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By Root 661 0

when their dog does not—but dogs may be more or less prone to walk close to, and in step with, their social companions. Retrievers do, but sporting breeds might not (both will keep an eye on you). Also, most dogs exhibit handedness—pawedness—so while we shunt them to our left, as every training class has us do, we might be disadvantaging some dogs more than others (and leading to inevitable frustration if the good smells are all on the right side of the path). It would be a shame to punish a dog needlessly because we simply do not know his nature. Not every dog needs to heel in the same way: the essence is simply being safe and manageable.

Canidness matters: Your dog is a social creature. Do not leave him alone for most of his life.

GIVE HIM SOMETHING TO DO

One of the best ways to see your dog's capacities and interests is simply to provide a lot of possible things to interact with. Wiggle a string in front of your dog's nose along the ground; stash a treat in a shoebox; or invest in the many creative dog toys that are marketed. A rich set of things to burrow into, nose, chew, bob, shake, pursue, or watch will engage your dog—and keep him from finding his own burrowable and chewable objects among your possessions. Outside, agility training or some simulacrum obstacle course is a well-defined way to engage and interest many energetic but driven dogs. But interest can be spiked simply by a weaving, smell-laden path, or the unexplored reaches of a field.

Dogs like both the familiar and the new. Happiness is novelty—new toys, new treats—in a safe, well-known place. It can be cure for boredom, too: the new requires attention and prompts activity. Hiding food to be searched for is one example: they must move around to explore the space, using nose and paw and mouth together. You need only watch the exuberance of an agility dog on a new course to see how good new is.

PLAY WITH HIM

In youth, but even throughout their lives, dogs are constantly learning about the world, like the developing child. Games that children find mind-bogglingly fun work with dogs too. Peekaboo, disappearing around the corner or under a blanket instead of behind hands, is especially fun when dogs are learning about invisible displacement, that objects continue to exist when you can no longer see them. Dogs are astute perceivers of associations, and you can play with that: ring the bell before dinner, Ivan Pavlov found, and the dogs anticipate dinner. You can connect bells—or horns, whistles, harmonica, gospel music, just about anything—not just with food, but with people arriving, or the time for a bath. Make a string of associations—and treat your dog's actions as adding to that string. Play imitation games, mirroring what your dog does: jumping on the bed, yelping, pawing the air. Note your dog's current skills, and try to stretch his ability. If he seems to know walk or ball, start using words that make more subtle distinctions: smell walk and blue ball; evening smell walk and blue squeaky ball. And at any age, play with your dog as a dog would. Choose your play signal—play-slap your hands on the ground, mimic panting close to his face, race away with looks back at him—and play. Treat your hands as he does his mouth and grab head, legs, tail, belly. Give him a good toy to hold on to, or be prepared for some nips. Watch as your own tail may begin to wag.

LOOK AGAIN

Much enjoyment can be had in noticing the invisible-visible features of your dog: the things we typically see through that are on display right in front of us. We now know how attentive dogs can be to people, and to our attention: notice the various and creative methods your dog uses to try to get your attention. Does he bark or bray? Stare at you wistfully? Sigh loudly? Walk back and forth between you and the door? Lay his head on your lap? Find the methods you like, and respond to them, letting the others fade away naturally.

Notice how your dog uses his eyes; the frenzy of his nose; how his ears fold back, prick up, and pivot toward a distant bark. Notice