Play with the dog every day. Just as regular exercise is important for humans, daily play will strengthen your dog’s body as well as your special bond with them. Especially for new owners, this is the best time to develop a strong relationship with your dog and to also establish your role as leader. It is also an easy preventative for problem behaviors like destructive chewing, anxiety, or indoor “accidents”. Playtime is also a perfect time to educate your dog with tricks and commands. Set a daily schedule that works for you and your pooch. Making it part of your daily routine will become easy over time and your dog will certainly be grateful for it.
Make sure that your dog has a variety of toys to play with and try changing up the activities you partake in from day to day. This will help maintain ongoing interest in play throughout your dog’s life stages, and will also keep a well-rounded exercise regimen in place. Again, similar to humans, working different parts of the mind and body will aid in maintaining your dog’s best health.
Find ways for your dog to engage in quiet, nuzzling play. In addition to balls and chew toys, soft comfort toys are soothing, reassuring tokens for when it’s time to calm-down. These toys are very helpful for dogs that suffer from separation anxiety as well. Give your dog stuffed or unstuffed plush toys or old t-shirts that have your smell on them. You may see your dog engage in healthy, low-energy activities with these toys like nuzzling, licking, gently tugging or simply cuddling while relaxing in their dog beds. This low-energy activity is still a wonderful benefit to a dog’s mental stimulation.
Find opportunities to get your dog really moving. Whether that means playing fetch outside with balls and squeaky toys or a game of “find it” that spans the whole house, it is important to give your dog a full range of active play. High-intensity activity releases hormones in dogs that are similar to those that give humans that wonderful “runner’s high”. Variety in their space and movement is equally valuable to a dog’s happiness as having access to a variety of toys.
Find ways for them to play when you’re away. While you can’t be there during the day, you can still find ways to keep them playing. Task-oriented toys will help alleviate pent-up energy and separation anxiety when they are alone or crated. There are all sorts of puzzle toys and treat-dispenser toys that will keep your dog occupied during these times. Consider your dog’s tendencies with toys when you select things for them to play with while you are gone though. If your dog is destructive and you have to supervise them with certain types of toys, remove those from your dog’s area until a time when you can keep an eye on things.
Find safe toys to suit your dog. Again, as important as play is, safety always comes first. Look for toys that are size appropriate for your dog. Toys that are too small can easily become choking hazards. Toys that your dog has already destroyed or that can break off into small pieces should be replaced with new ones. Many dogs like to “gut” stuffed animals. To prevent ingestion of filling, find plush toys for dogs that are not stuffed or that you can insert water bottles into.
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