Introduction
Play is a natural canine activity which is initially developed during puppyhood while a puppy is still with his mother and littermates. During the first 4-6 weeks of life a puppy will use play as an important means of communication and social contact with the other members of his litter. And when he moves away from his birth home, the communication and social contact continues, through play, with his owners.
Why is play important for a puppy?
In addition to promoting essential social interaction with other dogs and their owners, in the early stages of life, play also functions to help a puppy with the development of physical strength and flexibility brought about by playful exercise. Furthermore, play helps to promote improvements to balance and coordination. And it’s during play sessions with his littermates that a puppy will learn to develop a ‘soft mouth’ (bite inhibition).
Communication through play teaches a puppy ‘play cues’ and invitations to play via the ‘play bow’. Puppies quickly learn how to build on their natural predatory instincts by inventing games of ‘chase’ and ‘tug’. And their in-built inquisitiveness is amplified by embarking on adventures with littermates.
‘Play affects and moulds adult social behaviour’(1), and is a good indicator of future dominance behaviour. Through play is it easy to identify which individuals will be more dominant or more submissive as adults.
Don’t stop playing!
When the puppy is removed from the litter, his human owners take over responsibility from his littermates to ensure that play remains an essential part of his life. Game play can be used to promote a dog’s natural predatory instincts and developing games that are based on a dog breeds natural behaviours are a useful starting point. For example, retriever breeds naturally ‘find and fetch’, terrier breeds naturally tug and tear.
Dogs need continuous mental and physical stimulation. Play stimulates mental dexterity, including problem solving, which should be increased in complexity and duration as dogs get older. ‘It ensures that the dog’s brain is actively engaged, … and the more a dog is played with the more he uses his brain’.(2)
Physical stimulation and exercise through play is a useful weight control mechanism for dogs as they get older.
The physical and mental exercise a dog receives through play helps to slow down brain deterioration, thus promoting a longer life.
“Find It!”
“Find It!” is great game which acts as an outlet to help your dog burn off his predatory energy. The game simply involves hiding a high value object and sending your dog to search and find it. The high value object is dependant on what is rewarding to your dog, i.e. piece of cheese or other tasty treat (possibly hidden in a ‘kong’-type toy) for dogs who are food oriented, a tug toy for dogs who enjoy tug-of-war games, or a favourite ball for those who love to retrieve. In each of these cases, the reward for finding the object is either: eating the object, partaking in a quick game of tug in between ‘finds’, or having a few ball retrieves before starting the next search.
The game is started by setting your dog in a ‘sit-stay’ or ‘wait’ position out of eye-shot of the area you are hiding the object, or even in a separate room with the door closed - he will try to cheat if given the chance.
Hide the object and return to the dog, ensuring that he has not ‘broken’ the sit-stay position. Use the release cue “go find it”, and he will be away like a shot, nose to the ground, feverishly searching for his favourite tasty treat or toy.
Give your dog a helping hand by saying “uh-oh” if he is has moved away from the object, and “good boy” if he has moved closer to it. As your dog becomes more adept at the game, stop helping him to find the object, so that he learns to have confidence in his own ability, rather than learning to rely on you to help him.
Gradually increase the difficulty by finding tougher hiding places for the object.
The great thing about this game is that it can be played either inside or outside, and it can also be played by more than one dog at a time.
This game is very easy to learn and it is very rewarding as a dog owner to see your pet enjoying a game so much and getting so excited.
“Find It!” is beneficial for your dog because:
- it teaches him to utilise his natural ability to search and find
- it helps him to learn to discern from a variety of different scents
- it builds his self-control by making him repeat a sit-stay whilst excited
- it is a great predatory energy burner
Conclusion
There is something very heartwarming when watching animals at play, and dogs, the proverbial ‘Peter Pans’ of the animal world, are no exception. When dogs play they have a wonderful ‘lightness of being’(3). They pretend to be submissive, they show terrific gentleness despite their strength, they invite each other for adventures and invent collaborative games. In addition, play teaches dogs important social lessons, and most of all, it helps to prolong their lives. If you teach your dog anything - teach him to play, play, play!
Works Cited
(1) The Dog’s Mind, ch.6, p.83 (Fogel, Bruce 1990)
(2) Let’s Play With Our Dog, ch.1, p.2 (Woodcock, Dee 2005)
(3) The Dog’s Mind, ch.6, p.83 (Fogel, Bruce 1990)
Bibliography
Let’s Play With Our Dog (Woodcock, Dee 2005)
Puppies For Dummies (Hodgson, Sarah 2006)
Puppy Behaviour and Training (Heath, Sarah 2005)
The Culture Clash (Donaldson, Jean 2005)
The Dog’s Mind (Fogel, Bruce 1990)
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