Have a Dog Picnic

Here's how ...

Activities

A dog picnic can be unstructured, with dogs and people milling about, enjoying the weather and each other. Or it can be an opportunity to do something fun together.

• Play a game, with food as a reward (this is the safest way to give picnic food to canine guests, as it reduces fighting).

• Have a sit contest. The dog who stays in the sit position longest wins.

• Swim! Fill a wading pool with water and let the dogs cool off.

• Give the group a big ball to chase (rather than using a beach ball, which can pop, use a hard plastic ball)

• Let dogs socialized in a fenced area. Take the people out of the area so the dogs can interact naturally with each other.

• Play musical chairs (or trees). When the music stops, the last one to sit leaves the game until there's one winner.

• Play "find the toy" by hiding a toy under a cup or blanket.

• Invite a portrait photographer to take natural, outdoor portraits of your dog. These often reflect the dog's personality better than a studio portrait.

• Have a relay race or a recall race. In a recall race, all the dogs are taken to one end of a flat area. Owners stand at the other end and call their dogs. The dog who reaches its owner first gets a prize (and everyone gets a treat, of course).

• Try a dog/owner look-alike contest. Give prizes for the biggest, smallest and shaggiest dog, or for the guest who traveled the farthest distance to attend the picnic.

Many thanks to Miriam Gustavson for her help in preparing this article. Next

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