Why should I play with my dog?

Play is a very important, and often overlooked, part of dog training. I want you to ask yourself - why do you play with your dog? 

If your answer is “to tire them out!”

I'd suggest you to think about this differently..... would you play catch with your child, or your friend “to tire them out?” Likely, the answer is NO. It’s to have fun, and enjoy the game!

First, we need to get our dogs interested in playing with us. Many dogs want to take their toy and play by themselves. Or, they only engage with the toy for a few seconds at a time. For the dog who wants to possess the toy by themselves, a leash is an excellent way to help keep them around us! 

For the dog who only plays for a little while but gets bored quickly, we need to make the toy exciting! Moving the toy around like prey - think of how a small rodent moves and replicate it. 

When your dog has the toy in their mouth, don’t try to immediately take it from them. Instead, pet them and show that you can enjoy the toy together! Lastly, all good games have rules, right? It’s the same for playing with our dogs. Through play, we can start to teach how to “drop” the toy when we ask. We can ask for obedience commands like a sit or down before releasing to the toy. We can also work on impulse control, such as holding the down position, before being released to play with the toy. 

Now, find a toy your dogs LOVES and go be silly and have FUN!