11 Tips To Ensure A Safe & Fun Playtime For Your Dog
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It’s no wonder that dogs love to bond through playtime. But often unconsciously, things can get out of hand and someone may get hurt. To avoid that and make your playtime with your furry friend more safe and fun, here are 10 tips you can follow.
1) Supervision Is Key
Never leave toddlers to certain breeds of dogs alone. Children often make sudden movements and squealing sounds that might trigger dogs to attack them. Dogs might feel that the sounds are similar to that of prey animals and act on that as a defense mechanism.
Always make sure you are aware and present when a time out is needed for both the kids and the dogs if they are roughhousing together.
2) Stick To Certain Games
It’s all fun and games until a harmless game of tag goes wrong. Dogs may get too excited and can end up biting their owner’s hand by accident. Instead, look for games like fetching balls or frisbees or hide-and-seek. Hide your kid or yourself in a fairly easy location, and let your dog find you. You may not have to make any noise to help the dog as they have a very strong sense and will easily find you out.
3) Avoid Toys That Can Choke
Toys can bring more dimension to the play. Some dogs love bouncy balls that can be thrown to retrieve. You will need to make sure that the ball fits the dog’s mouth and is not too large to cause discomfort or too small to be a choking hazard.
The size of the dog is also a factor. Smaller dogs like Chihuahua cannot manage balls like tennis balls, whereas this might choke bigger dogs. Supervise your dogs even if they are playing by themselves. This is because if they get too protective of their toy, this might cause some serious injury to another dog or a kid if they want to play with that toy as well.
Similarly, teach your kids not to touch the dog’s toy or leave them alone when they are playing by themselves. You can teach the dog to drop or exchange the toy for another toy or a treat. Dogs may enjoy tugging toys, but beware if the dog gets too excited the game can become too rough..
4) CBD Oil For Multi-Purpose Healing
Many researchers suggest that CBD Oil For Dogs is highly beneficial. Derived from the cannabis plant, it can help in relieving stress and anxiety in your dog as well as keeping him/her calm. It also has healing properties for muscle or skin injuries, bowel problems, etc.
However, it is advisable that you look out if your dog shows any symptoms of side effects to it and maintain a careful dosage.
5) Big Dog Meets Little Dog
Smaller dogs may feel overwhelmed with inexperienced larger dogs that are not yet familiar with playing with smaller dogs. They will play with the small dogs like the way they do with dogs of their own size, leaving the smaller dogs feeling threatened. When trained properly, a large dog will usually play gently with smaller dogs. So be sure to train your dog to adjust play according to the size of the other dog.
6) Start Early
Look for training classes for puppy socialization. These classes usually have a safe environment to train your pups. When your dog fulfils minor achievements or learns something new, make sure you acknowledge it and reward them with praise or a treat. To enable further socialization, avoid taking your dog to the dog park. Your puppy might encounter another inexperienced dog, potentially creating chaos.
7) Look For Play Dates
If your dog gets a friendly play date, a dog park is a good idea. Compatible dogs will know how to bond better and stay in line with each other. However, look out for dogs that are unfamiliar to your dog trying to play with them.
8) Avoid On-Leash Greetings Between Dogs
Leashes will restrict your furry friends’ movement and possibly hurt them if they’re trying to bond physically. Although dogs like to greet each other nose-to-bum, they should not have to run towards each other or put their face on one another.
9) Make Time For Exercise
Dogs need exercise just like a human, not for burning calories, but to stay happy and healthy. Playtime hits on the core muscles and works to strengthen and keep them lean this way, your dog’s risk of contracting heart diseases, cancer will reduce significantly as abdominal obesity risk is lowered.
Make sure they get enough movement even when they get older as obesity-related diseases are more seen in older dogs.
10) Regular Check for Ticks and Fleas
Based on your dog’s age, weight and breed, your vet may advise you which type of games are safe and will not affect your pup’s health. If your dogs play outside and are in contact with other dogs frequently, get them checked for fleas, ticks, and heartworms regularly. The vet will give your pup all the necessary seasonal medications and vaccines to make your outdoor adventures with your pup more comfortable.
11) You Are The Pack Leader
Although nuzzling and wrestling are some of the favorite playtime activities for pups, you might want your older dogs to avoid such games. This may increase their aggressiveness and anxiety, and therefore harm their health.
How you act will influence your furry friends. Thus, resist yourself from playing any kind of game that will lead to aggression and violent episodes. In short, do not treat your older dogs like “puppies”, which obviously is difficult as you adore them too much.
Final Words
Although regulating rules for playtime might seem restricting and too disciplined, it does not have to be boring at all. With moderation, you can play all sorts of games and still retain your pup’s adoration.
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