Mon - Fri: 7am-7pm
Sat and Sun: 8am-7pm

Doggie Drop Offs Till 5pm
(before dark please)

Closed: 1pm - 3pm
for Doggie Nap Time

Contact Us

19060 State Street
Corona, CA 92881
(951) 371-8458
Riverside, San Bernardino
Orange County, CA

Home » Pet Care Tips

Pet Care Tips

Why Playing with Your Dog is So Important

You may find yourself wondering why you got your dog in the first place after you’ve wiped up the tenth puddle of urine on the carpet or found your favorite book in shreds on the floor or cancelled your vacation because you didn’t have the heart to put your pup in a kennel.

Even though owning a dog entails a lot of responsibilities the fact of the matter is they are called man’s best friend for a reason. Studies have shown that people who own dogs live longer more fulfilled lives and playing with your dog can give you an enormous sense of happiness and well being.

Playing with your dog is a great stress reliever and you will find yourself laughing and enjoying the time spent with your pup and forgetting all the day’s stress and worries. Not only is playing with your dog good for you, it’s great for him too. Your dog will bond with you and develop strong social skills. Puppies constantly play with their siblings to learn about their environment and to develop social skills; playing is a learning experience for most animals and if you play with your dog you will help him develop both physically and mentally.

There are many games you can play with your dog such as fetch. Dogs love chasing and retrieving balls and it satisfies their prey instinct as well. There is a huge variety of different colored and sized balls in pet shops you can choose from to offer your dog interest and variety. Some even make noises that add interest to the game.

Dogs are individuals and as such have different personalities. What many dog owners don’t realize is that not all games are suitable for their particular dog. For example dogs that are shy or insecure benefit more from cooperative games as opposed to competitive games. Cooperative games include hiding treats and toys and teaching your dog to find them. Teaching your dog new tricks is also another interesting activity you can do with an insecure dog. These types of activities will help build your dog’s self confidence and you will be able to take him to the next level with competitive games once he’s less insecure.

If your dog has a dominant streak there are some games you should avoid playing with him such as fetch as he may not relinquish the ball to you once he has retrieved it. Training your dog tricks is a good way to engage these types of dogs and will teach them obedience.

Tug of war is another game that shouldn’t be played with dominant type dogs as it teaches them to be stubborn and instills a sense of leadership in them. Tug of war is a good game to play with insecure dogs. Always teach your dog to release the toy on command when playing tug of war so the dog learns that you are the leader in this game. Never try to pry a toy from your dog’s jaws, teach him to drop it on command.

“Game over” is a good command to teach your dog. Use the phrase when you’re done playing so the dog eventually begins to understand that you control the show and decide when and for how long to play. You should set the terms for play and your dog should follow your rules if you are to establish leadership over your dog.

There are many exciting educational toys being developed for dogs on the market that you should get for your dog, dogs love challenges and challenging your dog mentally is just as important as stimulating him physically.

From Nicole at Chazhound.com, find cool stuff for dogs like dog bowls and elevated dog feeders.

More Pet Care Tips