Don’t take an untrained labradoodle to the dog park. Labradoodles can be so energetic and rambunctious they can accidentally injure smaller dogs. Make sure your dog can “play well with others.” Don’t worry – with training and socialization from an early age your dog will be a model canine citizen.
- Obstacle Courses
To really take the action to the next level, try obstacles courses. These involve a high degree of training. Your dog will learn how to run through tubes, along planks and more. You can start small in your backyard with simple ramps and jumps. There might even be local contests you can enter. With enough practice, your dog could be an obstacles course champ!
There should be plenty of information available online. Some of the larger obstacle courses are even nationally televised. You and your dog might enjoy watching the superstars in action.