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Play Time! Play strengthens the human-canine relationship and reinforces training. Plus, a tired dog is a well-behaved dog. |
CommentsIt's All Fun and Games
Teaching your dog how to play
By Carla BrownPublished: July 19, 2010
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The highlight of my week is puppy class. It’s hard not to smile while watching the play sessions. They wrestle, play-bite, and chase each other with utter abandon! Puppy play can seem rough and little scary to the uninitiated, so in class I narrate the play and re-organize the playgroups if necessary. This is a learning experience for the humans as much as it is for the pups. I want the puppy parents to understand what normal play looks like. Puppies learn valuable lessons by playing; more assertive pups learn to take turns, while submissive ones practice asserting themselves. They also learn to control how hard they bite (called bite-inhibition). Puppies who play are likely to be friendlier and more well adjusted as adults.
I often see adult dogs that have either forgotten how to play or never learned. After they learn a few fun tricks or how to fetch a ball, their eyes light up. Playing with your dog can strengthen your relationship, and as an added bonus, you can train while you play!
Games can be a fun way to teach leadership and control, however there are good games and bad games. In most cases, it just takes a minor adjustment to change a bad game into a good one.
Bad Game #1:
Catch me if you can
You reach to put a leash on your dog, and he runs the other direction. When you chase him, the game is on!
The Good Alternative: Hide and seek
Hide behind a wall or tree and wait until he looks for you. You want him to succeed, so make it easy at first.
Bad Game #2:
Tug of war for keeps
Your dog wrestles you for a toy and runs off with it. This often turns into Game #1.
The Good Alternative: Tug of war on your terms
You make the rules! Invite him to “take it,” “tug,” and “drop it.” When you are done playing, put the toy away.
Bad Game #3:
Throw the ball
Your dog pushes his ball at you, staring and ordering you to “throw it”!! Once you do, he gets the ball but then dances around and won’t give it back.
The Good Alternative: Fetch
You bring the ball and invite a controlled game of “fetch.” You ask him to “sit” and “wait,” then tell him to “get it” as you throw the ball. On his way back, you say “bring it” and have him “drop it” into your hand.
Bad Game #4:
Wrestling and play fighting
This encourages jumping up, mouthing, biting, and chasing.
Good Alternatives: Tricks and mind games
Exercise your dog’s mind by teaching him to shake, roll-over, play dead, or spin.
In addition to games you can play at home, new types of organized dog sports are constantly being created. Rally-O is a fun sport in which dogs must perform certain tasks to score points. Fly-ball and agility are great for high-energy dogs like terriers and herding breeds. Find something you both enjoy and have fun!
~ Carla Brown is a certified pet dog trainer and the owner of the newly opened Savvy Dog Training and Education Center in Truckee.
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