Puppy Training - The Value of Play
Puppy Training - The Value of Play
Puppy Training should be started as early as possible. Obviously the first element of puppy training that will concern you the most is house training. The sooner you can encourage the dog to “go to the bathroom” outside the better. This is the dog’s first experience of training, where you indicate to the dog what you want and he (hopefully) tries to oblige and is rewarded for success.
What you should never forget is the value of play in the development of your puppy, supplementing your gentle but firm puppy training and guidance. Puppy hood is a challenging but magical time for an owner, and all too soon it will be over. Enjoy the joie de vivre of play with your lovely little puppy while you can.
Play and exercise are intrinsically mixed: most dogs’ idea of play involves running around and physical activity. It may help to get the owner fit at the same time! You may have noticed the phenomenon, particularly in young dogs, of the “mad half hour”, or “mad twenty minutes” or in the elderly dog, sometimes “the mad minute”! You will notice this when the dog has been cooped up inside for some time or in a car. Suddenly he is taken out and let off the lead. Dogs tend to shoot off like a cork from a bottle at times like this. As long as the environment is safe for them to do so, it’s a joy to see.
You should be able to judge when enough is enough with exercise. Once that crazy time is over, you can see that the dog is calming down, perhaps panting, tongue hanging out, and coming back to your side. Time to cool it down. Don’t allow a puppy to overdo it, especially the giant breeds, when bones and muscles are still developing. Over-exercise at this age can cause joint problems in later life - it’s just not worth it. Err on the side of caution.
The puppy should be given its own toys to play with. Making him aware what is his to play with - and what is not - can ensure that your sofa or shoes don’t get chewed. Plenty of chew toys mean that he gets relief during his difficult teething period without causing mayhem and destruction. When making a judgement as to how safe a toy is for your dog, look at its bite size. Make sure nothing you give the pup is small enough to be swallowed. Keep an eye on the chewed toys and make sure they are not disintegrating so much that they become a danger. If so, well, it’s apparent that the dog loves that toy, so replace it with a new one just the same.
Beware of small balls or children’s toys which will probably be unsuitable. Many dogs love tuggy toys but be very careful as tugging does encourage the dog to become possessive about his toy. It might encourage bad habits such as food guarding in later life, depending on his temperament or breed.
It’s a good idea to try “fetch” games with a young dog. You will see if the dog prefers a ball or frisbee or rubber ring. Some chase things in the air, others only like something rolled along the ground. This can be a good idea: the dog might get to love playing this game with you. When you’re out in the park together in years to come you it ensures he is usually engrossed with you and the game, and not getting into mischief elsewhere! Conversely, this game does to some degree encourage chasing behavior. Do keep an eye on that and don’t let it get out of hand. It’s cute to see a big dog chase a squirrel up a tree, but not so cute when it decides a Yorkshire Terrier is more interesting prey.
As with all things, incorporate training into play and make training fun. Enjoy your little pup and guide him right, and he will become a rewarding and lovely adult dog.