Puppy play

Especially in the beginning, when a new little four-legged friend moves in, it is important to keep the puppy properly occupied. Playing together not only develops your puppy physically and mentally, but also strengthens its bond and trust with you. However, there are a few things to keep in mind so as not to overtax your puppy or teach it the wrong behaviours.

Every dog has different preferences. Therefore, you should try out which game your puppy enjoys the most. One often hears that some games are preferred depending on the breed:

Retriever à Fetch games

Herding dogs à Intelligence games

Hunting dogsà Tug of war games

Of course, this does not mean that a herding dog does not like to retrieve or that a hunting dog does not enjoy intelligence games. The most important thing about playing is that your puppy has fun and doesn't get bored. Therefore, you should regularly bring some variety into the game and try out new games every now and then. In tug-of-war games, the dog must learn to accept the termination of the game in any situation. This can be practised similar to the command "off", using a treat.

Due to puppies' sharp teeth, many toys do not survive for long. Therefore, when buying, you should make sure that your puppy cannot hurt itself when chewing the toys and that the toy is non-toxic. Even though stuffed animals are very popular with young dogs, they are also not suitable as the filling can be pulled out and swallowed.

There are some toys that require your puppy to solve a problem or overcome obstacles to get their treats. He has to be clever and use his paws, his mouth and nose and his brain. These toys can look different. Either your puppy has to move parts, shake or roll the toy to succeed and get his reward. But you don't have to spend a lot of money for this, because these toys are also very easy to make yourself. For example, from a plastic bottle or a toilet paper roll.

You should keep your puppy's toys in a place where he cannot reach them on his own. It is important that your little four-legged friend is not able to help himself at any time meaning he gets no rest. A toy box is best for this. This not only increases the life span of the toys, but your puppy will be all the more pleased as soon as the box is opened.

Yes, there are some rules you should follow when playing with your puppy. You decide the game, not your puppy! In the heat of the moment, play sessions can quickly become too wild. In this case, it is important to interrupt the game, slow down a bit and then continue at a more moderate pace. Often puppies are very overexcited after playing. That's why you should take the time to stroke your puppy afterwards, so that it can relax faster and better. However, if your little four-legged friend doesn't want to give up the toy, you can use the opportunity to teach him the word "off". While saying "Off" loudly and clearly, place a treat in front of his nose. This serves to make your puppy let go of the toy and quickly learn to respond to the word. Due to their size, our Click-Bits are ideal for games played together and for training sessions.

Puppies can also be introduced to retrieving games slowly. A food dummy is very suitable for this. Due to the zip, the puppy can only get to the treats with your help. Our dummy is particularly suitable for small puppy teeth due to its strength.

Before you can start retrieving, your puppy must learn that he should bring objects back after you have thrown them. The best thing to do is to take some treats or kibble of his dry food. Show your puppy how you fill the food dummy with the dog food or snacks. Please note here that you should subtract the treats or kibble from the daily feeding amount. Your puppy will quickly understand that he cannot get to the food without your help.

You can read more about how to teach your puppy to retrieve the dummy in our retrieving training guide. It is important to bear in mind that you will need a little more patience with your puppy than with a full-grown dog.

Puppies are very curious and have great fun exploring the world. It is a good idea to change the daily route when going for a walk together and walk cross-country through the forest. Your puppy can balance along tree trunks, jump over branches, run under park benches or run a slalom between trees. Your puppy has to concentrate very hard and it also devlops his balance.

Agility is a very popular dog sport. Your dog has to overcome obstacles, run through tunnels and complete a running course. Mini agility is mainly about fun for little four-legged friends. Jumps over obstacles should only be incorporated once your dog is fully grown. Obstacles that your puppy can run or balance over are more suitable for little pups. This simultaneously trains the puppy's coordination and additionally strengthens its trust and bond with you.

You can easily keep your puppy occupied via his nose. Nose work means that the little one has to concentrate especially hard. Initially, you can lay a trail of treats leading to his favourite toy. Over time, you can reduce the number of treats to make the search game more difficult. If your puppy is a true sniffing pro, you can increase the difficulty level further and hide the treats under a towel or an empty plant pot, for example. If your puppy starts to nibble at the objects, stop him and show him how to reach his goal by nudging the object.

To strengthen the bond with your little four-legged friend even more, you can play hide and seek with him. This works best if a second person holds your puppy and you find a place to hide. Initially, you should choose a place where your puppy can find you quickly. Call your puppy once you have found a suitable hiding place and reward him with treats as soon as he has found it. When your puppy has become a real search pro, you can also move the hide-and-seek game outside. This is because there are many environmental stimuli that could distract the puppy from its search and make it more difficult for it to play the game.

This game is about comparing sstrength. The important thing is that you are not always the winner. Give your puppy a sense of achievement too, otherwise you run the risk of your puppy getting bored quickly. The game should not get out of hand, however. As soon as your puppy starts growling, barking or doesn't want to give up the toy, you should stop the game. For this, it is important that your puppy has already mastered the command "Off". Special care should also be taken with tug of war games while your puppy is teething. As your puppy may have painful teeth during this time, he should decide for himself how hard he pulls, so that he doesn't develop a negative link to the game because of the pain.

Obedience is very important for this game, because it teaches your puppy new tricks and improves his coordination in a playful way. Concentration is also required, as music is included and a certain sequence of steps is learned. This sport is not only fun for you, but also for pretty much every breed of dog.

To socialise your dog, puppy play groups are ideal. It is important that you choose a puppy group with four-legged friends of the same size and age. This is because a Dachshund puppy is physically inferior to a Great Dane puppy, may quickly become overwhelmed and will always lose in play. It is also important that you make sure you attend the play group regularly. The play group should also not be too large.

If you have a rather shy puppy, it is advisable to let him watch first instead of just throwing him in at the deep end. Otherwise, this can lead to him associating negative experiences with other dogs.

Puppies very quickly overestimate their abilities. Therefore, it is also important here that you control the duration of play. It is better to play across several sessions, with a duration of 10 minutes being ideal. Breaks are especially important so that your puppy not only associates encounters with other dogs with action, but learns to remain calm in a group.

If your puppy does not feel comfortable in some situations, for example if the rough and tumble in the group gets out of hand, by all means intervene and take your puppy out of this situation. Otherwise, your little four-legged friend can very quickly feel he has been abandoned by you and that would only harm your bond.