Puppy Games: 5 Games to Play Now
- Anja Boecker
- Updated: 14 March, 2022
Nothing delights a dog owner more than the arrival of a new, furry family member. For the optimal growth of your puppy, pay attention not only to education, but also to play. With the help of this article, you will easily master playing with your puppy.
Most challenges occur during feding, education and housetraining. Many dog owners wonder what activities to start playing with their little four-legged friends.
During puppy games, there are a few things to watch out for:
For example, a puppy’s mouth is still growing and the teeth are not fully formed. The joints are also still developing. Therefore, not all games that you play with adult dogs are suitable for puppies.
5 Advantages of Puppy Games
Exercise is the name of the game when it comes to dog relationships. Both adults and puppies need daily activity.
Games are essential for puppies: they provide the necessary daily activity they need, among other activities. In any case, you should not avoid play.
Promotion of Social Behavior
Dogs are pack animals by nature. In their world, completely different rules and principles prevail than in the relationship between dogs and humans.
Your dog’s instincts must not be lost in any case. Please do not anthropomorphize him consciously or unconsciously.
Your relationship should also have a good basis. It should be built on trust and mutual respect. Puppy play encourages good social behavior with people and with other puppies.
Communication Between Dogs and Humans
Especially during puppyhood, communication between you and your charge is not very strong yet. This is quite natural, because you belong to two different species.
Even though dogs have been human companions for several millennia, they still maintain animalistic behavior patterns.
Using puppy play can tune, encourage, and, if necessary, improve communication between you.
Strengthening the Body
Puppy games ensure your puppy’s young body is trained properly. This contributes to the ideal development of his muscles and coordination.
In this article, we reveal some optimally designed games for puppies. With physically demanding games and activities, you must ensure they are suitable for puppies.
Increase Intelligence
With the help of puppy games, you increase the intelligence of your puppy. Through the games, your little one learns, for example, to sneak up on something.
Likewise, he learns to hunt and catch prey. Also self-defense can be promoted by the correct puppy games.
Sensitization
If you regularly use puppy games with your charge, you will also be working with him on awareness. This teaches him when to hold back and when not to.
Young puppies especially can’t control or know how hard they bite. Puppy games are the solution to this, because they help train the biting reflex.
5 Ideal Games for Your Puppy Dog
Pay close attention to the nature of the games. Only play games that are tailored to the age of your puppy. Games for different ages can limit the physical and mental health of your pet.
The most common puppy games include:
- Playful fighting
- Tug of war
- Retrieval games
- Sniffing games
- Brain games
1. Playful Fighting
During playful fighting, your puppy learns to test and test and adhere to boundaries. His experiences of playing will develop how they behave with humans and others. That’s why fighting games are great if we want to avoid our dog biting our hand.
A popular puppy game in playful fighting is a rough games. The owner and the puppy scuffle with the help of an object. This creates clear boundaries in terms of pack leadership.
Let your little one take the lead occasionally, but not happen too often, because otherwise he will try to dominate you.
2. Tug Games
Don't bore your puppy by never letting him win the game. But also don't show him that he can easily dominate you.
Dogs are very sensitive animals and immediately smell the possibility of taking over the pack. This danger also lurks in puppies.
If your puppy starts to get uncomfortable, stop play immediately. Loud barking and other aggressive behavior is a no-go. You must teach this to your puppy.
3. Retrieval Games
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4. Sniffing Games
Sniffing games are a great activity for dogs of puppy age. Through sniffing games, you can awaken the sense of hunting and smell. , in your puppy. This has a positive effect on a puppy’s mood.
Just about every dog breed loves sniffing games. But there are also dog breeds that are made for this game.
This especially includes hunting and search dogs. The following breeds fall into this category:
- American Akita
- Beagle
- Dachshund
- German Wirehaired Pointer
- German Shorthair
- German boxer
- Doberman
- Irish Red Setter
- Shorthaired Hungarian Pointing Dog
- Weimaraner
- and more
5. Thinking Games
You can use brain games to promote concentration in your dog. Do this by directing him to something specific.
The main component of this puppy game is a treat,. This will allow you to keep the focus on you. Thinking games also allow the socialization of your puppy.
Other advantages:
include the expansion of social skills, promotion of attention, and a balanced mood.
Pay Attention to These 5 Tips
Last but not least, we have summarized a few tips:
1 - Avoid playing too long
Games should not last too long. Otherwise, your dog will lose interest.
2 - Hide the toys
Keep your puppy motivated and happy. We recommend hiding the toys from your puppy when not in use.
If he sees his toys every day outside of playtime, he may lose interest in them.
3 - Don't always be the winner
When you let your dog win, you increase his motivation. This strengthens your relationship.
However, you should not always let your dog win either. This may lead to a conflict that puts a strain on your relationship.
4 - Do not allow aggressive behavior
If your puppy exhibits aggressive behavior, you should immediately stop the play activity. If you continue to play with your puppy, your authority may suffer.
Playing should always remain playful. It must never end in endless power struggles.
5 - Offer variety
Don’t constantly play the same games. Variety ensures that your puppy does not get bored.
Puppy games always offer different goals and benefits. Use them regularly in rotation.
My Conclusion
Puppy games should be used for education, so play on a regular basis.
Puppy games are an important part of dog training. Regular walks in the fresh air in no way replace games.
Games should not be introduced only to puppies. Games should accompany him throughout his life.
Also, look in the pet store for products and toys to use in puppy games. The market in Germany offers a wide range of these products.
My name is Anja Boecker and I am a dog trainer and behavior consultant (IHK certificate). With these articles I would like to help you understand your dog better and build an inseparable bond.
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