Teach Your Dog to Play On Their Own
Teach Your Dog to Play On Their Own
by Alex B
Do you have a dog who loves to bring you toys? Or does your dog demand to be pet and paw at you if you stop? Maybe your dog knows to bark near the treats in order to get one?
If this sounds like you and your pup, we have news for you. Your dog is the one who has you trained.
One of the best skills you can teach your dog is how to entertain themselves. A dog that can play by themselves will be happy and secure when you’re not around. Dogs that know how to play by themselves will also be better behaved when you have company over or while you’re doing non-dog things like eating dinner.
Imagine, you have your time and your dog has their time. Maybe you like to do a Peloton class and your dog plays with the tennis ball. Maybe you just want to enjoy some tv time without your dog asking you to throw a stuffy every minute.
No matter what your routine is, it’s important that your dog can spend time on their own, having fun.
To teach your dog to play on their own, the hardest part is going to be for you. It’s important that you let your dog play without interfering.
Start by bringing home a new toy so your dog is excited and just give it to them. Don’t hover over them or show them how to play with it. Just step away and let them explore it independently. Your dog might get excited and bring the toy to you.
This is the tough part. Don’t throw it. Say “yes, that’s your toy” and leave it at that. You can also name toys. If you consistently name “ball”, “bear”, “fox”, “kong”, “wubba”, your dog can easily pick up on the names of each toy.
Next, you want to keep your dog excited about their toys. Instead of using your high-pitched voice and actively playing, try rotating toys. Rotating toys means you keep a closed toy bin and you only have a few toys out at once. Every month or so, swap out the toys so your dog gets excited about the “new” old toys.
If your dog has a favorite toy, you do not need to swap that out. You can leave that toy out for them.
Rotating toys will keep your dog engaged in the toys you have and remove the need to bring home newer and better toys all the time. Your dog might also learn where the hidden toys are and might ask you to look through the box. You’ll know if your dog is sitting or hovering around the toy bin.
It’s important when rotating toys that your dog doesn’t see you put their toys away. Do it when they’re napping or on a walk with someone else, or taking a snooze.
It will be hard to teach your dog at first because they will want to play with you. You’ll have to ignore them, which feels really hard and almost cruel. It’s not. If your dog barks at you when you don’t do what they ask, that’s a behavioral problem you need to fix.
By ignoring your dog, most likely they will start by exaggerating the behavior, whether it’s bringing you a toy, pawing at you, or vocalizing. You must, must, must, not give into the exaggerated behavior. Wait for it to extinguish. This is when the behavior stops. Dogs will eventually stop and you should reward them for that with a “good boy”, a “good girl” or a pat on the head.
We’re not saying you can’t play with them. This is about teaching them to play on their own as well as with you.
When your dog is starting to play on their own, let them. Don’t intervene. Play with them at the park, or when you want to initiate playtime.
This is especially important if your dog is more than just a pet, like an emotional support animal. If your dog is registered as an emotional support animal because they bring you comfort and general wellbeing, they need to be able to be well behaved when you’re not home with them.
Many people register their dogs in hopes that they can keep them in their homes despite a no dog policy, or because of a complaint, but even emotional support animals are not exempt from noise complaints and damage.
Emotional support animals, and even service dogs for people with disabilities are expected to be well mannered and abide by all common area rules.
If your dog knows how to play in your home by themselves, you’re creating a safe outlet for them to get their energy out. When they are bored, instead of barking or causing damage, like chewing, your dog will know how to entertain themselves.
