Five Fun Play Ideas for Your Five Element Dogs

By Elizabeth Anne Johnson.

When you find your pup’s element, you find their fun!

Whether a Wood, Fire, Earth, Metal or Water Dog, each element archetype has fun enrichment activities they are naturally tuned into and love to do. Their fun style is embedded in their true nature and is often driven by their element’s sense organ. Each element archetype has a unique dominant sense organ which gives them ways of sensing the world around them. These archetypal sense organs are like feelers for how they see or process life. These dominant senses naturally dovetail into their wants, needs, and stress responses, and their fun!

For instance, a Water element dog’s sense organ is the ear, so they have extra sensitive hearing. They do not like loud noises. Sharp loud sounds create a fearful stress response within them. But give that Water element dog a sound they like – think clicker training, a crunchy treat bag, or maybe howling a tune with them – and they completely tune into you and that sound. Think of how dogs use their dominant sense in nature. Water element dogs will hear a sound deep underground or in the brush and will cock their head back and forth to echolocate the whereabouts of that wee, noisy, and possibly yummy prey.

The sense organ for the Wood dog is their eyes. Most Wood element dogs have incredible vision which gives them a giant boost in their athletic ability, their protection ability, and their intense determination and focus on their training, their handler or their job. They watch every move we make.

Fire dog’s sense organ is their tongue, and I also like to think it is also their heart which is one of the main organs associated with the Fire element in TCM. The tongue allows them to bark and Fire dogs often bark when they want something or are having fun. They often will give you a lick just to get a sense of who you really are. These social butterflies are all about love and bringing warm light and happiness to everyone around them. That vibrant Fire dog heart makes friends and fans for life.

Earth dog’s sense organ is their mouth so naturally they have a strong sense of taste. Primary Earth dog archetypes are almost always hungry and truly love a smorgasbord of yummy snacks – almost anything and everything goes for most Earth dogs!

Metal’s sense organ is their nose,and they love serious scent work of any kind. Their working dog nature is highly tuned into their nasal hunting mechanisms. They also seem to be able to rapidly detect imbalances in bodies, minds, and hearts as well as alerting on interesting new things around them. A highly tuned sniffing machine!

So how do we create “sense-ational fun” for your dog’s archetype?

Water dogs love to learn fun tricks and will learn very fast with clicker training. The clicker noise attracts their feral nature. Water dogs are very smart and quick learners…when they want to be. The sound of the clicker really catches their attention and stimulates their prey drive – which for a Water dog is fun!

Water dogs may be quite chatty with you or like my Water-girlie-dog Pretzel, they may sing along with you or their favorite instrument. They will often carry on whole conversations with you when they want/need something. They may even have a different whine or bark for different people they know. They utilize their acute hearing sense for communication and fun!

Wood dogs love visual stimulation, movement and challenge. Fun play for them is often a game of fetch or a frisbee throw allowing them to visually track toys while combining the movement and challenge they also love. Taking them to the mountains or on new trails offers them varied and fun visual stimulation. Wood dogs also do well with skijoring, backpacking, or any outdoor challenges that combine new sights with movement. They will always help you see your way home!

Also, Wood dogs are very fast learners and teaching them hand signals is easy-peezy. They are always watching our movements, especially our hands, and their fast twitch vision response will quickly react to our subtle movements. There is a very comfortable feel between a human and an attentive dog using hand signals for training requests. It takes away our constant verbal noise and creates a quiet, seamless feel to our partnership together. These Wood dogs love that!

Fire dogs want and need social engagement. They are magnets for humans and love to be noticed, petted, and adored. Best fun for them is to take them into stores and let them greet people. There are many mainstream stores that allow leashed dogs such as Home Depot, Lowes, Joanne Fabrics, Barnes & Noble, Tractor Supply, PetSmart and many more where they can get lots of attention and pets. They also love to walk their waggy adorable selves down a crowded street full of humans that they can weave happily in and out of. Yes, this is actually fun and stimulating for them!

Fire dogs are fast learners so you can also teach them some fun and easy tricks to stoke their heart fire when they meet new people and show off their talent. This “dog and mommy” show will create oodles of audience praise and smiles and make them feel even more adored!

Earth dog’s fun lies in relationship. They love to help you with chores. Teach them to use their sense organ mouth to carry a towel or a bucket for you. They also will completely enjoy local farm store visits, especially if they get to know each person that works there. They become like family to the gentle Earth dog who forgets no one, especially if treats are involved and Farm stores always have treats! Earth dogs have a loving nature, one that creates “family”. They are sensible and dutiful in a family sort of way. Their fun lies within the relationships they make and the treats they crave. Oh, and don’t forget the ultimate Earth dog fun – a well-stuffed Kong!

Metal dogs want a purpose. Fun is an elusive word for them. Their idea of fun is to use their amazing nose – yes, they do have a few more molecules in that nose than your average dog – and do something that is meaningful, feels like a job, and drives that sense of purpose so inherent to them.

They excel in nose work or scent work classes. These are easy to do together at home but best when you find a good nose work instructor to show you the basics. Remember Metal is not very flexible, and they want you – the handler – to know your stuff. Once you learn together you can also teach them to find your keys, your cell phone etc.

Here’s how:

Just take one of your winter hats or a ball cap that smells like you (not recently washed) and start by putting a “high value” treat (extra yummy favorite of theirs like bacon or?) in the hat and hide it.

Keep them in a different room than where you are hiding it.

Then use a consistent search word like “search” or “find it”. Let them do the rest.

When they find the hat quickly drop some more extra yummy treats in while praising them.

(Metals are usually more excited about the action/work then they are the treats)

Then do it again so you both learn the game.

They will smell your scent along with the treat and soon you will be transitioning to lost keys, cell phones etc.

After they get this far try it without a treat, just the “lost” object. Praise them like crazy and Presto! They will find your lost things every time.

Try this fun game with the other element archetypes too – they all have super noses!

Give your dog’s element enrichment in the form of what they really love to do and the fun will be limitless.

As always remember to bring your smile and open heart to your all your fun and training.

Showing your own joy truly makes a difference, and your happy dog will think you’re having FUN too!

Learn more about your Five Element Dog and “why they do what they do”!
Elizabeth is the author of Know Your Dog’s True Nature – Understanding Canine Personality through the Five Elements (Findhorn Press/Inner Traditions), a 2020 TEDx speaker: Four Life Lessons from Our Old Dogs, and also contributes articles to DWAA – Dog Writers Association of America, Happy Healthy Dog, Grey Muzzle, and Holistic Health Magazine in the U.K. Elizabeth lives in the Pacific Northwest with her rescue dogs, Wilbur and Pretzel. ElizabethAnneJohnson.com