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    SERIOUS FUN: PLAY LIKE A DOG
    SERIOUS FUN: PLAY LIKE A DOG
    SERIOUS FUN: PLAY LIKE A DOG
    Ebook148 pages1 hour

    SERIOUS FUN: PLAY LIKE A DOG

    By Sue Sternberg

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    About this ebook

    Playing with and exercising your dog (two separate but unrelated things) are the two most important components to having a happy, contented, well-behaved dog. But most important of all, by playing with and exercising with your dog, you are providing your dog access to fun. Nothing gives you more power and control than being the one to provide that access. When you are the source of the fun, your dog likes you more, pays you more attention and you have more control over other situations having nothing to do with play. Sue shows you how true power is obtained not through domination, not by being feared, but by being revered, and by being the source of play.

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGreat Dog Productions
    Release dateJan 1, 2009
    ISBN9781617811098
    SERIOUS FUN: PLAY LIKE A DOG
    Author

    Sue Sternberg

    Sue Sternberg has devoted her personal and professional life to helping dogs and people live together happily. She is the author of numerous books and DVDs on dog adoption, canine body language and behavior, especially aggression. Her work educating shelter personnel on training, temperament testing and environmental enrichment has helped countless dogs find their forever homes.

    Read more from Sue Sternberg

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      Book preview

      SERIOUS FUN - Sue Sternberg

      SECTION ONE

      An Overview of Toys

      Chew

      Play

      Tug

      Entertainment/Interactive

      Fetch

      INTRODUCTION

      Play and Exercise

      Play is one of the most important things you can do with your dog. Play should not be considered an extra bonus in a relationship. Indeed, it is paramount to a healthy relationship. Playing with and exercising your dog (two separate but interrelated things) are the two most important components to having a happy, contented, well-behaved dog. These are the greatest gifts you can give your dog. And they are necessary gifts, not luxury items. There are many reasons for the necessity. First and foremost, when you engage in play with your dog, you are saying that you have taken care of all your dog’s other needs: nutrients, water, the territory has been secured, reproduction (okay, so you took care of this by neutering). And when all those necessities are taken care of, and only then, can calories for survival be spent on play.

      Plus, play is fun.

      The need for exercise is self-explanatory, really. Not just for your dog’s physical health, but for his mental and emotional well-being also, aerobic exercise makes your dog tired, and a tired dog is generally a well-behaved dog. Exercise also makes us feel good, releases endorphins, and has been shown to positively affect mood.

      LEADERSHIP AND PLAY

      But most important of all, by playing with and exercising with your dog, you are providing your dog access to fun. And nothing gives you more power and control than being the one to provide access to fun. Your dog can certainly find ways to entertain himself and have fun without you (bolting out the front door and running away, chasing deer, chasing cars, hunting squirrels, tearing up a roll of toilet paper, etc.) but when you are your dog’s sole access to his most fun activities, you wield power and control. Nothing makes you a more respected and inspirational leader than being the source of all that is fun.

      Being a fun owner goes a long way to success in all other areas of your life with your dog. When you’re the source of the most fun, your dog, plain and simple, likes you more! And when you’re well-liked, you get listened to, you get paid attention to, and you have control over other situations having nothing to do with play.

      You derive a certain amount of power from playing with your dog. True power is obtained not through domination, not by being feared, but by being revered, and by being the source of play.

      There are chew toys, play toys, tug toys, entertainment/interactive toys and fetch toys. There are store bought toys and home-made toys. There are designated toys and toys that exist anywhere and everywhere. Your leash can be a toy. A leaf can be a toy. All toys have different uses and get different reactions from different dogs. There are toys your dog can play with by himself, and toys that you use to play with your dog. While it is useful and important that your dog be able to entertain himself when you cannot be there, but by far the most important toys are the ones that you and your dog play with together.

      CHEW TOYS

      Chew Toys are any items your dog can chew up and either ingest or discard. They include:

      •  Rawhides (pressed rawhides are best as they last longer)

      •  Pig’s Ears (greasy and hideous)

      •  Chew Hooves (stinky)

      •  Bully Stix (let’s not define these)

      •  Hard, non-ingestible toys (e.g. Nylabone, etc.)

      Chew toys are great when you need short bursts of chewing activity, i.e. when you have to leave your dog alone in a crate, or in the car. They are invaluable for puppies and adolescents. Some dogs are more oral than others, and really need a variety of things to occupy their mouths with.

      For some dogs, particularly adolescent dogs with an extreme desire to chew, you can allow them to chew things like the cardboard tube inside a paper towel roll or a toilet paper roll, as long as they don’t ingest the whole thing (and even then, consult with your veterinarian, but I doubt it’s very harmful…). The dogs will be happy, you are no worse for the wear, and you haven’t spent any extra money.

      Some dogs really really like to chew up and destroy cloth toys, particularly stuffed animals. And they often do so in a ritualized manner—biting off the eyes, the nose, then using their incisors to pull out to the stuffing and gut the animal. There is usually no harm done in letting your dog practice this on toys, and for some dogs, if you don’t give them an outlet for this kind of chewing, they’ll do it to your couch cushions or your kids’ stuffed animals. So I say, if you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em, and give them a cheap, appropriate outlet. The best toys for satisfying this urge in your dog are stuffed animals bought from thrift stores, where they’re cheap, rather than pet supply stores, where they’re not as cheap. Just remember to buy the stuffed animals filled with batting, not beans or Styrofoam beads, and as a precaution, even for the dog that doesn’t eat what he destroys, remove any buttons, eyes, or ribbons before giving it to your dog.

      PLAY TOYS

      These include any items that your dog enjoys playing with, but not chewing up or destroying. Some dogs like to just gnash and gnaw on balls of any kind, while others like to do the same with Kong® toys. Some like squeaky toys (this can be quite annoying after a few hours…), while some dogs like to toss different toys up in the air and fool around with them. Play toys are items that your dog could play with by himself when you aren’t available, without human participation.

      TUG TOYS

      The best tug toys are long fabric items, such as rope toys, or fleece braids, or tubes

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