How To Play With Toys With Your Puppy The Right Way
Playing with toys the right way with your puppy: a guide by a professional puppy trainer
Quite often, clients say to me that their puppy is not interested in playing with toys with them but when they are shown the way that their puppy wants to play with toys, they end up with a toy playing puppy!
Playing with your puppy is one of the most enjoyable aspects of puppy ownership. It’s not just about having fun; it’s also a crucial part of your puppy’s development. Engaging in toy play together helps with physical exercise, mental stimulation and can really help you both bond. However, there is a right way to play with toys to ensure that it’s both enjoyable and beneficial for you and your puppy. For clarification, we are not talking about toys that your dog plays with alone or about you repetitively throwing a ball for your puppy which can cause damage to their joints. This is about actively engaging with your dog in toy play. As a professional puppy trainer, I’m here to guide you through the best practices for playing with toys with your puppy.
Choosing the right toys
Before diving into the how, let’s look at the what. It’s important to select appropriate toys for your puppy:
Ensure the toys you choose are safe, durable and made from non-toxic materials. Avoid toys with small parts that could be swallowed. If you have a puppy who is prone to de-stuffing toys or swallowing toys, it might be best to avoid stuffed toys.
Choose toys that are appropriately sized for your puppy. Toys that are too small can be a choking hazard, while overly large toys can be difficult for your puppy to handle and they will likely be less motivated as a result.
Value and type: all puppies have different preferences for toys. Some puppies like long toys that they can chase and tug, some puppies like hard toys, some puppies like toys with texture or rubber and some puppies like softer toys that squeak. Whatever preference your puppy has, keep the toys that they love aside only for times when they get to play with you. This will ensure that your puppy doesn’t get bored of these toys and will encourage them to want to play with you. Whichever toys you choose, make sure that they are ones you can play with at the same time too. I love the Tug-e-Nuff tuggy toys and if you head to their website and enter the code PROGDOG at the checkout, you will receive a 10% discount! Most puppies love these toys and they are long enough for you to hold at one end and your puppy can grab the other.
The benefits of play
Playing together with toys offers numerous benefits for you and your puppy:
Play helps your puppy burn off energy, keeping them fit and healthy.
Playing together can dramatically boost the relationship you have with your puppy, but there are rules to be followed when you do (see below).
Play can help teach your puppy new skills and behaviours when used as a reward for training.
How to play with toys the right way
Quite often, people pick up a toy to play with their puppy and wave it right in their face or hold it up high waving it around. Quite often, this is off putting for puppies and quite a dull way to try and engage your puppy in toy play. Most puppies have an intrinsic desire to want to chase, grab and tug things and so this is what we want to imitate.
Imagine the toy you have is a squirrel. A squirrel won’t dance around in your puppy’s face in the hope that the puppy will grab it. A squirrel will freeze, move a little, run, stop, hide and duck out of the way of your puppy and this is what we want to mimic with our toy play!
So how do we do this?
A tuggy toy is best for this, but grab whichever toy enables you to interact with your puppy.
hide most of the toy from your dog in your arms, leaving a tiny amount showing to peak your puppy’s interest and every now and then, hide the entire toy again; a bit like a squirrel might do if it was peaking from behind a tree and hiding again.
when your puppy is interested in the toy, hold the end of it and keeping it low to the ground run it along the ground for your puppy to chase.
as your puppy is chasing the toy, suddenly change the direction of it so that your puppy misses catching it a few times. This is a great way to really get your puppy motivated to play.
let your puppy catch the toy and keep holding onto the end so that they can gently tug with you.
let go of the toy and let your puppy win the catch.
use a treat or another tuggy toy (that you will now need to animate in the same way as above to peak their interest) to encourage your puppy to let go so that you can repeat the game.
always keep the toy low to the ground to avoid any excessive bending or stretching to the neck and don’t tug the toy too hard or sharply.
Common pitfalls:
Make sure that you set appropriate boundaries for toy play. If your puppy starts to bite or nip you, stop the play session and provide them with a calming enrichment activity to calm down.
Try not to overexert your puppy. Whilst they have plenty of energy, they also need plenty of rest.
Don’t play too roughly with your puppy, their bodies are growing and their bones are forming and we don’t want to cause them any injuries. Keep sessions fun and fairly calm.
Never use your hands or feet as toys. This will inevitably encourage biting and lead to problematic behaviours as your puppy grows.
Never use your hands or feet as toys. This will inevitably encourage biting and lead to problematic behaviours as your puppy grows.
Remember, playtime is more than just fun; it’s a valuable opportunity to teach, bond and nurture your puppy.
For more personalised advice or puppy training sessions, don’t hesitate to contact me. Let’s make every playtime a positive and enriching experience for your puppy.
All toy play is undertaken at your own risk and ProgDog takes no liability for any injuries caused to your puppy during playtime.
Happy training and enjoy your puppy, they don’t stay so little for long xx
