Playtime with a puppy

Play and train your puppy
Play is essential both in the early stages and in adulthood. Through play, the dog not only carries out a fun activity but also improves its skills. Games become a fundamental part of the puppy’s life around the 3rd week of life because the coordination skills are refined and the puppy learns postures and strategies that it will then implement as an adult during social situations. The puppy, playing with its brothers, learns to measure the force of its bite. As soon as the brothers complain, the mother intervenes and masterfully interrupts the interaction before giving the signal to start over. Through these exchanges, the puppy learns social rules, how to manage frustration and self-control. Through playtime, it is possible to involve the puppy in activities that are in line with individual motivations, of breed and of species (chasing, searching, fighting, competing) but it is important that some playful activities (predatory, competitive) have a correct development and they are not proposed as the only activity since they could bring out attitudes that the little could also re-propose in everyday life as it gets older such as chasing bicycles, runners, pulling clothes, etc. Games can be individual and solitary when the puppy plays alone, or social when it interacts with others (other dogs, people, other animals).Educational games for puppies
For individual games, it is important to use toys intended for the puppy by choosing appropriate dimensions and materials based on the type of breed and size. These objects must not always be left available and must vary so that the puppy does not lose interest and can always experiment with something new to favor the development and maintenance of good cognitive plasticity. It is possible to use hollow toys (with two or more holes) in which to insert food, snacks or spreads to be offered as individual games or to leave when the puppy is alone. Even proposing different bones can be an individual activity with which to involve the puppy as chewing also promotes relaxation and counteracts boredom resulting from moments of inactivity. For social games to be recreational and constructive, games must be enjoyable for both parties, always different and not overly boring or exciting. It is important to avoid letting the puppy play with hands, feet or with objects in the house. Instead, involve the puppy in activities that include searching for or using objects intended for him. It is not advisable to buy objects with an internal rattle as they are often extremely annoying for the little one who gets overexcited and can destroy them in a short time. Purchase of toys in pairs (balls, ropes) so that they can be used, after initial predatory activities and competitive, collaborative activities such as when playing fetch. The most suitable recreational activities for any dog ​​are sniffing games and mental activation games. These activities promote greater concentration and involve the puppy both physically and mentally, often resulting in more fulfillment. For sniffing games, snacks of different types can be used or objects can be hidden both in the home and outdoors.  
Games for mental development of your puppy
Mental activation games help the puppy find new strategies to achieve a certain goal (often a food reward), increasing self-confidence and helping him to modulate his emotions. For this to happen, however, it is essential that the Pet Parents set up the activity based on the puppy's level of competence, help the puppy explore the new object before setting up the game and supervise its development so as to help the little one in case he is having a hard time. It is important that one game at a time is proposed, starting with the simplest one and gradually increasing the difficulty level. These activities must also be proposed in quiet and sufficiently large areas so that the puppy can move freely, end with a positive outcome and vary over time. Always proposing the same game, once the puppy has learned how to reach the goal, can be monotonous, leading it to ignore the object; on the other hand, proposing activities that are too difficult can lead the puppy to give up or experience excessive frustration and irritation. In both types of games it is important that we always involve the dog so that our reputation as trusted, reliable and interesting Pet Parents improves. However, it is important to carefully evaluate the most suitable activities for the individual puppy and possibly be assisted by professionals the first few times, so as to avoid incorrectly setting the sessions and proposing demanding games that could lead the puppy to give up or experience strong frustration.