Puppy Playtime
If there is one thing Archie has plenty of, it is energy. He is like a tornado through my house about 4 times a day. Nothing is safe for a couple of hours while he tears around making his own fun. His latest hobby is helping with the gardening which basically means roll in as much dirt as possible and then run it through the house.
Playtime is extremely important for pups and of all the animals which we have welcomed into our lives, the dog is the one which plays the most.Puppies as young as three weeks old will try to play with each other and also with humans. This early play is mainly mouthing and pouncing and helps the puppies to work out who is the strongest and more dominant of the litter. In nature these would be the dogs which ate first and also the ones which would breed. Sometimes this puppy play may appear quite rough and the biggest pups may appear to be hurting their litter mates but if you watch carefully you will observe certain rules to these games. When the game becomes too rough the puppy who appears to be getting the worse of it will yelp and roll over on its back and the other pup will then leave it alone. It is very rare for litter mates to harm each other, however care must be taken when older and/or larger puppies play with younger or smaller puppies, as under these circumstances the smaller puppy may unintentionally be hurt by rough play.
When playing with humans puppies must be taught that using their mouth on humans, even in play, is not allowed. Stopping the game immediately the puppy starts inappropriate play will teach the puppy that it is not acceptable behaviour. This is using nature’s own rules to train the puppy.
Puppies which are deprived of play often exhibit behavioural disturbances as adults. They may be aggressive to other dogs, or be fearful of or aggressive to people.
Pups should be provided with toys which appeal to them. Some will play for hours with a ball, others are obsessed with squeaky toys or soft toys. Archie seems happy to play with anything and everything- my furniture included!!
All soft toys should have the button eyes and nose removed to stop the pup from chewing them off and swallowing them. Make sure that all balls are much larger than the dogs throat to prevent the dog accidentally choking.
Rubber balls and squeaky rubber toys should given only under supervision as if they are chewed up, the rubber can cause intestinal blockages if swallowed.
Play also provides exercise for pups and also helps wear off some excess energy. With my Archie, that involves a lot of play time- it’s fun though and it is great quality time together to bond with him and watch him grow.
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