Dog play is way more than playing

Dog play fulfills more than the simple need to play.

Dogs practice critical life skills during play sessions.

When I talk to clients about enrichment activities for their dogs, they’re often surprised to hear me talk about play. Play is an important quality of life enhancement for this social species. For our dogs, play is more than just a great energy-burner. 

During play, dogs wrestle, chase, pin, nip, flip, and put mouths on each other — in a safe way that they communicate and understand between themselves, using complex body language. It’s a rehearsal of all the survival skills they’d use in the wild, without inflicting serious injuries.

Good dog play can look like fighting but never fear! In the video below, Daisy and Petey are well-matched playmates and have a whale of a time. In slow-mo, you can really see how they wrestle ever so gently.

WARNING: There is a slight strobe effect from the slow-motion video.

They also take turns in their play: Sometimes Daisy (the brown dog) has her jaws on Petey, Petey on Daisy, and so forth. Switching roles, such as who pins whom and taking turns chasing and being chased, is an important part of healthy dog play. While each of these dogs has jaws capable of crushing bone and inflicting fatal injuries, they put their mouths on each other with very little to no pressure.

Play is critical for puppies

During play, puppies learn to “pull their punches” by practicing using their mouths gently. Puppies who bite too hard during play usually end up with a playmate who walks away, which is an important lesson for the pup to learn (“I nip too hard = my friend leaves.”)

It’s almost impossible to teach an adult dog who bites too hard how to reduce her bite strength.

Learning to bite without damaging force is another important reason for socializing your pup with other pups in a well-run class. It is also why early socialization, within the first three months of life, is recommended by veterinary behaviorists to prevent a lifetime of issues, many of which can be rooted in a dog’s fear of unknown dogs, people, and situations.

Not all dogs play well

Some dogs don’t play well with others or bully certain types of dogs, such as smaller or younger dogs. This is something we can work on in improving in training sessions together.

It’s also normal for dogs to be more selective about their playmates, and less interested in playing in general, as they get older.

Petey and Daisy are now 8 and 11 years old, respectively, and rarely play like this anymore. While Petey is still a raucous player, Daisy is less interested. (Sometimes they wrestle.) It's normal for dogs to be less interested in rambunctious play as they age. 

What about dog parks?

There’s lots of opinions about dog parks, even among trainers. They’re a great option if the park is large and well-maintained, and — most importantly — people are responsible about their dogs. While many dogs enjoy having one or two playmates, many don’t enjoy the crowd of a dog park.

Ensure your dog has a rock-solid recall in case you need to get them out of a jam at the dog park.

My colleague Sylvia Koczerzuk of Walkabout Canine Consulting has a great blog about dog parks at this link.

You can play with your dog, too

Here, dad and toddler are safely playing with their dog.

Dad is guiding the toddler’s ball throw, and the dog returns the ball to dad. The toddler is safely elevated (so he is not at the same height as the dog’s face) and supported so the dog can’t accidentally knock him over.

Canine and humans alike are having a great time!

Often clients will confess to me that they don’t play with their dogs as much as they used to. Short sessions of play, where all you ask of your dog is to have fun, can be a special bonding activity for the whole family. Most of us get dogs to have fun with!

Our dog Daisy absolutely loves to fetch and tug with my husband Rob.

How do you like to play with your dog?