Play Behavior in Dogs
 Play
Behavior In Dogs
Puppies begin to play as soon as they can walk. Littermates commonly wrestle
and chase each other, pulling on ears or tails. Through play with
littermates, pups learn just how strong they are or how to turn
circumstances to their advantage.
By the time they are weaned, each pup has formed an impression of its own
abilities and social standing within the ranks of littermates. This forms
the basis for adult behavior, such as achievement of dominance, in relation
to people and other dogs.
Play allows a young animal to practice important life skills without
adult consequences. Running, jumping, hiding and other playful
antics could be invaluable later when hunting for food or escaping an enemy.
Play is one of the best ways to teach desirable behavior to a pet by
setting standards for a lifetime. By tolerating subtle or not so subtle
dominance behavior even in young puppies, for example, you may encourage
inappropriate social patterns.
Undesirable Forms of Play
Wild and uncontrolled forms of play frequently lead to undesirable
behavior in juvenile and adult dogs. Games that encourage chasing and
jumping on people promote aggressiveness. Don't encourage your dog to mouth,
chew, nip or nibble any article of clothing or part of a person's body, even
if it is behaving playfully. Avoid games that arouse your dog's aggressive
instincts, such as wrestling or tug of war with any object.
Forms of play that do not focus a dog's attention on you or reinforce your
authority may lead to misdirection of the animal's energies. The results of
a dog's unrestricted activity are often undesirable. Also, you lose the
opportunity to teach your dog desirable skills.
Obedience Training During Appropriate Play
Ideally, a pet should behave in a calm and controlled manner. The ideal dog
should obey you and behave gently toward people under normal circumstances.
Play should incorporate obedience training to provide an opportunity
for constructive interaction with a practical purpose. As compared with wild
play, controlled play is often more enjoyable for both you and your dog, and
tends to inspire more frequent play sessions.
Your dog will enjoy obeying your command to "sit" if this will
earn it the right to chase after a ball. Call your dog to "come"
as it retrieves the ball and to "sit" again when it returns. Say
"drop it" as it gives the ball to you. This is a chance to
practice obedience skills and provides the dog additional opportunities to
earn your praise.
Play Behavior in Cats
 Cats are
intelligent and agile creatures. During play, a kitten or an adult cat makes
full use of its surroundings to provide itself with mental and physical
challenges. Particularly attracted to moving objects, cats investigate new
things on ground level or elevated surfaces alike. Play allows a young
animal to practice important life skills without adult consequences.
Running, jumping, hiding, and other playful antics could be invaluable later
when hunting for food or escaping an enemy.
Play gives you an opportunity to teach acceptable behavior to your cat.
Avoid forms of play that encourage a cat's aggressiveness. No cat should
learn that it is acceptable and fun to pounce on, grip, bite or scratch any
part of a person's clothing or body. Such innocent fun as chasing wiggling
fingers or toes under the bedcovers could lead to problems later. The target
of a cat's playful attention should be directed away from its human
playmate. Introduce a variety of toys for your cat to chase, such as
light-weight balls or toys suspended from string or wire. Your cat can
simulate attacks without risking injury to anyone.
Young cats often appear to respond to some "phantom" enemy
during normal play. The pet may pause as if to listen or look at
something and then races away. Some people believe that, during such
episodes, the cat is reacting to an imagined object or intruder. It is also
possible that the cat is responding to a real stimulus that people cannot
detect.
Undesirable Nighttime Activity
Juvenile cats are normally very active, sometimes overwhelming their
owners. Young cats tend to be more active during evening and nighttime hours
and frequently disturb their owners' sleep. Cats are naturally nocturnal
(more active at night) because they have adapted to hunting in darkness.
If your cat is satisfied with the amount of attention and exercise it gets
before your bedtime, chances are good that its schedule of peak activity
will gradually match yours. If your young cat tends to nap during the day
when you are home, wake it up to play.
Though cats frequently seem to amuse themselves when there is no available
playmate, they often thrive on additional social interaction with you. To
increase your chances of sleeping through the night, play appropriate games
with your cat and engage it in other activities it might enjoy, such as
brushing, before retiring to bed. Provide a variety of attractive toys to
entertain your cat so that it is less likely to awaken you. Once you have
gone to bed, consistently ignore your cat's attempts to get your attention
and it will eventually stop disturbing you.
Preventing Damage During Play
"Cat-proof' your home by removing or preventing access to
valuable or hazardous objects that will attract your cat. Apply screens on
windows to prevent accidental falls or intentional escapes. It is normal for
cats to investigate elevated surfaces (tabletops, mantel) in its territory.
Your valuables may be accidentally destroyed in such exploration, or the cat
may destroy objects through playful mischief.
If your cat damages items in certain areas, it may be necessary to close the
door to that room. Another option to discourage your cat from returning to
an area is to make it an unpleasant place to visit. Strips of sticky tape
placed sticky side up are an unpleasant surprise for cats to step on, as are
cookie sheets filled with water. If your cat is destructive or harmful with
its claws during play, keep them well trimmed to avoid damage.
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Housebreaking Your Dog
 Dogs, like
other meat eaters, instinctively require an area for hunting and within that
area, a place for sleeping. These activity zones are referred to as
territory .The hunting area is the dog or wolf pack's range, which is shared
with other animals. The sleeping area is the den, which is also used as a
nest for whelping newborns and as a lair for the pups safety. A den may be a
cave, a tunnel or even a hollow log.
The den or resting place, is guarded with vigor. In our homes the dog may
consider the entire house or apartment as the den or the den may be simply
his small section of it. Certainly a dog house or a dog crate--or anything
resembling it--is considered a den. The place your dog rests, his den, is an
element in his life that provides comfort and security. Dogs feel best when
enjoying the peace and comfort of the den.
However, the crate is much more than a sanctuary. It is an extremely useful
tool when housebreaking your dog-- whether he be a puppy, adolescent or
adult animal--because his instinct is not to soil his den. A crate is also
valuable during periods of chewing since it prevents any household damage.
It can be used as part of an overall obedience training program or simply as
a way of confining the animal when his behavior is annoying. It can prevent
him from getting into trouble whether someone is at home or not.
When you travel with your dog, the crate becomes a portable den providing
security, comfort, and safety in a strange place. Depending upon the size,
it can fit into the back seat of a sedan or station- wagon. Confined in the
crate, your dog cannot stick his head out the window or distract the driver.
Puppies usually accept the crate in a short time if not placed there in
anger. Set it up in an area near family activity, such as the hallway or
kitchen. Be certain it is away from drafts and direct heat sources. Make it
cozy. Place a few toys, a towel or a familiar piece of blanket and an
article of your old clothing inside. You can make it more of a dog house by
draping something over the top and sides.
The crate should be long enough to permit your grown dog to stretch out and
high enough for him to sit up without hitting his head. You can construct a
partition for your puppy so there is just enough room to lie down or sit up.
It must never offer more space than necessary or it loses its den-like
quality. As the puppy grows, increase the space by moving the partition
back.
Establish a "CRATE ROUTINE" closing the puppy in at a regular one
to two hour interval during the day (His own chosen nap times will guide
you) and whenever he must be left alone for up to three to four hours. Give
him a safe chew toy for distraction and be sure to remove collar and tags
which could become caught in an opening...Do not put water in, since it will
only get spilled.
At night, in the beginning, you may prefer to place the crate, with the door
lift open and newspapers nearby, in a small enclosed area such as a
bathroom, laundry room, or hall; crying/complaining at 5:00 AM is easier to
endure/ignore if you know that the puppy is not uncomfortable. Once adjusted
to his new life, and if he has no intestinal upset he will soon show greater
bowel control by eliminating only once. Or not at all, and may be crated all
night in his regular daytime place.
Even if things do not go too smoothly at first---DON'T WEAKEN and DON'T
WORRY: Be consistent, be firm, and be very aware that you are doing your pet
a real favor by preventing him from getting into trouble while left alone.
The dog's association with the crate must always be a positive one-- never
frightening. Some trainers like to place a food reward in the back of the
crate before confining the dog inside. This creates a pleasant association
with entering. Except at night, a dog should not be crated for more than
four or five hours at a time. A crate should never be used as a daily
long-hours convenience for a regularly absent owner .
Most dogs accept this useful equipment. Some do not. If your dog proves to
be miserable, frantic or hysterical, try leaving the door open. If that
fails to do the trick it is kinder to abandon this idea. However, because of
its usefulness it is well worth trying.
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Afghan: Light bulb? What light bulb?
Australian Shepherd: Put all the bulbs in a little circle ...
Beagle: Light bulb? Light bulb? That thing I ate was a light bulb?
Border Collie: Just one? And I'll replace any wiring that's not up to code.
Chihuahua: Yo quiero Taco Bulb.
Cocker Spaniel: Why change it? I can still pee on the carpet in the dark.
Dachshund: I can't reach the stupid lamp!
Doberman Pinscher: While it's dark, I'm going to sleep on the couch.
Greyhound: It isn't moving. Who cares?
Golden Retriever: The sun is shining, the day is young, we've got our whole lives ahead of us, and you're worrying about a stupid burned-out light bulb?
Hound Dog: Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.
Irish Wolfhound: Can somebody else do it? I've got a hangover.
Labrador: Oh, me, me!!!! Pleeeeeeze let me change the light bulb!!! Can I? Can I? Huh? Huh? Can I?
Mastiff: Mastiffs are NOT afraid of the dark.
Malamute: Let the Border Collie do it. You can feed me while he's busy.
Pointer: I see it! There it is! Right there!
Rottweiller: Go Ahead! Make me!
Shitzu: Puh-leeez, dahling. I have servants for that kind of thing.
Toy Poodle: I'll just blow in the Border Collie's ear and he'll do it. By the time he finishes rewiring the house, my nails will be dry.
Cat: You need light to see?
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