Do Yourself a Favor and Teach Your Dog to Chase Bubbles
Entertaining a dog doesn’t get much easier than blowing bubbles. When it comes to keeping your dog busy and active you’re golden if you can teach your dog to chase bubbles.
I’m not sure how this came about but Laika had an epiphany this month. It said that chasing bubbles is the absolute best thing in the world. Ever since that day it’s all she wants to do. Rather than nudging me towards the door for a walk, or the toy box for a game of indoor fetch it’s all about bubbles.
I hold out a bottle of bubbles in one hand and our favorite tug toy in the other – she goes for the bubbles every time.
I’m not sure when her obsession came about, it’s been quite gradual. And it’s a complete mystery to me how this doesn’t affect her arthritis at all. But I’m going with it. My dog loves chasing bubbles, so bubbles she will get.
Play is such an important part of our daily routine, and having something simple like chasing bubbles to add into the mix is a blessing.
Repeated play appears to be a major factor in enhancing the relationship between dog and owner, and given that this link seems to be absent in wolves, may have been selected for during domestication. – Science Direct: Why Do Adult Dogs Play
Chasing Bubbles is One of My Dog’s Favorite Games
I remember how depressing it was trying to figure out what we could do with her arthritis. Really long walks make her limp, outdoor games of fetch make her limp, and worst of all her beloved frisbee made her limp – so it had to be retired.
We couldn’t walk by our big basket of frisbees for months without her stopping & whining, it made me feel terrible. My dog loved catching frisbees, so frisbees is what she got.
So what do you do when you have to take away your dogs favorite activity? You can’t just tell them “trust me on this – it might be fun now, but you’ll be feeling it later.” Well you could tell your dog that, but I’m pretty sure they’ll keep asking for it anyway.
Having a 3 year old dog that can no longer jump or run (much) is depressing, especially since her brain is always ready to go go go.
So what did I do? I taught her how to chase bubbles. She has that playful enthusiasm back, the one that leaves her panting and grinning from ear to ear. Here’s the before & after of just 3 minutes of chasing bubbles. (I tried to get some action shots but trying to handle a camera & keeping the bubbles flowing didn’t work out so well.)
How to Teach Your Dog to Chase Bubbles
If your dog doesn’t know how to chase bubbles start by blowing a couple at a time. If they’re not interested in them try pointing to them. If that doesn’t work get a friend to play ‘bubble in the middle’ with you. Once your dog sees that the bubbles are meant to be chased they should catch on.
How to teach your dog to chase bubbles:
- Start by blowing one or two bubbles at a time
- If your dog doesn’t show interest in the bubbles try pointing to them
- Encourage your dog to “catch” the bubbles while they’re floating around
- If your dog still isn’t interested catch the bubbles yourself
So try it for yourself, see if you can teach your dog to love chasing bubbles. It can be done indoors (if you move the coffee table) or out, day or night. It’s one of the easiest ways to tire out your dog.
Once you have a bottle & wand you can make your own supply with some dish detergent & water. Some people add corn syrup to make the bubbles last longer, but I haven’t had any problems with the soap & water mixture.
Homemade bubble recipes are safe for your dog, just be careful that they don’t get into the mixture itself. And after playing be sure to wipe off their face with a damp towel. Bubble mixtures can irritate their eyes.
So if you’re looking for an easy way to play with your dog get yourself some bubbles. You just might luck out and have a dog that thinks you’re nothing short of a wizard. Not only the funnest person in the whole world, but the creator of all those magical flying bubbles.
Money can buy you a fine dog, but only love can make him wag his tail. – Kinky Friedman