One of the best ways to turn your dog or puppy into a model citizen is to play fun dog games with him.

Dog play with you will help keep your dog busy and channel his energy into fun and constructive activities that does not involve any property destruction. Dog play will also help improve your dog’s obedience training, deepen your bond, and establish you as pack leader.

Here are some important things to remember while playing with your dog:

1. Establish dog play rules and enforce them consistently.
2. Remember to have frequent breaks during dog play so that you can train your dog to refocus his attention on you. Frequent breaks will also prevent your dog from getting overly excited and losing control of himself.
3. Include dog treats in the dog play sessions. Keep sessions short, interesting, and rewarding. Stop playing before your dog gets bored, so that he will always want more.
4. Cycle through a variety of games during dog play, so that your dog does not become bored with playing the same game over and over again. Dog play variety will keep things interesting for you as well!

Dog Play 1 – Flirt Pole

A flirt pole is a simple pole/handle that is connected to a rope which has a toy at the end of it. You may create your own flirt pole or simply buy one (just do a Google search to find places that sell them).

I made my own flirt pole by attaching rope to a wooden drain plunger handle. I then attached the Premier Tennis Tail dog toy to the end of the rope. This Premier toy works well with the flirt pole because my dog absolutely loves chasing the fox-like-tail on the toy. With the flirt pole, you may exercise your dog while not having to overly exert yourself.

Note that flirt poles are used to raise and train prey drive in dogs. As a result, hunting dogs will especially love this activity.

Flirt poles are also used to train fighting dogs, because it increases their prey drive and coordination. Therefore it is important to have strict rules while playing flirt pole with your dog.

Do not let your dog jump at you. Do not let your dog grab the toy out of your hand. Your dog should only be allowed to grab the toy after you give him the command to start play. Your dog should be willing to give up the toy when you ask him to with NO resource guarding.

Finally, remember to have frequent breaks during dog play so that your dog does not get overly excited.

Please ensure that your dog does not misbehave when you play flirt pole with him. If he starts to show any kind of dog aggression, stop playing this game.

Dog Play 2 – Water Hose

Just like the flirt pole, the water hose can also be used to create a fun chasing game for your dog. Set your water hose nozzle so that it shoots out a jet of water, then move the jet around for your dog to chase.

The big advantage of this game is that you can use it to give your dog a bath. My Shiba Inu hates going into the bathtub. He is so stressed, he will not even eat food.

In contrast, my Shiba loves the water hose game and doesn’t mind getting sprayed with water while playing the game. Make sure the water force is not too great when you spray it on your dog, and do not aim it at his face. For this reason, it may be best to only spray at your dog from farther away.

Stop from time to time and do some dog obedience training and ensure your dog is not overly excited. Make sure he doesn’t jump on you or the hose during the game. Naturally, if your dog doesn’t enjoy water then this game is not for you.

Your dog may get a bit obsessed with this game which has some similarity with the laser dot game. Do not to play the laser dot game with your dog because he may develop behavioral disorders from playing it.

The water hose game is a bit different because the jet of water clearly comes from the hose and your dog can actually catch it, feel it, and drink it. The laser dot, on the other hand, can never be caught.

However, your dog may still get obsessed with and want to attack the water hose. If he exhibits this attacking behavior then enforce strict game rules or stop playing the game.

Dog Play 3 – Tug of War

If you want to play tug of war with your dog make sure he follows clear tug rules because it can encourage dog biting.

Make sure you control the start and end of the game. Start with a command such as Take it or Tug to indicate that it is fine to grab the toy. End with a Drop command. If your dog should lose grip of the tug toy during play time, make sure that he doesn’t try to lunge or bite at it again until you give the Take it or Tug command. If he tries to grab the toy, give a non-mark (Uh-oh) then the Drop command to stop the game.

Take a short break or do some obedience commands before restarting.

If during play time your dog accidentally gets his teeth on you, then give a non-mark (Uh-oh), and stop the game right away, followed by a short break. If your dog fails to drop the toy on a Drop command then stop playing with him.

Hold the toy still, close to his muzzle, so you are not playing tug with him anymore. Eventually, it will become boring, and your dog will drop the toy. If he chooses to bite on your hands instead, non-mark him (No), give him a time-out, and stop playing.

I do not play tug-of-war with my Shiba Inu because he gets too excited and reactive even with stringent tug rules. My dog will follow the rules during the tug game but after dog play is over, he shows dog aggressive behavior during other activities, such as dog walking. For example, he started leash biting again after playing tug.

If, after playing tug, your dog starts to play roughly with any member of your household, cease tug games altogether.

The best tug playmate for my dog is another dog. That way, my dog knows that rough play is acceptable with another dog but never acceptable with a human. At the same time, he has an outlet for his rough play desires.

Dog Play 4 – Play Ball

There are a variety of fun ball games you can play with your dog. Depending on your dog’s breed and temperament, he may be more or less interested in the different ball games listed below. Try out a variety of games, and identify the ones that your dog most enjoys.

Catch

Throw a small ball to your dog so that he can easily catch it in his mouth. Make sure the ball is small enough that your dog can easily fit in his mouth, but not so small that he can accidentally swallow it.

Once your dog gets the idea, you can make the tosses more difficult. You can also play this with a Frisbee, especially if you have a large dog play space. If your dog really enjoys playing catch, consider training him for disc dog.

Soccer

Kick the ball away from your dog and get him to chase after it. Once he gets to it let him play with it for a bit, then kick or step it away from him again.

Soccer is best played with a larger ball that is not easy to puncture or deflate. Rubber balls are quite durable and can work well for soccer. Pick a larger sized ball so that it is difficult for your dog to keep the ball in his mouth and to chew on it. This also makes it easier for you to tackle the ball away from your dog.

Some dogs, like my Siberian Husky, prefer chasing after squeaky balls. You may also dab a small amount of peanut butter on the ball, to make it more desirable.

Fetch

Fetch is a wonderful dog obedience game. However, it can be difficult to teach to your dog.

While teaching your dog to play fetch, go in small, slow steps. Make sure you already have some obedience training commands in hand, including Drop, as well as a mark and a non-mark. A mark e.g. Yes, Good indicates that your dog is doing the right thing while a non-mark e.g. Uh-oh, indicates that your dog is going in the wrong direction.

Start by giving your dog a toy. Once he holds it in his mouth, move a few steps away and call him to you. Give him a lot of encouragement for taking steps towards you, and praise him well for coming. Give him the Drop command when he gets to you, and give him many treats initially for doing this right.

Once you are comfortable with this exercise, try throwing the fetch toy a very short distance away. If your dog just ignores the toy, then try using a more interesting squeaky toy, or try coaxing your dog towards the toy with treats and lots of praise.

If your dog comes back with the toy, then awesome, but more often than not your dog will run to it and then come back without the toy. Your dog may even take the toy and go play with it somewhere else or tease you with it.

Have patience and treat with a high priority item every time he goes in the right direction. If he comes back without the toy, you can try and give a non-mark (e.g. Uh-oh) as soon as he drops the toy. Then use the Take it command and offer the toy to your dog again. Once he has the toy in his mouth, walk a few steps back, call to him enthusiastically and make sure to praise when he moves towards you.

If your dog runs off to play with the toy or decides to play catch me if you can with it, then a higher priority treat or item may solve the problem. Alternatively, you may try a lower priority fetch toy. Do not chase after your dog to try and get the toy in his mouth as that will initiate a chase game and reward him for his running-away behavior.

Not all dogs like playing fetch. Both my dogs will play it sometimes, but it is not one of their favorite games. Listen to your dog, and do not force him to play a game he does not really enjoy.

Dog Play 5 – Dog Sports

Getting your dog involved in dog sports such as agility training, disc dog, flyball, and lure coursing can also be a lot of fun. It is a good way for your dog to be around other dogs, but be focused on you and the activity, rather than the other dogs or the environment.

For dogs who are more human focused and less dog focused, dog sports is a much better activity than taking your dog to the dog park. Your local SPCA will probably have some classes in dog sports. If not, check out the Association of Pet Dog Trainers to find a dog trainer near you who teaches dog sports.

Choose a dog sport based on your dog’s temperament and preferences.

My Shiba Inu is a hunting dog, so he is more interested in prey games, e.g. lure coursing. My Shiba is totally uninterested in “fetch” so disc dog and flyball are out. He will do some agility, but only when he feels like it.

Other fun ways to exercise your dog and keep him happy and healthy include dog walking, dog parks, dog daycare, and obedience training.

Remember to always keep dog play fun and upbeat. This will make everyone happy, and enhance your relationship with your dog.

A busy, and tired dog, is a good and happy dog!

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