Playing with a puppy is an essential part of puppy training. Playing together with the puppy should not only serve to keep the puppy physically and mentally occupied, but also to promote his or her mental development. In addition, it should strengthen the bond and trust between dog and dog owner. Here you can read what you should pay attention to when playing with puppies.
Puppy games help train your dog
When you take a puppy into your home, it is not only important that your puppy has the right food, additional basic equipment and a good mix of activity, relaxation and exercise, but also that he learns commands and trusts, pushes his limits, finds his way in everyday situations and interact with other people and animals. The easiest way for a puppy to learn all this is through playful games such as (light) drag games, fetch games, intelligence games or sniff games.
Breaks are important
Whatever game you play with your puppy, it's important not to overwhelm the dog. Young puppies do not yet know their physical limits and often overestimate themselves. Your job as a dog owner is to master the puppy game and to pause or end the game in time. It's better to play with your dog a few minutes more times a day than once (too) long. Petting is a great way to break up the game and calm your excited puppy.
End the game when he or she is at his best and not just when he or she has had enough. This keeps the motivation for the next game. Puppies still need a lot of rest, especially after a strenuous educational game, drag game or search game. After puppy play, relaxation is always the order of the day. As much as a young pup loves to play, that doesn't mean he'll immediately start wrestling or romping every time he's awake. He also needs to learn that he is not always the focus.
Clear boundaries when playing with puppies
Even if play is supposed to make friends for the puppy, clear boundaries must be drawn. The game should always start with humans and you should always have the upper hand in the game. You always remain the sovereign role in your dog-human relationship. Even if the puppy is looking at you with his/her sweet look, you should show him/her his/her limits in a kind but sure way.
You also decide when the game ends. For example, if your puppy starts biting your hands like crazy, you should end the game with a clear “no”. You should also avoid rough drag games, in which your puppy may see you as an equal competitor. If the puppy starts fighting with you and wants to take the toy from you, you should also end the game. Just walk away and ignore him/her. In this way the dog learns that this behavior is not beneficial for him/her.
Games in which you run after your dog to catch him should also be avoided. So the puppy only learns that he/she can successfully escape you and your upbringing.
Puppy playpen
It is especially attractive to the puppy if it has its own playpen for the toys. All toys must be put back in the playpen after playing together, so that the puppy does not always have them freely available. Then he/she will be all the happier if the person takes a toy out of the box and plays a game with the puppy. Incidentally, this also extends the life of the toys enormously.
Does daycare make sense?
For socialization purposes, it may be helpful to take your puppy to a nearby dog walking facility or shelter. Here your puppy can learn to interact with other dogs in a playful way. Here it is important to choose the right puppy group so as not to expose your puppy to negative situations. In the puppy group, only puppies of about the same age and especially the same size are allowed to play with each other. For example, a small dog should not play with a large dog. That would completely overwhelm the little puppy and have a negative rather than a positive effect on the dog.
