How to play with your dog?

Playing with a dog satisfies his hunt sequence-based wants and improves the relationship between owner and pet. But, it’s crucial to know how to communicate with your dog if you want play to actually accomplish its goal and for Fop to play with you voluntarily.

Of course, play contributes to the dog’s overall relaxation, releasing accumulated energy and emotions. It is important to remember that a dog prefers the company of the person it spends the most time with, especially if it is time spent playing

Like us, dogs treasure the time they spend with the individuals who bring them the most joy.

Some general guidelines for playing with dogs.

You should stick to a few basic guidelines in order to encourage your dog to play with you and to make him feel comfortable.

The first thing you should consider is when is the best time to play. Every dog has a unique circadian rhythm, making it more or less active during the day depending on the time of day.

When your dog is most energetic, that is when it is worth playing with him, so keep an eye on him. He will also be most eager to play at this time. A well-crafted play can serve us well as a training aid in the future.

I’d also like to talk on adopted dogs with challenging histories. Keep in mind that it could take a dog like this weeks or even months to feel comfortable and at home and get into an activity with you. Therefore, if Fop avoids contact and you, do not force him to play.

The next thing is choosing the right toy. When it comes to playing tug, it’s nice if the tug ends with soft fur, as dogs are more likely to put such fur in their mouths. In addition, having an extension on the toy would be beneficial in preventing accidents where the dog bites your hand while playing.

Playing with a short toy may provoke “playful” biting of your hands, and we don’t want the dog to associate playing with the fact that he may bite you.

When it comes to playing fetch, it’s nice if the fetch is made of soft material. It can be a stuffed fabric fetch or a rubber frisbee is also cool.

It’s fun to hunt!

Keep in mind that the goal of the game is to simulate hunting, at least some of it. Thus, we have satisfied the hunting chain’s needs here. We never move the toy toward the dog when we play with it because the prey never moves toward the dog during hunting. The fact that the toy escapes will make it attractive to the dog. He will be more likely to chase, grab and tug it.

It’s also important to pay attention to the signals our dog gives us. Make sure your dog is comfortable while playing, and avoid giving him any signals that he might interpret as aggressive or confrontational. It is therefore preferable to avoid controlling or leaning over the dog. This is particularly important to think about when playing with a shy or uncertain dog. When playing with a dog like this, you have to pay extra attention to his mental well-being.

Of course, you don’t have to be as cautious and you can be more playful if your dog is playful, knows that playing is fun, and knows that your behavior is part of the fun.

How to pick up a dog’s toy during play?

Another general guideline is to avoid taking a dog’s toy by force and to avoid playing competitively with it. It’s important to keep in mind that play ought to just be enjoyable and not be used as an opportunity to show off one’s strength or claim dominance. Should you exert excessive force, the dog might conclude that it is not worth trying to interact with you. And we would naturally not want this.

To take away a toy from your dog, you should either give it to him in exchange for another or spread some treats on the ground for him to start exploring, sniffing, and eating. It’s convenient to have two tug-of-war toys that are identical so you can just switch them with your dog as you play. This teaches him that a toy is only really cool if he plays with it with you.

Instead of the toy itself, you want your dog to think of you as the source of awesome experiences.

How to play with your dog – swapping.

Simply immobilize the toy your dog is holding in his muzzle, then start waving the second toy to get him to let go of the first and start playing with the second. This is how you exchange toys with your dog. Alternatively, you can just give up the first toy and encourage your dog to play and chase after the second.

Limiting your dog’s access to particular toys is another smart move. In particular, to toys he will play with you and toys designated for special occasions, such as tug-of-war, fetch, kong, and sniffing mat. The dog will see these toys as more valuable and be more eager to play if you restrict their availability. This will enable us to later apply the toys as a source of motivation.

End of the game – how to end playtime?

It’s a good idea to hide the toys and scatter some treats on the ground for your dog to sniff and eat when playtime is over.

Alternatively, you could just leave the toys for the dog to play with on its own for a little while longer, and then you can hide them when he gets bored.

To avoid the dog realizing that the fun is over when he returns the toy to us, we avoid taking it away from him outright. In this situation, the dog might experience some loss, and this loss would feel to him like a kind of punishment. We obviously do not want him to believe that he was punished for giving up the toy!

Of course, the dog should have a set of toys that he can always access in addition to the toys that we restrict his access to. so that he can chew, carry them in his mouth, and play with them himself if needed.

Which toys and games are the most enjoyable for you and your dog?