Letting Playtime Morph Into Plain Bad Manners

There can be some overlap between parts of playtime and more serious scenarios in pet-parent life. It’s easy to let those boundaries get blurred.

First rule: You decide what’s a game and you decide when it’s time to play. Tolerating a quick game of keep away seems like no biggie until the little bastard decides to snatch your shoe when you’re already running late. 

The puppy doesn’t know you’re late. And your puppy doesn’t know the difference between your shoe and a toy unless you’ve taught them which is used for what.

And if you haven’t, hope you have cheap shoes. Chew toy and shoe toy kinda even sound similar. Hmm. Trust and believe, my friend, one of you will learn this lesson soon.

Second rule: Nipping and biting just aren’t cool. It’s how puppies play with each other, sure, but it can also lead to aggression later in life. 

The only nipping will be to nip this shit in the bud before it gets out of hand. 

This is true for all puppies, no matter how adorable and harmless they may appear, but super true for puppies who are territorial. An errant limb in their personal space is not asking to be gnawed on. Ever.

Third rule: Pop quiz. What happens when you’re sick of playing tug-of-war? If you said that your pup saunters away with its spoils firmly in its mouth, congratulations! You’ve won… nothing. 

Because don’t do this. Ever.

It’s okay to let your puppy win, of course. “Let” might be the wrong word. There’s a reason we use the descriptor “like a dog with a bone”. 

Okay, when your puppy kicks your ass at tug-of war, that doesn’t mean they keep whatever you were tugging on. Practicing very basic commands like “drop” or “give” are a perfect way to end playtime on a high note while reinforcing all the stuff your puppy needs to learn.

What Else Does My Puppy Need to Learn?

Well, your pup is off to a good start. Don’t assume everyone likes the same horseplay you do. It may not be cute to everyone.

There’s a time and place to let loose, and that’s not always and everywhere.

Avoiding serious injury is an awesome and pretty believable excuse for being lazy.

We don’t always get our way, but that doesn’t mean we get to take our toys and go home.

That’s a pretty good foundation for any life, not just puppy life. As adult humans, we have the perspective to see how important those playtime lessons can be. 

Puppies? Not so much. They may not have the life experience to understand why you’re trying to shape their behavior a certain way. If you’d like some guidance on positive reinforcement training techniques that can make every playtime a learning opportunity (don’t worry - they won’t know the difference), contact us today!