Five games to play with puppies that support their development: tug of war, chase, olfactory games, proprioception activities, and intelligence games. Learn how to play correctly and why each type matters for a puppy's wellbeing.
Have you just adopted a puppy and want to know how and what to play with it? We'll tell you everything you need to know in this video by an animal expert. The importance of playing with Puppies Play is essential for your puppy's proper development and well being. Contrary to what many people might think, offering your furry friend the chance to play with you is not an optional treat as this activity is instinctively part of their learning and maturing process. It's not for nothing that we see puppies playing with their siblings and mother and therefore it's part of their natural behavior. How long should you play with a puppy? There's no strictly established period of time for how long you should play with a puppy, as the amount of time will vary depending on the puppy's energy, type of play and age. A puppy can sleep between 18 and 20 hours a day. This means that even though puppies are at a very active stage, they get tired easily and can play for about 20 minutes at most until they get exhausted and fall asleep again. Therefore, as your puppy grows, it will have more endurance until it reaches 40 or 50 minutes, in which an adult dog can have fun without getting tired. There are multiple game options that you can play with your puppy. Lets look at the main ones. 1. Tug of war this game is highly recommended because it is a way to satisfy its hunting instinct while it exercises and entertains itself with you. When you play with your dog in which it grabs a rope and you try to take it away, it is important that you encourage it to let go by showing it another moving rope or food to reward it when it does. At the same time, try to give it an oral command such as Let go. This way you will prevent your dog from developing a problem with resource guarding and it will learn that you do not want to steal its toy. In addition, teaching it to let go is also necessary in case it ever grabs something inappropriate. Above, we are going to leave you a video in which we teach you how to teach a dog to play without biting. 2. Chase playing it Chasing a ball or other toy will also be a way for your puppy to tire him out and challenge his instinct. You can alternate this with tug of war, for example throwing the rope each time he lets go to reinforce this behavior. 3. Olfactory the aim of a game of smell is to stimulate this scent by searching for food or a toy with his nose. This game can be played, for example, using a scent mat that can be purchased in stores or made at home, in which treats are hidden so that your puppy has to use his sense of smell to find them. During the process, you can add some oral instructions such as fetch or toy so that he associates it with the activity. Discover which are the best toys for dogs in the video that we have included in the card. 4. Activities aimed at stimulating proprioception are those aimed at using the body's internal senses, that is the perception of one's own movement, balance, and muscle tone. These types of games therefore consist of circuits in which the dog has to overcome different challenges, such as climbing different heights, obstacles, and different terrains. 5. Intelligence games these types of games are those in which the dog has to solve a problem or overcome a challenge to achieve a goal, usually a prize. They are beneficial because they mentally stimulate your puppy and create behavior patterns based on trial and error that he will adopt in various situations in his life. 6. Solitary Games it is vitally important that your puppy also learns to entertain himself from an early age through activities such as retrieving food from a conch, looking for hidden food ropes bones to gnaw on in a space where he feels calm and safe. In this way, if he learns to be alone without depending on the owner, the development of separation anxiety can be prevented when he has to stay home alone. If you want to continue learning about the care and education of a puppy, don't miss the playlist that we have left for you here on the side. Tell us, did you just adopt a puppy? Until next time, experts sa.
