Puppies have great enthusiasm for play and what they learn during games will shape their behaviour at other times; for example a puppy that has learnt to play fight with people during games at home will use biting as a way to attempt to initiate play at other times and with other people that look fun. So whilst you might not mind owning a dog that bites and nips at you in order to get your attention, imagine how the parents of a small child may feel when your adolescent dog launches himself at their child in the park!
It is much more difficult to stop this behaviour at a later date so simply not allowing it to develop is definitely the answer!
All games should involve a toy, never just human hands or clothing. Tuggy ropes or larger soft toys tend to be more successful rather than say, a tennis ball, that the puppy can enclose in their mouth. Remember that his mouth is still delicate and small teeth can easily be damaged by playing rough pulling and tugging games.
Kneeling down on the floor to play will discourage the need for your pup to jump at you or chase after you. Remember what they learn during playtime will be replicated at other times so if you run away from your puppy with his toy in your hand you are going to teach them to chase and jump at people in other situations, perhaps joggers, cyclists!
Check out some of our training with play videos:
Top tips:
- Don’t give a command unless you are confident your dog will respond correctly, or you can reinforce it.
- Don’t repeat commands again and again, they just teach your dog to ignore you!
- Make sure you have your dog’s attention before you give a command.
- Using a lead or long line to restrict freedom can be an effective reinforcement.
- Always reward your dog when he gets it right even if you have had to reinforce your command.