Ideas for dog games
Play is important for dogs as well as people. But just like people, your dog gets bored. The follow list are ideas that help pet owners engage with their dogs.
Eye Contact
Eye contact is comforting and bonding with your animals. It gives you and your dog a release of oxytocin, the same pleasure center reward that treats do. So while eye contact may not sound like a game. It can be. To start teaching your dog to make eye contact (if she doesn’t do it naturally), you can put a treat near your face and eyes.
You’ll start to notice your dog looking at you when she wants attention. Be sure to glance at her and glance away. Just like humans, too much eye contact can feel like you are staring them down. As your dog becomes comfortable with it, keep increasing the eye contact and praising your dog while maintaining eye contact.
I like to play a game of winking at my dog. When my dog just happens to wink I’ll wink back at him and say ‘good boy, wink’. Then I repeat ‘wink’ ‘wink’ and show him. Then sometimes I’ll try and catch his attention and tell him to ‘wink’. He has winked at me a few times. But it’s not consistent and that could just be my dog!
Flirt Pole
I had never heard of this, but when I saw it, I thought, brilliant. I don’t know why I have never thought of playing with my dog the same as I would my cat. I’ve seen cat toys that do the same thing. For my dog it would have to be something alluring on the end of the flirt pole. Maybe a ball? But the idea is good.
Apparently you can make one pretty easily or if you are like me and prefer to just buy stuff there are lots of them on Amazon.
Tug of War
Tug of war is a great way to interact and play with your dog. The best toys for this are rope and long stuffed animals that have a good hold on either end. Start gently with your dog at first, especially for excitable dogs. Then be sure to teach her boundaries. Biting a hand or getting way too wound up might be reason to put the toy up.
I like to gently growl at my dog. He’s learned that when I growl that I’m in play mode and it’s ok to win or lose. I introduced it playfully and gently though. I’m sure to let my dog win sometimes so he knows that the game is to play and not to win. If dogs get too focused on winning it can become aggressive. And sometimes I let go of the toy and pet him playfully while he is winning and holding on to the toy.
This lets him know that we are casual in our play and he doesn’t have to be territorial or protective of the toy with me. For really excitable dogs I would suggest that you walk them first and be sure that you have time to play until they are somewhat tired. Stopping half way into being play could leave the dog in a hyper state.
Catch with Frisbee or Tennis Ball
Playing catch is a time honored way to entertain your dog for a reason! It works. Be sure to get a frisbee or tennis ball that will hold up to play. With a frisbee if you have an aggressive chewer you might end up with a mangled toy. Tennis balls are the same thing. I don’t allow my dog to chew on the balls or on frisbees non-stop.
Those things are reserved for certain play times and then they get put up. They are taken down to play and then put back up again when we aren’t playing. That also creates special times to play. If you play your own sports with tennis balls or frisbees you want to think about boundaries and commands for when she picks up the wrong toy. I use ‘drop it’ as a basic command for when I’m playing sports I don’t want my dog to chase the ball.
Conclusion
Play is supposed to be silly and fun. But it also serves an important role of bonding with your dog. These ideas should serve as a starting point to socially engage with your own animal. Bonding with your dog also helps with teaching your dog tricks and to behave well.