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If you have dreams of training and competing in sports with your puppy, it can be overwhelming to know where to start? There are lots of important skills your puppy will be learning—like potty training, crate training, loose-leash walking, and basic obedience commands like sit, down, and recalls. But if you’re looking to do more with your sport-prospect puppy, here are some games and activities you can work on to build enthusiasm for learning.
Safety First
Just because a puppy wants to do something, or is capable of it, doesn’t mean that they should. Safety should always be your first thought when playing and training with your puppy. Talk to your breeder and your vet about what level of exercise is safe and appropriate at what age. For example, the larger your breed of puppy, the slower they’ll physically mature—and the longer you’ll need to avoid any strenuous exercise like jumping or any extended running or jogging.

Foundation Games
While there are some sports-related aspects of training that you shouldn’t do with a puppy, there are plenty of foundation games you can play that will help in the future. As you’re playing these games, try to reward your puppy with treats and toys. Having a puppy that can be rewarded with both food and play will be beneficial as they grow up and you get involved in more formal sports training.
Send to Target
Regardless of which sports you and your puppy will eventually pursue, it’s useful for them to know how to move away from you to a target. To start playing this game, put a treat or toy your puppy loves a few feet in front of you where they can see it. Gently hold your puppy back and then say “OK,” or the release word of your choice. Then, release your puppy to get the treats and offer lots of praise. Over time, you can move the treat or toy further away from you.
Line Up At Your Side
Most of us spend a lot of time rewarding our dogs for being in front of us, whether it’s teaching puppies to sit or calling them in the yard. But when they grow up, all of our puppies—particularly ones involved in sports—will spend a lot of time at our side instead of in front of us.
When your puppy is young, it’s a great time to set a foundation for them being comfortable lining up at your side. They should understand that this is a position where they can and will be rewarded with toys and treats. Be sure to reward from both your left and right side. This is especially important for sports like agility and AKC Trick Dog where your dog will need to eventually take direction from both sides.
To work on this skill, start by rewarding when your puppy is next to you. You can also lure your puppy to line up at your side with a treat. At this stage, don’t worry about precision placement—this isn’t a formal return to heel position. You can add a verbal cue if you want them to line up next to you, but it’s not necessary. We’re focusing on just building a foundation so the puppy knows they’ll be highly rewarded for being at our side.

Keep Attention
Arguably the most important thing your puppy will ever learn for their future in sports is to ignore distractions and pay attention to you. This subtle skill will allow you to walk your puppy in a crowded area or attend training classes together. Plus, it will give them the ability to ignore things happening outside the ring when you compete together in the future.
The goal of building attention isn’t to punish your puppy for being distracted by other things. Instead, we want to make ourselves more exciting than anything else. A simple way to build this skill is to teach “watch” to your puppy. Hold a treat or toy in front of them, then bring it up between your eyes and praise (or click, if you’re clicker training). Then, give your dog the toy or treat.
After several repetitions, you can bring your hand to your face without a toy or treat in it. When your dog looks at you, give lots of praise and a treat or start to play with a toy you had hidden. When your puppy consistently follows your hand as a physical cue to look at your face, add in a verbal cue of your choice like “eyes” or “watch.” Start by practicing this skill at home in a quiet, non-distracting environment. Then, slowly work up to more distracting places like your front yard, the sidewalk, or a park.
Hand Targeting
Teaching your puppy to target your hand is a super useful skill for being able to position them and get their attention. Plus, it’s a very cute trick. Start by holding out your hand in front of your puppy. When they look at your hand, praise or click and reward with a treat. Next, hold out your hand with a flat palm in front of your puppy. When they approach to sniff, praise/click and treat. Your puppy will very quickly make the association that touching your hand with their nose will get them a treat and they’ll begin to offer that behavior.
Once your puppy consistently touches your outstretched hand, you can add in a verbal cue like “touch,” “target,” or “boop.” You can also begin to make the skill more challenging by moving your hand slightly farther away from your puppy.

Explore Novel Surfaces
Experiencing different textures and sensations underfoot, including safe movement, is extremely important for helping your puppy build confidence. Consider using wobble boards, inflated exercise discs, or pillows. You can also train on different outside surfaces like gravel, grass, sand, and metal grates can all help. Make a game out of seeing how many different surfaces you can introduce your puppy to.
Keep Things Fast and Fun
No matter what games or skills you’re working on, make sure to keep your training sessions fast and fun. The goal is to build your puppy’s enthusiasm for learning. To do this, stop each training session before your puppy gets tired or overwhelmed. This will keep them engaged in whatever you’re working on and eager to play again.
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