Playing is an important part in a dog’s day as it helps them keep fit, relieves stress and it strengthens their bond with us. Playing is also a great way for them to learn new skills such as better manners. Below are 5 valuable skills Taught Through Play.
Play Improves your Dogs Manners
Teaches impulse control.
Tug-of-War.
Tugs can get some dogs really excited and it’s not uncommon for dogs (young ones) to accidentally touch their teeth to your hand. When playing follow the rule” Stop the game when their teeth touch your hands” this is teaching them that those behaviors have consequences. Resume again and repeat as needed. Let your dog win sometimes to make it fun and engaging.
It will not make a dog more aggressive or Dominant!
Puppies are extra mouthy when it comes to everything including tug so make sure they understand bite inhibition (the dog consciously inhibits the force of his bite.)
Play Reinforces Basic Training Commands
Drop it and Leave it and Recall
Playing Fetch.
After your dog retrieves the ball, call them back to you. Once they’re within reach tell them to “drop it.”. If they do not drop, have a duplicate of the ball or toy used and present to the dog. When they drop it, praise them like crazy and continue the game. If they refuse to drop it the game stops. They’ll start to realize that the game stops when they don’t give the ball back, and if they want to keep playing they’ll have to follow your rules.
Don’t chase after them, as that will just turn it into a fun game of ‘haha can’t catch me’ for them. The game continues as long as they learn to drop the ball for you. Keep the praise up. When the dog comes back you can introduce a recall command and make it fun and exciting and keep it positive.
Nose Work
Nose Work Games : Three Cups and Wait
Grab 3 cups (or containers) and some treats. Place the 3 cups in front of your dog and put a treat under one of them. It is OK if your dog watches for a while, it can take a bit for them to catch on to what you’re asking of them.
Tell them to “find it” and praise like crazy when they point or signal to the cup with the treat under it. As they start to understand the objective you can make it more challenging by moving the cups around after you place the treat. Game is good for teaching manners such as waiting for the cups to be set up before starting the game.
Puzzles Help Skills Taught Through Play
Mental Stimulation : Puzzles
Physical activity alone is not enough for all dogs. Working and Herding Breeds are great candidates for lots of mental stimulation. No breed is unable to do puzzles but some may not be as motivated.
Adding in some mental stimulation can really tire a dog out. Everydog has a different activity level, but all dogs can benefit from adding in some mental exercise to their daily routine.
Basic Puzzles are frozen kong full of treats and yogurt or peanut butter. Another option is a snuffle mat. Wobblers and maze bowls are also great ways to challenge a dog at meal time. Puzzle games are easy to come by in most pet stores or online.
The game continues as long as they learn to drop the ball for you. If you keep up the praise when they bring the ball back and keep it exciting that should be enough incentive to keep them playing by the rules.
Play Increases your Dog’s Confidence Skills Taught Through Play
Positive reinforcement gives your dog a direction in play. Dogs know what is expected of them and those that have a routine tend to thrive.
When you play with your dog you’re teaching them various skills and introducing them to new cues and objects. By keeping it positive they will be gaining confidence when it comes to facing new situations and objects. Fearful and shy dogs may take longer to build their confidence. It takes lots of patience and consistency.
