Bucket Game

The Bucket Game can be a terrific tool to help anxious dogs find their calm.  I have used it to great effect with shelter and rescue dogs, as well as family dogs who exhibit their anxiety by constantly asking for attention, for example, or never stopping moving.  It is a fun game to play with your dog, working as an enrichment tool. 

For dogs with anxiety, often even the most basic training can be challenging.  Their constant heightened state of arousal makes it less possible for them to be responsive.  Games like the Bucket Game, or Zen, which is another game that teaches impulse control (find it here) help the dog experience what calm feels like, and understand that calmness is rewarding.  

Click here for the link to a video where Chirag Patel, who developed the Bucket Game, gives an overview of the game. Chirag developed the Bucket Game for husbandry issues, as he says, but it can also help teach a dog to self regulate.

Learning the Bucket Game: Sequential steps

Click here for the link to the first video of a series that goes through each step of the Bucket Game. I must mention that the demonstrator alludes to, but does not mention specifically, that you should use low value treats (ie regular food/plain kibble).

There is nuance that can determine the level of success.

If you book an appointment, then I will show you the details, and help with the issues that brought you to want to learn about the Bucket Game in the first place!