Spending time with your Bichon Frise for play or training is an important part of dog ownership.
Forming a positive bond with your dog is the key to being able to assert your dominance. You want to be the one in charge, not the dog.
I often struggle to find things to do with my dog, especially outdoor dog activities. Working in a job that requires me to sit at a desk all day means that if I don’t venture out with my dog then I never get to go outside.
I’m sure you’ll agree with me when I say, that I’m always thinking: “just how can I make my dog’s life more fun?”.
That’s why I decided to do some research to find some fun and most importantly free outdoor activities that I can do with my Bichon Frise.
I was able to find some great ideas from my research so I decided to combine them all into this article for you to try out for yourself.
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What Activities Can You Do With Your Dog Outside?
Playing and spending time with your Bichon outside has many positive benefits for you and your dog.
Especially if you are living someplace with good weather, getting outside as often as you can with your dog is a great idea.
Backyard Activities For Your Dog
You don’t have to travel too far to play with your Bichon outside for free. If you have any sized back garden this is the perfect place for a whole host of activities.
From fetch to a game of tug of war, you could even create your own agility course. All you need is a little creativity and imagination.
Dog Park Activities For Your Dog
If you don’t have a garden, a dog park can be the next best thing. You can venture outside with your Bichon for free and enjoy the outdoors.
Dog parks are also a great place to socialize your Bichon with other dogs and people. This is why it’s a nice idea to take a trip to your local dog park every so often.
Walking Activities For Your Dog
Simply by taking your Bichon for walks can provide them with some much needed mental stimulation. Think of all of the sights and smells you’ll be exposed to wherever you will be walking.
Not only this but regular walks with your Bichon will also be beneficial for you! It’s recommended that adults get an average of 30 minutes of exercise every day. This can seem like a challenge to accomplish but in reality, by taking your Bichon off for a daily walk you’ll probably smash this goal every time.
What Activities Do Dogs Enjoy?
Our doggos are so important to us and it’s worth thinking about the types of activities they enjoy. By exposing our Bichons to these types of activities on a daily or weekly basis, we are ensuring they are happy and healthy.
Being Physically Active
Running around in circles, chasing after a tennis ball or bounding down the beach are all things that Bichons love to do. Being physically active regularly ensures that your dog is happy.
Not only this but without regular physical exercise, your Bichon can become restless or even destructive in the evenings which makes going to sleep virtually impossible.
If you’re having trouble with this, set a goal to get out for a walk 3 – 4 times a week and see if you can attain that goal.
By setting a goal and keeping track of it, you’ll be motivated to stick to it.
Being Mentally Stimulated
As well as just getting enough physical stimulation, Bichons need plenty of mental stimulation too. This can take many forms but a key component of this involves semi-structured play.
One great example is to set up a dog agility course in your backyard (we look at this in more detail in the sections below).
This encourages you to play and interact with your dog in a structured way which in turn provides them with a ton of mental stimulation.
Spending Time With You, Their Owner
At the end of the day, Bichon Frises are incredibly affectionate and loyal dogs. This means that they enjoy nothing better than simply spending time with you.
Whether it’s sitting on your lap when you’re watching a movie or watching you do the cooking, so long as they are in your company they are happy out.
Best Free Outdoor Dog Activities For Your Bichon Frise
Now we get to the good stuff. What you’ve been waiting for. Let’s look at the list of the best free outdoor dog activities for your Bichon.
1 Arrange A Group Walk With Other Dogs & Their Owners
If you know other people that also have dogs, arrange a group walk with them. This is a great free activity that you can do at any time.
Come up with a set time and location each week to meet up and decide upon a route to walk. You could walk around a local park or go to the beach, the choice is yours.
This has the added benefit of socializing both you and your dog which is a great way to unwind after a long day of work.
2 Arrange An Outdoor Dog Party
There are many benefits of knowing other dog owners you will quickly find.
If you know people that also own dogs, get to know them better by arranging an outdoor party or play date with their dogs.
This will create long-lasting friendships between both the owners and the dogs which is great for everyone.
If you own a big enough garden or have a friend that agrees to play host, your dog will have a ton of fun for absolutely free.
A group of dogs can pretty much entertain themselves frankly but there are plenty of activities to enjoy as well so there should be no shortage of fun.
3 Bring Your Bichon To A Different Park Each Week
Being able to walk your dog in different places keeps things interesting for you and your dog.
You might have a preferred walking route that you enjoy but I have found that doing something different can be more fun and stimulating sometimes.
Do some research into the walking routes, parks, etc. in your area and plan to visit a different one each week. You might even find a new favorite walking route.
Additionally, take someone else with you like a friend or family member to keep things fun.
4 Go On A Walking Tour With Your Bichon Frise
This is something you might not think of but once you hear it, it makes sense and is such a great idea.
Why not try taking your dog on a walking tour of your town or city?
It is surprising just how many walking tours there can be in your local area. It would be a shame not to. You might be surprised at what you learn about your local area from something as simple as this.
All the while you and your dog are getting great exercise and enjoyment.
5 Bring Your Bichon Frise To The Beach
If you live near a beach you can use this to your advantage as we do.
This is not so great during the Winter months but over the summer there is nothing our dog likes better than going to the beach.
By bringing your dog to the beach there will be plenty of things to do to keep them entertained.
Everything from playing fetch on the sand to splashing in the sea to walks along the sand dunes. There may also even be other dogs about to play and interact with.
Something important to note here is to do your research to find how dog-friendly your beaches are. Some beaches can require your dog to remain on a lead at all times.
Some beaches might not even allow dogs so it is important to find this out beforehand and find a different beach to go to.
6 Create A Dog Agility Course
This is something you can easily do if you own a garden and can get creative enough.
By creating a short simple dog agility course in your back you and your dog will be entertained and active for hours.
Of course, you can cheat here if you invest money in fancy pants dog agility equipment but you can have the same amount of fun using homemade equipment and a bit of imagination.
You can even pretend you and your dog are at Crufts and have great fun running around.
This gives you and your dog plenty of exercise which will tire you both out.
7 Play Frisbee In A Big Open Field
Providing you already own a frisbee, this is a super way to entertain your dog outside.
Dogs can’t resist chasing after that colorful disc as it zooms through the air.
This is a great way to exercise your dog without tiring you out completely.
Take your dog to a big open park or even try this out in your garden and see how much enjoyment your dog gets from this.
8 Take Your Bichon Frise To Visit Friends Or Family
Taking your Bichon Frise on trips to friends and family is a great way to build up their social skills.
This is especially fun if friends or family members also have dogs to play with.
Chances are your friends and family will love a visit from you and your dog who is cuddly and sociable.
9 Teach Your Bichon Frise To Play Fetch
Being able to play fetch is an excellent way to train your dog basic commands like returning an object and dropping it on command.
An additional benefit to teaching your Bichon Frise to play fetch is that it will improve the bond between the two of you. This is fundamental for a happy and well-rounded dog.
Learning fetch is excellent for giving your dog plenty of exercise as they run to collect the ball or rope and bring it back to you.
Conclusion
I hope you were able to find some value in this article as I really enjoyed putting it together.
Let’s summarize the list of the best free outdoor dog activities to do with your Bichon:
- Arrange a group walk with other dogs and their owners
- Arrange an outdoor dog party
- Bring your Bichon to a different park each week
- Go on a walking tour with your Bichon Frise
- Bring your Bichon Frise to the beach
- Create a dog agility course
- Play frisbee in a big open field
- Take your Bichon Frise to visit friends or family
- Teach your Bichon Frise to play fetch
Hopefully, there are lots of ideas for you to try out for yourself the next time you are looking for some free outdoor activities for you and your dog.
If you can think of any more free outdoor dog activities, please let me know in the comments below.
Finally, if you enjoyed the information in this article, why not read these other great articles: