Playing is an important and necessary part of a puppy’s learning process! In this article, we'll explain how puppies learn through play.
Learn through play for a reward
Puppies are above all motivated by rewards and seeing their owners happy. They love nothing more than learning new things, as long as their environment remains engaging enough for them! Play-based training methods work better than punishment when training a puppy.
Short sessions
It's best to keep training sessions relatively short so that you don't risk boring your puppy. Usually 10 to 15 minutes is great for a young puppy. During these sessions, make sure to stay calm and patient. However, it's important to be very expressive when you’re happy that the puppy is obeying! Don’t hesitate to exaggerate your delight.
Set limits
When playing, a puppy often tends to act the way it would around another dog. Therefore, it's important to teach your puppy very early on that, even during play, there are boundaries that should not be crossed. For instance, your dog needs to learn not to nibble on fingers when they get a little excited.
If your puppy starts doing something that you don't want them to do, stop playing immediately and walk away. They'll quickly figure out what they need to do to keep getting your attention.
Stay consistent
It's very important to always be consistent. If you let your puppy play with an old shoe, don’t be surprised if they go after your other shoes too! They’ll be very confused if you scold them, since they are unable to tell the difference between an old one and a new one.
Similarly, if climbing onto a chair is off-limits, don’t make any exceptions—otherwise, you’ll confuse your puppy. They might also pay less and less attention to what you ask of them.
Originally written Joséphine Boudoux (Yummypets) and translated by Jennifer Eubank (Yummypets).
