22/07/2019
31 WAYS TO PLAY WITH YOUR DOG
Humans selectively bred dogs for thousands of years to maintain their neotenous (child-like) qualities. Dogs love to play, and humans love to play with them. The ways we can play with dogs varies tremendously,
The physical, emotional and environmental enrichment benefits of play are numerous and include the following:
- Physical exercise
- Mental enrichment
- Social bonding
- Physical fitness
- Problem-solving
- Increasing learning ability
- Builds the ability to cope with stress
- An outlet for pent up energy
- Practising physical agility
- Learning social skills
- Relieves stress
- Relieves boredom
- Builds confidence
- It’s just fun!
Below is a list of 31 ways to play with your dog. Whether you’re playing just for fun or as a reinforcer for good behaviour, let yourself go wild and enjoy playing with your canine best friend.
FETCH
Few dogs can resist chasing an object thrown for them. Preferably teach your dog to ‘Give’ when asked beforehand, this will avoid the frustrating scenario of having your dog play ‘Keeping’s Off’ with you.
TUG
Tug, is great fun for most dogs. Play tug with a toy that is reasonably long, to allow you to get hold of the tug toy. If your dog refuses to let go, try using a toy large enough so that your dog can’t get the toy with his back teeth. The back teeth are the power part of the mouth.
GO FIND IT
It’s relatively easy to teach your dog to find a toy or a treat indoors. Once dogs learn this game, it serves as a very high-value reinforcer. Your dog will get to put their powerful sense of smell to good use while getting some critical environmental enrichment.
SQUEAKY TOYS
Most humans know how much dogs love squeaky toys, as evidenced by the frequency of a dog relentlessly squeaking a toy while you’re trying to watch a movie! Most dogs are happy just to sit and squeak a toy over and over.
OUTSIDE PLAY
Lots of people play indoors with their dog so a change of scenery can add some zest to your playtime with your dog. Head outdoors with them to play. Try going somewhere that isn’t your home, which is your dog’s everyday boring environment.
TREASURE HUNT
Treasure hunts are a sensational way to put the canine sense of smell to good use and provide important mental enrichment for your dog in an otherwise dreary day. Hide all sorts of food, toys and even new objects for your dog to find. This game can be played with or without you present.
BUBBLES
Most dogs delight in playing with bubbles. You can even buy bacon or peanut butter flavoured bubbles for dogs, in addition to doggy bubble machines! Break out the bubbles and watch them as they have a ball chasing them and popping them.
WALKS
There’s a monumental difference between taking the dog for a walk and going for a walk with your dog! Head out on a walk with your beloved canine companion and delight in exploring with them. Look for fun things to show your dog, let him sniff as much as he wants - provided he’s not pulling on the leash.
INSIDE PLAY
There is no shortage of games you can play indoors with your dog. You can even devise your own games. We play a fun game with our dogs called ‘Kiss Daddy’, Paul will lie on the ground face-down, with his head buried in his arms - we then tell the dogs to ‘Kiss Daddy’ - they try to burrow in at the sides of his face to lick him. Our dogs lose their minds for this game!
HIDE ’N’ SEEK
Hide and Seek is an excellent game for teaching your dog to come when called. Most dogs love this game. They can use their powerful sense of smell to locate you then when they find you; they can be reinforced with play, treats, toys or anything else they love.
WATER PLAY
Dogs love playing with water. You can buy a kiddie clam shell pretty cheaply these days. Fill it with water and some of your dog’s toys and let the games begin. Some dogs love hoses, and garden sprinklers so head outside and start playing. Water games are even more fun on a hot day.
WRESTLING
Wrestling is not advised for some dogs. However, if played sensibly, this can be fun for both of you. Ensure you give your dog play signals before wrestling, so they know it’s a game and don’t get intimidated or too enthusiastic. Additionally, add frequent breaks to punctuate the play and teach impulse control. If your dog refuses to take a break or isn’t gentle with their mouth, end the game immediately by saying ’Too Bad’.
KEEPING’S OFF
While ‘Keeping’s Off’ is often not recommended because it teaches dogs not to give things back, it’s tremendous fun for dogs. If you allocate one toy you’ll play ‘Keeping’s Off’ with, your dog will be thrilled. Never engage in this game with non-sanctioned toys though.
AGILITY AT HOME
Agility is a popular dog sport with good reason; dogs love it. Agility equipment is quite expensive, but you can create your own makeshift agility course at home. You can make agility equipment out of many things you already have lying about at home. Plumbing supplies are cheap and are a great alternative to the real thing.
TRAINING GAMES
When dog training is done right, it feels like a game for dogs. Teach your dog a fun trick or shape them to interact with an object. Keep the sessions very short and upbeat, avoid too many repetitions that will bore your dog and make them less enthusiastic about training next time.
CHASE - THEY CHASE YOU
Ideally, have your dog chase you, then allow yourself to be ‘caught’. Zig zag around, dash side to side, run fast, then slow. When your dog catches up with you, drop down and play with them, toss a toy or instigate a game of tug. Make yourself as unpredictable as possible.
CHASE - YOU CHASE THEM
It’s ok to chase your dog sometimes, and dogs love being chased. Only chase them at home, never outside of the home. You don’t want to ruin your recall by inadvertently teaching your dog that they can entice you into a game of chase outside of the home. Additionally, never chase a dog who has stolen an unsanctioned item.
FLIRT POLES
Dog’s adore toys that get their predatory juices flowing. If toys move and dart around unpredictably, it will activate predatory-like behaviours in dogs. Few dogs can resist toys that seem alive. Try tying a toy to a rope and practice making it move unpredictably. Don’t forget to allow your dog to ‘catch and kill’ the toy sometimes or they’ll lose interest quickly.
NAME GAME
For a fun training activity, you can teach your dog the names of their favourite toys or people. It doesn’t take dogs very long to learn to discriminate objects or people, particularly when trained with positive reinforcement training.
PUZZLE SOLVING
There are lots of dog-specific puzzle toys on the market these days. Helping your dog to solve puzzles is not only fun, but it’s a great way to enhance your bond with your dog. You can create cheap, home-made puzzles easily too.
FOOD DISPENSING TOYS
It’s no secret that dogs love food! There is a gazillion treat-dispensing toys on the market these days. Using your dog’s daily food allowance in treat-dispensing toys is a fabulous way to entertain them and provide healthy environmental enrichment.
RECALL ROUND ROBIN
Round Robin is a fun way to strengthen your dog’s recall. Simply have family members sit 5-10 metres apart and take turns calling your dog. When your dog runs to the right person, reinforce them heavily with treats, toys or play. You can play this game indoors or outdoors.
DOG PARKS
Although usually not recommended, due to the ‘survival of the fittest’ mentality of public dog parks, your dog can have fun at the local off-leash park. Take them at off-peak times, when there are no other dogs present, and let them sniff their way around the plethora of scents. You could also meet a doggy friend there for a play date.
DOG PLAY GROUPS
A well run Play Group is a brilliant way to teach your dog important play skills and canine body language and communication. Never just accept Play Groups at face value, ensure you’ve personally checked them out and are confident the Play Group is professionally run, by qualified staff trained to cope with highly aroused dogs.
GET YOUR BUM!
‘Get Your bum!’ is a game we play with our dogs. We wait until they sit and then show our hand in a claw-like position - then we say “Mummy’s….coming….to….get……..YOUR BUM!”. The dogs must remain in a sit until we say “YOUR BUM!”, then we tickle their bum, and they’re allowed to go silly jumping and mouthing (gently of course!) - until we say “Are you ready?”. Then the process starts over; this is an awesome impulse control game. You switch them on and switch them off.
SWIMMING
Head down the local beach, creek, dam, lake, river bed and let your dog swim. If the water safe for humans, get in with them and play. Most dogs love to swim, especially on a hot day. Swimming is also a great activity for keeping your dog in tip-top physical condition and strengthen their muscles.
COOPERATIVE HUNTING
Head outside with your dog and look for birds, lizards, possums, etc. When you find something, show your dog and ‘hunt’ with them. If your dog is at risk of becoming too aroused for this game, hide a favourite toy or treat, and ‘hunt’ for that with them instead. Dogs love hunting, and they’ll be thrilled if they can share it with you.
PLAY WITH NOVEL OBJECTS
You can play this game indoors or outdoors. Simply find a novel object, something your dog hasn’t interacted with before and play with them and the object. Try manipulating it, move it, throw it, tug it and encourage your dog to investigate it with you. Dogs are usually super enthusiastic about unusual objects.
PASS THE PARCEL
Wrap up a toy or a treat in many layers of paper. Stick the paper down with tape. Then encourage your dog to unwrap the package. They’ll have a blast shredding paper since dogs love to rip and tear things. In the end, they’ll have a new toy, a tasty treat or both! To encourage your dog to rip open the parcel pop a treat inside each layer of paper.
SCENT GAME
Your dog has an unfathomable sense of smell, put it to good use! Play games that involve smell. Try playing the ‘shell game’. Let your dog watch you pop a treat under an upturned cup, then ask them to find it. Gradually make it harder by not letting them see you hide the treat.
RUNNING
Dogs love to run! Running is, even more, fun for dogs when it’s social. When using running as a reinforcer just run, act silly, zig-zag, make noise, wave your arms around and encourage your dog to catch you.
We teach clients how to play with their dogs in week 4 of our groundbreaking Urban Puppy School.
Did you know there are four different types of play you should give your dog daily?
- Dog-Dog play
- Dog-Human play
- Object Play
- Locomotor play (moving objects)
Urban Tails Dog Training. 🐾❤️🤗🐾🐕
