You Will Need:
- Dog cookies or other large treats
The only thing you will need to play this game are some larger treats that protrude from your fingers (a dog cookie works well in this case). So letâs get started!
How to Train The Airplane Game
Find a quiet area with few distractions. When youâre ready to begin, hold a dog cookie in one of your hands, letting it protrude from your fingers so your dog sees it. Now, stretch your arms out as though you were an airplane, while keeping the cookie in clear view.
If your dog is highly food motivated, heâll likely look at the cookie in your hand and perhaps even drool. If heâs the type of dog who gets frustrated, he may bark or paw at you, and if heâs a jumper he may attempt to jump up and grab it.
Ignore these behaviors and keep the cookie firmly held so he canât get it.
Now, look into your dog’s eyes and wait patiently until he makes eye contact with you. The moment he makes eye contact, say âyesâ and let the cookie fall to the ground so he can get it.
Bingo! Your dog has just discovered that eye contact is what makes you drop the âbombâ (treat).
As he gets good at this you can use smaller, bite-sized treats. This will help him pass the exam with âflyingâ colors (ha, get it?), as he wonât spend precious seconds chewing on a cookie.
Troubleshooting Problems
In some cases, your dog may not notice the treat in your hand. If so, try moving the hand with the cookie around a little to grab his attention. If you really need to, you can lower the hand, let him sniff the cookie, then raise it back up into position. This may lead to jumping, but ignore the jumping behavior and wait for him to make eye contact.
In the Brain Training for Dogs course, the âLook into My Eyesâ game will teach your dog to make eye contact whenever you make the smacking sound we learned about earlier. Once your dog has mastered âLook into My Eyes,â you can use the smacking sound during âThe Airplane Gameâ as a hint.
Increase the Challenge
Once your dog gets the hang of this game, you can make it more intriguing by replacing the dog cookie with even higher-value items like his favorite bone. You can even add a touch of unpredictability by hiding different treats in your hand so he doesnât know what they are until you let them fall to the ground.
To add even more fun and unpredictability, randomly change the hand that holds the treat.
The Exam
Here’s a video of Einstein and I completing this exam:
You may have noticed that I use a clicker instead of saying âyes.â In the Brain Training for Dogs course I will teach you all about clickers and how to use them to take your training to the next level.
Exam Grade Table
Time Taken |
Grade Achieved |
Under 11 Seconds |
A |
11 – 15 Seconds |
B |
16 – 20 Seconds |
C |
21 – 25 Seconds |
D |
26 – 30 Seconds |
E |
Over 30 Seconds |
F |