Puppy Training Games

Playing puppy training games with your new pup goes a long way toward teaching him to be a good dog.  One reason puppy training games are important is that it socializes the pup.  He needs to learn to interact with people, and he loves to play.  He especially loves to play with you, so puppy training games are the ideal way to teach some important skills.

One way to familiarize a new puppy with his environment is to play a puppy training game of find-the-object with him.  Hide a toy from him and then help him find it.  That gives him a safe way to explore his new home.

Using toys and puppy training games gives you the opportunity to teach good manners while your puppy is having fun.  For instance, you and your puppy may be playing tug-of-war with a toy, and she gets excited and nips your hand.  It’s the perfect opportunity to use your command voice to say, “NO,” while offering her the toy.  You praise her when she takes the toy, and she will learn not to bite.

If you are playing with your puppy and he gets over-excited and starts jumping up on the furniture, you again say, “NO,” and stop playing with him until he settles down.  Then praise him when he plays without misbehaving.  It won’t take him long to figure out that you don’t want him on the furniture.  Playing with him has presented the opportunity to teach him something.

Puppy training games are a good way to distract your puppy and reinforce good behavior, too.  For instance, if puppy is chewing on the furniture—which is a normal thing for her to do—you can tell her, “NO,” but at the same time distract her by playing a puppy training game like tug of war, where she gets to exercise her teeth in an acceptable way.

If you and your puppy attend a puppy training class together, you’ll learn these and other good puppy training games.