Playful Pup: How to Play with Your Dog
Playing with dogs can help with focus, interaction, and your relationship. Knowing when to grab the toy, how to hold the toy, and when to let go will make the game more fun for people and dogs.
Playing with toys with your dogs can help with focus, interaction, and your relationship. While we don’t want to play tug with a dog who guards toys or doesn’t like to play, many dogs find the game enjoyable! If your dog might guard a toy or be conflicted, seek the help of a professional when introducing tug games to your dog. Children shouldn’t play tug with dogs.
What to Expect
In this series, you will learn how best to play tug with your dog, how to get your dog to release a toy, and how different types of toys can provide different types of enrichment for your dog. The goal is to make play as enjoyable for your dog as possible!
The right toy can help too. Look for toys that are long enough to give your dog enough space. We want toys that can fold up to fit into your pocket for walks and outings and a toy that is a texture your dog likes. For example, some dogs enjoy stiff toys, while others enjoy toys with more flexibility. Some dogs like narrow toys, while others like wide toys to fill the whole mouth.
You might choose different types of tug toys for different training games - that’s ok too! Variety can build interest and add more fun for you and your dog.
Who This is For
This series is for dogs who already like to play with toys. However, if your dog isn’t interested, reach out, and we can help you work up to playing together.