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How to teach appropriate dog play?
Pete Metz
2025-06-19 12:16:46
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You can’t rush or push a rescue - or any dog, for that matter - into playing. It has to be something they are willing and happy to do - and getting to that point takes time, patience and consistency. If you’re not enthusiastic about play time, don’t expect your dog to be. Your dog will mirror your energy - and if you fake it, they can sniff it a mile off. To tempt your dog into playing, you need to be genuinely excited about it yourself. Having some ideas of games to play can help, as well as training toys that are designed to be interactive, so they are fun for BOTH of you. Once your rescue dog is well settled in, your home becomes their safe space - which makes it the best place to introduce toys. Start with a toy selection based on what seems to motivate your rescue and allow them to sniff and explore them in their own time, with supervision. Always follow your dog's lead and never force anything. Use a gentle, happy tone when you play and reward your rescue for being calm and positive. Never raise your voice or take toys away as any kind of punishment.
Anya Carter
2025-06-17 06:04:21
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Before introducing constructive play, it can be helpful if your dog already knows a ‘drop’, ‘sit’ and ‘down’. The most important thing to remember during constructive play is not to overstimulate your dog too much. We want them to be excited but not so excited that they aren’t able to respond to commands. Before you throw the toy, ask your dog for a ‘sit’ or a ‘down’. Once they have responded to your cue, throw the toy as a reward. Throw the toy for your dog and say a cue like ‘get it’ or ‘fetch’. They should only get up from their ‘sit’ or ‘down’ position when you have said your cue word and thrown the toy. Once they bring the toy back, ask them to drop it or exchange it by showing them another toy. If your dog breaks their ‘sit’ or ‘down’ before you say ‘get it’, reset by asking for a sit or down again.
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Vern Cremin
2025-06-08 19:33:43
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: 21
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. Even if they end up giving up straight away and walking off. It is still a start. 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. The main thing is to understand your dog’s motivation. 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. 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.
Ramon O'Hara
2025-06-01 17:52:24
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To teach appropriate dog play, we need to watch their body language in order to truly see how a dog is feeling about that 'play' and to ensure that both dogs are enjoying the interaction. In appropriate dog play, you will see the following signs and signals: Relaxed and loose posture with bouncy movements, Play bows, Turning their bottoms into each other, Role reversal, Fair wrestling, Racing around, Mutual pausing in play, Self-handicapping, Inhibited biting and mouthing, Cocalising, Shake-off's. Remember dogs should not be allowed to just 'work it out between themselves'. As dog guardians, we must monitor their interactions and intervene if we feel it is necessary so that your dog and the those they are playing with stay safe and only learn appropriate play behaviour. It is especially important with puppies as it's up to us to help them learn appropriate play behaviours and that means stepping in and stopping play if we see any of the inappropriate points during puppy play interactions. Therefore, always look for reciprocated, fair and even play and intervene if that play is appearing to be one-sided or where any party is looking more over aroused than the other.
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Amira Willms
2025-05-20 09:39:17
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: 16
Play works best when both dogs know the rules, maintain a low level of arousal, and are willing to play at the same level and with similar styles. During appropriate play, conflict is avoided as long as each dog allows the other to take turns "winning" and "losing" the game. Good players are confident and actively seek out other dogs to play with, maintaining order during play by using clear signals so that other dogs do not become too aroused or overwhelmed. Most dogs play safely with each other by relying on a series of cut-off signals that communicate their peaceful intentions. Play bows and displacement behaviors such as sniffing, sneezing, yawning, itching, and licking occur for brief moments throughout play to communicate that any future action is still just play. Teaching a reliable recall and calling the dogs back before things get too rowdy will give them time to calm down before resuming. If a dog is repeatedly pushy or plays too rough, even after intervening and giving breaks, the dog should leave the play situation, and possibly not interact with other dogs until he learns to greet and play nicely. This can be facilitated through taking parallel leash walks together, limiting play to a few minutes at a time, or playing with the dogs separately but in sight of each other. Because play relies on the ability to read vocal and body signals, dogs that didn’t have the opportunity to learn to play as puppies aren’t always as skilled at communicating and identifying these signals.