DogPlay
Helping Dogs Develop Play Skills
Play. How can it be that any living creature is without the knowledge of how to play? Wouldn't that
be akin to not knowing how to have fun or relax or be happy or laugh? Well, you've probably met
people who didn't seem to know how either, so let's not be too hard on the dogs that missed out on
that class. Most critically, proper play skills are extremely important to a happy, well-balanced and
confident dog. Without proper play skills, training can be compromised and the dog will likely even
suffer from poor social skills with other dogs. Thankfully, these skills are readily learned and fun to
teach.
In truth, puppies that are without playmates during critical periods of their life, probably somewhere in
the 6 weeks to 6 months range, would lack alot of the opportunity to learn how to play. For dogs,
play is something initiated in puppyhood. It hearkens back to the wild dogs who would learn their
initial hunting and defense skills from play with their littermates and mother.
Regardless of the age of = $dogname ?>, presuming they are in good health, you can probably help them
learn some fundamental play skills. It is important that you keep = $dogname ?>'s basic drives and
behaviors in mind while you work to develop play. Virtually every dog has behaviors that could be
built into playing but some of those behaviors could also go a bit too far to create a new set of
problems (such as the dog that is a bit mouthy could become more uninhibited and mouthy as a
result of such encouragement).
Basic theory would suggest that you observe = $dogname ?> and determine things that they find some
interest in, sniffing the ground, chasing the occasional butterfly, whatever the minor activity might be
that could give you clues to what they find fascinating. From there, you want to determine how you
could encourage the behavior. The dog that likes to sniff the grass might be intrigued by something
you could drag through the yard. The combination of movement and scent would be too wonderful
to ignore. Or feel free to try and intrigue them with a variety of props. Consider smearing peanut
butter on a chew bone to get the dog more interested, put duck scent on a stuffed toy to see if they
find that compelling enough to follow around when you play a bit of keep away. Try hiding toys
around the house in relatively easy to find places (they are new to this afterall). Make sure you and
everyone else makes a huge fuss when they find your hidden treasures. You can be sure they will be
always searching. Your creativity combined with the dog's essential nature will help you down the
path.
Secondary to this endeavor is to avoid overdoing it. If you get = $dogname ?> to play with you for a couple
minutes and they've never played much before, it's time to stop. Don't go to the point where they
end the game or they will see play as work. Try to leave them wanting more.
Play is also a great part of socializing. Once = $dogname ?> realizes that you have all these interesting tricks
up your sleeve, they can't help but figure every walk will be an adventure. Offering a toy when they
deal with new experiences (fire hydrants, playground equipment) and letting new people they meet
give them a small treat will go a long way toward developing and enthusiastic response to new
things.
If = $dogname ?> has a strong prey drive, you likely won't need much help teaching them how to play, but
you may need to help them find another game than tag (and rip a hole in your pants). Some games
are not good choices for some dogs as they can encourage undesirable behaviors such as tag and tug
of war. This is not to say that they should not be utilized but they would probably serve best if an
experienced trainer was involved in their implementation. Virtually any game can be given an on/off
switch. Once you do that, playing almost any game, even tag and tug of war, needn't be an
issue.
Once you've taught = $dogname ?> to play, the biggest challenge might be in controlling their creativity.
Someone once taught their dog the hide and seek game above. One evening during dinner, the dog
collected virtually everything they could find that wasn't too big or nailed down, and piled it up under
their playmate's chair. Another dog figured out that if her owner put on socks, that the boots would
follow and they would go outside and play. That dog was quite a pest if she found a sock! Even so,
neither owner would have ever traded their companion for a pile of gold. With that said, you may still
want to consider the potential consequences if a favorite game became a consuming passion!
For more information, contact your favorite dog trainer/behaviorist or write us at digitaldog@digitaldog.com for more information.
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