http://www.care2.com/greenliving/how-not-to-play-with-a-puppy.html
How Not to Play with a Puppy
Adapted from City Dog, by Patricia Curtis (Lantern Books, 2002).
It may be cute when a little puppy play-bites your hand, sleeve, or pant leg, or chews on your shoelaces, but before you know it, the dog grows up and, meaning no harm, sinks its teeth into someone’s hand, or rips a sofa pillow.
Here are six good rules of puppy play to keep your dog safe and to make sure you don’t encourage behavior that will spell trouble later on.
Don’t play just before or after feeding.
Don’t play on a slippery surface, such as wood, vinyl, or tile. The puppy needs secure footing, or it can tear a muscle or dislocate a joint.
Don’t do anything to provoke aggression, even in play.
Don’t play tug-of-war with a puppy. It can cause damage to the puppy’s jaw.
Don’t encourage or permit a puppy to bite anything but its own toys.
Don’t play with a puppy for more than a few minutes at a time, because it will become over stimulated and exhausted–or aggressive. Extended romping is especially harmful to a large-breed pup, whose bones are not
yet strong enough to support its weight in hard play.
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13 comments
add your comment »good advise
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Good guidelines, thanks.
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w have to be carefull with them, thanks
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ty
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soo cute!
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These rules are good guidelines for puppy play...slippery surfaces are always bad and sometimes scary for a pup when they can't get their footing....
"Not playing before or after feeding" is a good rule also because before feeding the pup is hungry and perhaps a bit cranky..and rough play after feeding can cause damage to certain breeds internally (ck.research on large breeds like Swissys and Berners)
"Do not provoke aggression"...always a good rule as aggressive dogs can end up perhaps playing aggressive with a friend or a neighbor's child. You, the dog's owner, might understand his cues, but someone else may not.
And "do not play tug-of-war" has always been our rule...it teaches the dog (not all dogs, but many) to pull from your hands whatever you may have or give him, enforcing aggressive behavior. And if you really look into the eyes of a dog playing tug, he thinks he is challenging you...not a good thing.
We are the alpha wolf, so to speak, and the alpha does not pull things away from the others, he just gives the 'look' and the other wolf drops what he has....
The article does not say don't wrestle and play with your pup, it just gives some good advice in raising happy, obedient, playful dogs who mind, are not aggressive, and are trustworthy with others. I've raised dogs for over 45 years and have never had an aggressive dog...my dogs have been large breeds...some weighing over 130 lbs...they had to be well behaved.
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I very much agree with the first few posts. Playing with a puppy aggressively, just as its brothers and sisters would, does not make him/her more susceptible to biting issues and aggressiveness in the future. I have seen the most aggressive pup become calm and obedient, and the most pampered and delicately raised pup become a snappy biting machine. (With the latter more likely to happen in my experiences.) Just as Nadine pointed out, the tips are cute but common sense is best.
I guess we should keep in mind that good old Annie adapted this from another writer. We can't make comments about her for something she didn't write!
P.S.
Oh, and Annie, please watch that your columns do not turn into empty fillers and misguided facts. As I have said before - research MORE THAN ONE source. It would most certainly benefit all of your readers both financially and as economically and environmentally responsible individuals.
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nice article. I think every pet owner must read this article and also make their kids to learn about this.
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I have a puppy at home and we wrestle all the time and she nows that when i say enough she just backs off and wants to a belly rub.
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hand play (hand to puppy) can be fixed by placing their toy in your hand between them and your skin.
I've always let them tug and I just hold the rope or toy, lazy but common sense at work.
puppies are fun but like kids, agreed common sense is the factor with dogs language all their own, it is "we" who must integrate languages, that is why they become our babies, we play parental roles and there is that dominance factor, all which
I've read about for so many years.
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