Tips for playing with your pet effectively

Photo by Pixabay

Play and toys are essential for a pet's physical and emotional development. Furthermore, it's a practice that can and should be present throughout a dog's life, adjusting to the animal's needs at each stage. But for many pet owners, approaching play with their pet can be stressful. We may encounter overly excited dogs that we don't know how to control, or disinterested animals that don't even want to look at us.

Many people believe that playing with your dog is just about taking it to the park on a regular day and throwing a Frisbee or a ball. Your pet will happily run and bring the toy back to you without resistance, just like a scene from an American movie. But the reality is that if we don't get our furry friends used to playing and toys from a young age, it's harder to achieve that connection and the beneficial and enjoyable practice we all would like to have.

Playing with your pet frequently and using a good toy will always be your best ally. Therefore, I want to give you some important tips to keep in mind during your playtime with your dog:

Avoid Overexcitement

Don't let your pet start the play session by barking or intensely grabbing the toy. By "rewarding" these behaviors with play, you'll be unintentionally positively reinforcing undesirable behaviors in your dog, which will eventually become more common.

Announces the Start and End of the Game

All games should begin and end with an audible and visual command. For example, you can vigorously say the command "play" while giving your pet a "thumbs up" at the beginning of the interaction, and the command "over" by flapping your open hands side to side to indicate that playtime is over.

Encourages Peer Play

While it's important for your pet to share time with you and other humans through play, this isn't an exclusive human-pet activity. In fact, to help your dog become more sociable and learn to share attention and space with other dogs, it's important to encourage spaces where he can play with other animals. This way, you'll be helping him develop social strategies.

Don't Use Abandonment as Punishment

Maintaining boundaries is important for your pet's development, as is discouraging inappropriate behavior. However, discontinuing play as a punishment for bad behavior can be counterproductive. This practice will likely only cause your dog to stop listening to you or lose interest in playing.

Humans Are Not Toys

Under no circumstances should we allow dogs to play with any part of our bodies. Keep in mind that, even if it doesn't bother you and you may even find it cute or funny that your dog plays with your hands, feet, hair, or any other part of your body, your dog will generalize it and will likely try to do it with other people or in other contexts, and this behavior isn't always well received by strangers.

Benefits of Different Types of Play

Each type of game has its benefits and develops different behaviors. Tug-of-war with ropes stimulates our pets' prey drive, and ball play stimulates their hunting drive. When playing tug-of-war, it's important that your dog be able to release the toy when asked. Otherwise, it's best to start using an audible "drop" command to make the game more enjoyable.

Playing with your dog not only strengthens the bond between you and your dog, but also promotes his physical and emotional development. Put these tips into practice and enjoy unique moments with your furry friend.