Dog Play

Many dogs live largely isolated lives, and rarely get the chance to meet, let alone play with new dogs.  If your pup is going to get along with other dogs, they must continue to meet and play with new dogs.

If your puppy has too much energy, it’s a smart idea to train in some control before they grow into an adult dog with too much energy.

Adding a third dog to this play session provides for some interesting insights.

The nature and frequency of looks can tell you a lot about dog relationships.  When you’re working on socializing your dog, beware of doing too much, too fast.

Playing can look like fighting, so it’s important to know what cues to look for.  Paw-raising & play-bowing are good signs that it’s playtime.

Dogs at play will often look and sound like they are fighting.  With a well-trained dog you can always check that things are in control by interrupting the play session with  a bit of obedience.

Letting the little dogs off-leash first gives them a chance to explore and get comfortable.  Some pups are naturally shyer, and need more time to build up their  confidence.

Play sessions are wonderful for bite-inhibition and dog socialization, but you also want to capture the power of playtime as a reward in training.

Puppies learn critical social skills during their early play sessions. If you know what to look for you can learn a lot by watching puppies playing.

World renown animal behaviorist and veterinarian Dr. Ian Dunbar explains that we can learn a lot about dog behavior by watching puppies play together.