Puppy Play

It’s important to understand that all dogs are individuals. They all have different personalities and interests, and this will manifest in different play styles. Dogs play because it helps them learn social skills, motor skills and it’s a great way for dogs to blow off some steam, eliminate stress, and get some exercise.

Playing with a puppy may seem straightforward. However, if you’re not mindful, you can play too long or too rough with your young puppy, causing aggression or grumpiness. Without preparing to play, you might produce behavior troubles such as nipping or biting. Fortunately with straightforward preparation, there are a variety of  games that will aid your young puppy to socialize and enhance your bond.

Has your puppy ever bowed down at you? Were you confused at what your puppy was trying to tell you. Don’t worry though—play-bowing is common for a puppy that’s ready to play a game with you!

Puppies are like little sponges. They absorb many life lessons during the critical socialization period that lasts until about 20 weeks old.

There is nothing cuter than playful puppies. They chase, pounce, bounce, and wrestle. They play with each other, with toys, with their own tails, and with us. Generally, puppy play behavior can be organized into many different types, and mostly consists of exaggerated movements and sounds.

Socializing puppies can be confusing. However, science tells us that puppies who are exposed to many different environments in a positive way, grow up to be social, relaxed adult dogs.

Read on to find out about the different playtime habits and when you should break up a play session.

1. Social Play. Some dogs are really confident and exuberant players. Others are shy or nervous. Some dogs are quite vocal, while others are quiet. Some use their paws when playing, and others use their mouths more. Play-biting, chasing, and wrestling—all of these playtime habits fall under social play. When your puppy engages in social play, they typically engage with other puppies or humans. It’s one of the best ways for your cuddly friend to try out their social skills and will pounce, bark, or play-bow at anyone nearby. This is normal. Puppies begin engaging in social play at around 3 or 4 weeks of age.

2. Sharing Play. Get a chew toy big enough for your puppy to chew on while you hold one end. As he chews, praise him. This helps teach him that your hands near his toys are good, preventing resource guarding.

7. Self Play. You may see your fur-baby chase their tail or pounce at an imaginary object. Self-play is a way for your puppy to have fun when there’s no one else around. It’s cute but if your puppy only engages in self-play most of the time, you may need to take them to the vet. Chasing tails or biting at imaginary bugs for long periods may be a sign of an underlying health issue.

4. Motion Play. Many puppies have an irresistible amount of energy in their little bodies. Sometimes, they just jump into play without any invitation. When you see your puppy jumping, pouncing, or rolling in the grass by themselves, your puppy is engaging in motion play. They may even play “ghost tag” by themselves. We know it looks weird, but don’t worry, your furry friend is having tons of fun!

5. Object Play. Retrieving a ball, shaking a squeaky toy, and chasing a rag tied to a stick are all examples of object play. As long as puppy doesn’t show resource guarding behavior around toys, or get so riled up she bites, jumps or engages in other unsafe behavior, go for it! You can even enjoy a game of tug if you and puppy follow the rules.

6. Bad Play. Unlike the other play behaviors on this list, bad play can be harmful to involve. It includes roughhousing or bullying tactics that can cause pain and other injuries. You should never blame the puppy for their bad play habits. Since they’re young, they may not understand that their bites and rough play is hurtful. If your puppy bites at you hard or causes another puppy to yelp, end the session as soon as possible. Let the puppies relax in another room and resume playtime later.

Play teaches dogs the proper way to communicate, bond, and make social connections.

7. Handle It. There may be times when you must cut out a mat, check an injury, or administer medicine, so teach your puppy to relax and enjoy handling. Get treats. Touch his ear and treat. Touch his other ear and treat. Touch a paw and treat. Touch another paw and treat until you’ve handled all of them. Touch his tail and treat. Examine his teeth and treat. Give him a restraining hug and treat. Which part did your puppy like the least? Work on that spot with briefer touches and better treats until your puppy learns to love being handled.

Playtime is always fun when your puppy is involved. Apart from being a good form of exercise, it also helps your furry friend develop their social skills and bond with you.

So, because playtime is such an important part of life for dogs, it is critical that you provide your puppy with plenty of opportunities to do so.

A happy canine, who is enjoying a play session with a furry friend, will generally exhibit relaxed body posture and continue going back for more fun with his playmate  but be sure that both pups are having fun.

If you can’t tell, you can perform a quick test — separate the puppies for a few minutes.

If both dogs try to reengage immediately, you can kinda figure they are both enjoying the activity. But if one uses the chance to escape the situation, he’s probably not enjoying the play session and you should stop them.

Signs that play may be getting out of hand:

• Play that continuously ends up with pups on their hind legs
• Incessant mounting
• Intense and targeted biting directed at the back, head or neck
• Low-pitched growling accompanied by stiff body language
• One pup is constantly on the bottom of the wrestling match
• Repeated yelping or snapping by a pup – a yelp or a snap here and there is a normal way for a puppy to say “Hey, take it easy!” which should result in the offender backing off a bit or taking a break.
• Extreme signs of fear
• Mouthing or jumping on people as a result of over-excitement

Be a good dog owner and keep your dog using good play skills so he does not become fearful or dog aggressive. So, how do you keep your dog using good social skills? Be present during play sessions to ensure your dog is enjoying the play and not just being pushed around. If you see obvious signs of stress or fear, then call your pup away and end the play session.  Interrupt the play if you see either dog displaying stress signals such as:  tucked tail, stiff body postures, when one dog is always on top, closed mouth with whale eyes, ears back, lowering of body and head, and constantly rolling on his back.

Here’s 14 fun games to play inside with your dog on these cold winter days. I know when my Rosie doesn’t get enough exercise; she starts finding her own way to entertain herself, and it usually ends with some sort of destruction with the grand-babies toys!

1. Play a Game of Fetch Inside with Your Dog

If you have a long hallway or basement you can play fetch indoors. It’s as easy as grabbing a tennis ball or favorite toy and have fun! This is one of my go-to rainy day dog activities when it’s raining or too cold outside to go for our regular long walks. My dogs love chasing a tennis ball, it’s easy to grab and it bounces to make it fun to chase! This is a great way to give your dog the physical exercise indoors.

2. Work on Basic Obedience with Your Dog

Training is the best indoor activities for dogs in winter or rainy days. Indoor dog training is simple, all you need is your dog and maybe a few treats. Whether your dog is an ace on basic commands or is still learning, even 5 minutes of practicing your sit, down and stays can be mentally challenging.

3. Search or Find the Treats

Use your dog’s nose to play this game and it will mentally tire him out quicker than you think. Start simple by hiding a few treats around a small area, give the command “search” or “find the treats”. Give a lot of excited praise once she finds each treat. Once you feel your dog has an understanding of the command “search”, then start expanding the area where you hid the treats, making it more difficult as your dog gets better at finding the treats.

4. The Cup Game

Get three or more cups, boxes or containers that you can hide a treat under. Set the cups upside down, placing treats under only one of the cups. If your dog has never played this game, you can start out by showing her where the treats are and covering them up. Once she gets the hang of the game, make it more difficult by not letting her see which cup the treats are under.

5.Tug of War with Your Dog

Playing tug of war with your dog is the perfect indoor dog activity. This can be a great bonding experience; plus is both mentally and physically challenging. The goal is just having fun.

6. Chase Bubbles

Another great game for dogs to keep them busy is teaching them how to chase puzzles. You can get a pet bubble-making toy or make one yourself, all you need is water, soap, and a straw.

Many dogs get excited when they see bubbles; it is a cheap and easy way to keep them active and occupied.

7. Hide and Seek with the puppy

Hide and seek is a great children’s game, but it’s also a lot of fun for your dog! If you have kids, you can have your children hide and the dog find them. If you don’t have another person to play with, then your dog will need to learn a good sit/stay command. Have your dog stay while you go hide, yell out your release word and wait for your dog to find you.

8. Puzzle Games for Dogs

Puzzle games are a fun way to play with dogs indoors. You can place your dog’s daily kibble inside the puzzle, so you won’t risk overfeeding him.

If you have the time you can also DIY a puzzle for your little friend, here are a few examples:

• Take a tennis ball and hide treats inside of it
• Hide treats inside a cereal box
• Use PVC pipes and turn into a treat puzzle
• Freeze your dog’s toys in a bucket
• Make a puzzle out of a muffin tray and tennis balls

9. Teaching an Old Dog New Tricks

Yes, you can teach any age dog a new trick! My favorite trick commands are the “go round”, “sit” and “shake”. But you can teach your dog any trick you desire, how about “roll over” or “play dead”? I had a dog when I was a teenager would go through the whole routine without me even asking…he would lay down, roll over, bark and sit up – he was ready for his treat. Here is a list of some other fun tricks to teach your dog:

• Back Up
• Crawl
• Hug
• Kiss
• Leg Weave
• Open or Close a Door
• Play Dead
• Roll Over
• Speak
• Sit Pretty
• Shake
• go round and round
• Take a Bow
• Wave

10. Make Your Own Indoor Dog Obstacle Course

We take agility classes with our dog, Ginger. But there are many of these things you can do on your own, using everyday household items. Using chairs, broomstick, boxes, hula-hoop, pillows, be creative and use what you have. If you want to get more serious, then you can order some agility equipment that doesn’t take up a ton of space.

11. Names of Dog Toys

Teach your dog to identify their toys by their names. Start with a toy they are familiar with for example a ball that they recognize. Get them to bring the ball by calling out the name and appreciate them with a treat, repeat this process until they are able to distinguish between different toys based on their names.

12. Make A Doggie Play Date

The best way is to invite your pup’s friend(s) over for a play date. This will give them a chance to play and engage with their own species while you can relax.

13. Work for Your Dinner

Dogs use about the same amount of energy when they are challenged mentally as physically. Treat-rewarding puzzles, such as the Buster® Food Cube or the Wobbler by KONG®, make your dog work for his treats. You can even use kibble instead of treats and feed your dog his entire meal this way.

14. Clean Up!

Teach your dog to clean up his toys after playtime. First, have your dog pick up a toy while you hold a box for the toys up to him. Tell him “drop it.” When he drops the toy in the box, give him lots of praise. Repeat with the next toy. Once he starts to figure it out, put the toy box on the floor, guide your dog over to it, and repeat “drop it.” Be sure to use the same words each time for every command.

It turns out there are many ways to cure the wintertime blues that your dog and you might suffer. If you use your imagination, the options for new indoor games are endless. So next time the weather outside is frightful, fill your day with a fun, stimulating indoor game that will keep your dog busy and teach him a new thing or two.

What do you play with your dog on those days when you are stuck in the house?

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