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What is MY Dog’s Play Style?

Do you know your dog actually has a play style?  Your dog absolutely has a preferred manner of play.  What does this mean?

I have learned through years of observing dogs and their natural play, there are three primary forms of play for our friends.  Often I hear from people something like, “I have all of these wonderful toys for my dog and he/she never really seems to play with them.”  Or maybe it sounds something like this, “I take my dog to the dog park to play with other dogs and she doesn’t seem too interested in playing with the dogs but is all over loving on the people in the park.” Or maybe you’ve observed that your dog is always picking up toys and carrying them around, squeaking them or tossing a ball your way encouraging you to come play.  How can this be?  Don’t all dogs like to play with other dogs?  Don’t all dogs enjoy a good game of fetch?  Isn’t snuggle time important to all dogs? NO is the answer to all of these questions.

Each dog has its own personality and its own preferred manner of playing.  If your dog prefers to play with people you will know it because you will be involved in lots of games and your dog will seek your attention.  Let’s say your dog is one who prefers to play with toys as their primary choice. You may find yourself ancillary to the toys because you make them fly or you hide them.  But overall, your dog will seek to play with toys over anything else.  If your dog is a dog who really prefers to play with other dogs then very likely you will find yourself seeking fun dog parks or dropping off regularly at doggy daycare.

Now let me say that all of the different dogs can and will usually have a good time at the parks and certainly doggy daycare if there are people to play with them and toys and balls to play with.  If there are people there to play then your dog who prefers to play with people will be more than satisfied.  If your dog prefers to play with toys and balls then they will have a rockin’ good time running and playing ball all day.  Lastly if your dog prefers to run and chase with other dogs, then the good parks and daycares will be just right for this guy or girl.

The most important thing for you to do is to learn about your individual dog and put aside your desires for how to wile away the time together.  Best to plan to go with your dog’s natural inclinations as far as play and simply enjoy your time together.

Paws In Time works with Lifestyle Dog Training to provide exceptional small group classes to help dog owners achieve excellence.  Both facilities host classes throughout the year, offering all 3 levels of training.

Are you planning a summer vacation with the family? Many of us like to take nice vacations in the summer and we look forward to it for a long time. We plan everything out so no detail is missed, no excursion over looked. However, how many of us take the time to think about what the family dog is going to be doing while we are on vacation?

Dogs like to feel safe and they feel safest when they know where they belong. They are not at their best without clear, well-defined rules and clear cut boundaries. This is the why factor for the value of crate training your dog. So, to crate train your dog, and to use the crate throughout the dog’s lifetime, you are providing the dog with a safe place to rest and a safe place to be in your home… as well as your car.

Dogs Travel Happily and Safely In A Crate

Do you wear a seatbelt? I’m sure you do for a few reasons, right? First of all it’s a law, written to protect people from flying around in the event of an accident. Secondly, we wear seatbelts because we are having more fun being alive then dead, right?

Q: I have a new puppy and when I take him for a walk, he wants to run up to all of the dogs in the neighborhood. Is this a good idea?

A: This is not a good idea for several reasons. The question to ask yourself is this: what do you want your dog doing for the rest of its life? What you do with your dog even as a puppy is what he thinks he will be allowed to do for the rest of his life.

The ticks are very bad already this year so please make sure you have your dog on some type of flea and tick preventa-tive. If you use Frontline Plus, we carry it here and are more then happy to help you with it. It does not matter to me what you use but please use something. If your dog comes to play or board and is found to have fleas, we will be giving your dog a flea bath immediately and a Frontline application. You will be charged for it that day. There is no exception to this.

On June 8, Paws In Time will be participating in an event sponsored by Naperville Area Humane Society. called Wags and Wellness Event. It is from 1:00-5:00pm at Seager Park, 1163 Plank Road, Naperville. Along with us, there will also be fitness experts, health screenings, doggy yoga, massage, Reiki, Frisbee dog demonstrations and mini boot camp sessions. So come for a fun afternoon at Seager Park with your dog. We would love to see you.

This entire building is air conditioned and heated so do not worry about your summer boarding reservations. The air conditioning is on at night and the building is nice and cool.