Playing With Your Dog
It was really the highlight of my weekend. We decided to have a little recreation time, something that is too rare lately. Jim and I packed up the picnic supplies, my mom, some towels, and Buzz, our adolescent golden retriever. It was time for Buzz to experience the open water at Burgess Falls, after all, he comes from a long line of hunting dogs who love to swim. He had been showing interest in swimming every time we walked at Cane Creek Park, so we decided a more challenging environment was just the thing Buzz needed. He had a great time playing “splish-splash,” learning about slippery moss on rocks, and swimming when the bottom disappeared. He slept most of the way home. It was great, but not the highlight to which I refer.
No, the highlight came after we got home. Buzz’s two favorite young people, Brian and Winston, came to visit after we unpacked the car. My first thought was “Buzz will be way too tired to play anymore today.” I could not have been more wrong. Jim and I, too worn out from the earlier exercise, sat down to watch the threesome play. Football, soccer, and water retrieval from the kiddie pool, all seem to be an element of the game with each player taking a role – Buzz was running back, Winston was place kicker, Brian was tackle. Yet there was no official structure to any of the play, no rules, no penalties, just fun. The games ended when no one could run any longer.
I felt more relaxed watching them than I had in a while. It dawned on me that we dog owners who are saddled with responsibilities and aging spend a great deal of time training our dogs, worrying about whether they will impress our friends with their sits and downs and tricks. Some of us participate in organized sports, where the challenge to perform and bring home the ribbons and titles can take away a great deal of the pleasure of just partnering with our canines. Maybe with all the stresses of the current times – gas shortages, politics, and economic crises – maybe it’s time to stop and just play. Including the furry, four-legged family members adds an exciting new dimension.
For some, it’s hard to think like a kid when you have passed that age chronologically. So, like me, some of you may need some ideas to get you started. Several recent books have been published by several of my favorite authors: Dr. Patricia McConnell/Karen London and Pat Miller. The McConnell/London book is titled Play Together, Stay together. As stated in the description at Dogwise.com, this booklet emphasizes the importance of play in maintaining a healthy relationship with your pooch. Both physical and mental games are included to help those of us lacking that creative gene, which obviously must have gone to other members of our family. Pat Miller’s book, Play With Your Dog, establishes the benefits, both behavioral and physical, of playing games with your dog. The games in her book are a compilation of games submitted by trainers around the country. I’ve got both books on my Christmas wish list.
So what games can we play while we wait for Santa? There are plenty of standard games available. I love to play hide and seek with my pups. Once they are occupied with other dog interests, I go out of sight, then call them using an urgent, but happy “Pup, Pup, Pup!” More often than not, I get a thundering herd of dogs seeking me out. They have learned that finding Mom will be rewarded, either with a treat or a game of ball or Frisbee. This is a great game indoors or out (well, maybe not with a Frisbee as the reward inside). It not only puts their tracking skills to work, it enhances any recall work you may be doing.
Tug is a favorite game for all my dogs. Just be sure to follow the rules that are found at http://www.clickerlessons.com/tug.htm . Maybe you can play a shell game with your dog by hiding a treat under one of three cups, then shuffling them. Got an old neglected radio controlled car? The terrier breeds will think they are in Heaven chasing one of these. How about putting a toy under a box or behind a door?
The games you play will only be limited by your ability to think and act like a child again. If that’s a problem, take a moment to watch kids and dogs playing. You might be inspired. Most of all, you might find yourself relaxed and smiling at a time when the rest of the world is not.
Jan Casey is a reward-based trainer and owner of Smiles and Wags in Cookeville, TN. You can email her at jan@smilesandwags.com .