What? Everyone knows how to play with their dog, surely?
Not always. Today’s training tip is: Play more with your dog.
Playing with your dog for even just a few minutes a day will really improve your relationship and bond.
Gus has a food toy he loves which we play with in an evening. It’s a K9 Connectable. I stuff it with a dog biscuit and he throws it around, I roll it for him, then he brings it back to me to help him get it out. Once the biscuit breaks up enough to fall out, he eats it then gives me the toy back to re-fill.
Some dogs loves chasing balls (and even bringing them back) – Gus loves this on the beach – other prefer Frisbees, yet others prefer tug and some just don’t seem to want to play.
Finding the right toy to stimulate your dog to play is the first step. If you don’t know what toys your dog likes, think about your dog’s breed – what he was bred to do will give you a clue which types of toys he might like:
- Terriers – try a cloth knotted at both ends, possibly with something on it your dog can shake off eg salt, or sand. Encourage tug
- Sight hounds – something that moves, such as a light toy on a rope, or feathers – try flicking the toy or feathers away from your dog to encourage them to chase or pounce
- Pointers/setters – drag a toy on rope along the ground, as the dog approaches, flick it upwards so toy ”leaps” up from the ground
- Herding breeds – try Frisbees or toys with an unpredictable bounce (e.g. Kongs) thrown along the ground
- Gundogs – a soft bean bag or home-made soft plaited rope thrown high in air to land still on the ground
- Guarding breeds – enjoy tug but they can be prone to possessiveness. Teach tug with a toy that is weighted at one end so that when the toy is released it falls out of the dog’s mouth.
Try balls, rubber rings, rope tugs or empty plastic bottles, which can be a hit with many dogs. Make your own tug toy.
Here’s how: tear and old T-shirt or sweatshirt into 1” strips. Tie three together with a knot. Plait the strips to the end then tie another knot and there you are. Your own tug toy and food toy – it’s easy to put pieces of kibble into the gaps between the plaits to encourage your dog to play with the toy.
For dogs that really don’t seem to like any toys, consider trying different activities:
- Swimming (e.g. Dalmatians etc.)
- Jumping for toy – e.g. rubber bouncing ball
- Digging (burying toys)
- Hiding items for your dog to find – make it easy to start the make it harder – more on this in a later game!
Keep training,
Carol