PUPPY PLAYTIME

Of all the animals which man has welcomed into his life, 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 usually exhibit behavioural disturbances as adults. They may be aggressive to other dogs, or be fearful of or aggressive to people.

Dogs should be provided with toys which appeal to them. Some dogs will play for hours with a ball, others are obsessed with squeaky toys or soft toys. All soft toys should have the button eyes and nose removed to stop the dog 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 not be given to destructive dogs which chew them up, as the rubber can cause intestinal blockages if swallowed. Dogs which like to chew are better given chewable toys available in supermarkets and pet stores, or a large bone.

Play also provides exercise for dogs, and for owners with very energetic dogs with enthusiasm for chasing a ball this can be a great way to wear off some of their energy. Throwing a stick for retrieval can be dangerous as they may perforate the roof of the dog.s mouth.

Some dogs love to retrieve a ball thrown into water - Labradors and other gundog breeds think this is just Heaven - but they do swallow some water with each retrieve so care must be taken to limit the time this game is played.

One of the greatest joys of dog ownership is the time spent playing.

Author: Petcare Information & Advisory Service Australia Pty Ltd