All pet parents remember that first time. The arrival of a puppy home is one of the most exciting moments of our lives and it is normal that we have a great desire to enjoy them and take care of them. Usually, it takes a few weeks until you can enjoy your first walks more freely, so specialists recommend doing activities at home that will help you channel your inevitable energy and great curiosity about everything around you.
In reality, keeping our puppy occupied is essential for many reasons that go beyond entertainment: the dog can expand its knowledge about its surroundings. Thus, the puppy will improve his coordination when moving and will be more skillful when manipulating objects, he will develop his memory and learn to manage emotions such as frustration by developing his ability to solve problems.
Some studies indicate that, compared to less active dogs, those that do more daily physical activity also show less fear, anxiety when left alone, and sensitivity to loud noises. What’s more, to all the benefits of doing activities with them, there is one that always holds true: shared play improves the relationship between puppies and pet parents and also mutual understanding. That is, we get to know each other while we have fun together.
One of the questions we often ask ourselves is how much physical activity you should do daily. In this sense, common sense should be applied. The bones and joints of a puppy are in full growth and this makes them much more delicate than those of an adult dog. That is why it is not advisable to exhaust it physically. You have to be careful especially with jumps, daring turns, sudden stops and very prolonged physical activities. If we want to increase physical activity we must be careful: it is better to divide the sessions throughout the day to give you time to recover.
Tug of war is one of the most popular games to entertain puppies. It is played using a teether, an old knotted rag or a long toy that offers us a comfortable grip and protects our hands from a possible mistake by the puppy when picking up the toy. In a variation of this game, you can tie the teether to a rope. When played well, this game helps the puppy gain more self-control and perfect the ability to release what he has in his mouth when we tell him to.
To start the game, we must move the toy on the floor and/or make noise with it to get their attention. When he grabs it, we will always gently pull it towards us as if we wanted to take it away, but without making sudden movements. When we want him to release it, we will stop stretching and remain motionless without releasing it. If he doesn’t let go, we can offer him another toy in exchange. When you can let go easily, we can introduce a signal. For example, say “let go” before offering the toy or food.
Another game is to throw a ball or toy so that the puppy catches it and returns it to us. To avoid injury when trying to catch the ball in motion, we should avoid slippery surfaces such as parquet and tiles. It is advisable to use toys of a size and texture that the puppy can catch easily, practice warm-up exercises, make throws from a short distance, in a straight line and under his head, and avoid many repetitions. The calling exercise can also be enhanced with the collection game. This way we will ensure that the puppy learns that giving us valuable objects deserves a reward. Given this expectation, instead of running away, there will be a greater chance that, if we call him, he will approach with his trophy in his mouth, ready to make an exchange.
To entertain our puppy we can also organize sniffing games, hiding food in one of the hands so that he chooses the correct one or in toys around the house to stimulate the search. We can also play shell game, for which we will need some plastic containers such as empty yogurt cups. At first we will put a cup upside down and hide the food inside, while the puppy watches us. When the puppy pushes the cup with his snout or paw, we will lift him up to help him get his food. Once he understands that there is food and how to get it, we will introduce more cups and change their position so that the puppy uses more and more of his sense of smell to locate the hidden food.
Hide and seek is another sniffing game that can also help improve the puppy’s response when we call it. At first we will be partially in sight when we call him and when he finds us we will react with great joy. If he does not know how to stay still at our signal, at the beginning of the game someone must entertain him. If it is difficult for him to find us, we must improve the dynamics of the game so that he does not get frustrated or scared. Before playing outside, we will have to master the game at home because it is not fun for the puppy if we suddenly disappear.
Other games, which may seem fun to us, are not very suitable for puppies. The catch-catcher can cause him a lot of excitement and cause him to misunderstand us when he catches him, causing him to catch us with his mouth or jump on us. It is also not advisable to play fight with him, using our hands or feet as toys. What will happen when he is older if we have accustomed him to it? We won’t like it as much and it could be a problem if there are small children at home and you want to play with them in the same way.
There are also a number of very stimulating activities that the puppy can play with alone, such as hiding bits of food in a toy. Depending on the shape, size and material of the toy, the puppy will have to resort to a different skill such as pushing it, rolling it, shaking it or pulling it while holding it between its paws. Some examples are anti-voracity feeders, olfactory blankets with pockets and fringes where you can hide dry food, and hollow balls that can be filled with food. You can also opt for chewable toys.
Play, in any of its formulas, stimulates physical development and perseverance and poses cognitive challenges for the development of our puppy. But the challenge should always correspond to his abilities, without proposing an unattainable goal or tiring him excessively. As the puppy learns to get food from a toy, to get a reward or to find us and be rewarded with our affection, we can increase the level of difficulty. Our goal is for him to benefit physically and mentally through fun without forgetting that sharing any game with him will strengthen our bond.
*Source used to make this article:
How to stimulate my dog’s mind?