How do I motivate my dog to play?

Many dogs become excited in the presence of food. Most dogs like to play. All dogs have a connection to us, their owners, and they quickly understand our moods based on our posture, facial expressions and tone of voice. And of course, most dogs like to be touched. Alternatively, experiment to discover which toy your dog likes to play with; which words, tone of voice and body language elicit a positive response from your dog. It’s always worth teaching your dog to play retrieving and tugging games with a toy. If you find it difficult to get your dog to play with you, consider using a longer toy so you are not overshadowing the dog, and make the toy come alive. Be imaginative when you're training your dog – their biggest reward may be to perform tricks for you, to go swimming or out for a walk with you – these can also be used as rewards when feasible. Dogs repeat behaviours that they find rewarding or that are followed by a reward.

If your dog would do anything for his tennis ball but turns his nose up to your treat, then play is most likely your dog’s jam. When training a toy-motivated dog, you first must teach your dog a rock-solid leave-it. I also recommend using a toy that is elongated, like a rope or long stuffed animal so you don’t have to give up your handle of the toy every time. When working with these toy-loving pooches, sometimes I reward with a quick tug of the toy, and sometimes I reward by actually throwing the toy and allowing the pup a second to run around with it before asking for it back. Lastly, be sure that you somehow tuck the toy behind your back, under your arm or into your shirt and only bring it out once the desired behavior has been performed and marked. Sugar LOVES her tennis ball and will jump through hoops for it.

To motivate your dog to play, you need to understand your dog's motivation. The key thing to remember is that not all dogs like the same toy or treats, so just because it worked for your other dog or your friend’s dog, does not mean it will work for your dog. Think about making a list of what your dog loves / enjoys / dislikes on a daily basis e.g. if your dog loves to chase things in the park, then it is likely you can think about starting to introduce a chase game but with you involved. When you do start trying to play, begin very, very low key, don’t have big goals in mind, start by simply aiming to get your dog to touch an item with their foot. Do look at textures of what you are using and items you are trying to interact with, some dogs can be very sensitive to texture and weight of items. With puppies, I actually often begin with a long, thin piece of ribbon – because it is so easy for them to pick up, to tug on, to touch and it isn’t offensive in any way.

Dogs are enthusiastic about training if they value the reward. But handlers don’t get to determine what is actually rewarding to the dog – the dog does. We think dogs should “work” for high-value treats and the typical toys, but sometimes those things aren’t what motivates the individual dog. If you are struggling to make training fun for your dog and get more engagement, think outside the box for rewards. Find something that is truly motivating to your dog if you want them to work with enthusiasm. Rewards can be activities like getting to jump in a baby pool or playing with a squirt bottle or hose for the water-loving dogs. Don’t limit yourself to the standard treats and thrown or tugged toys when you are searching for something your dog loves. If she had her choice of activities, what would she choose to do? She loved to chase things, but wasn’t really interested in thrown toys and rarely brought them back. We started on the ground, with no obstacles, and quickly learned that Sprint did indeed love to chase. We were soon able to get her going over a couple of jumps and through a few hoops, with more enthusiasm than she had ever shown before, all for the chance to chase the plastic bag at the end.

She loves toys and food, but she'll ignore both if she doesn't want to do something. I reward her every single time she does something correct, like walking close to me, laying down under the table while I'm eating, giving her treats when she's sitting nice in the kitchen area instead of counter surfing. I feel like she's not associating the good behavior with the reward. I've had one slight success with rewarding good behavior and that's getting her a hiking backpack. She associates the bag with high value treats - blueberries and my cat's kidney dry food. She actually does enjoy walks with it and seems much more relaxed. She knows several commands but will do them when she feels like it. She's extremely stubborn and if she doesn't want to do something, not even the highest value treat or toy can make her do it.