Va bene giocare a combattere con il tuo cane?

Many dog owners, especially those with larger breeds, like to play fight with their dogs. It can be lots of fun, but also dangerous if it goes too far.

Play fighting or roughhousing can include wrestling, rolling around, or tug-of-war games in which your dog may play-bite, lunge, and bark at you. When you participate in this kind of play, you’re basically mimicking how dogs interact together.

Se scegli di giocare a combattere con il tuo cane, ci sono alcune cose che devi prendere in considerazione. In generale, devi capire quali comportamenti stai incoraggiando e quali potrebbero essere le conseguenze. Ad esempio, se permetti al tuo cane di giocare con te come farebbe con un altro cane, il tuo cane potrebbe provare a giocare in quel modo con tutti gli umani. Questo potrebbe essere rischioso quando ci sono bambini o anziani in giro.

In order to keep the situation under control here are some rules for roughhousing:

• You should initiate the play fighting. Teach your dog that its okay to roughhouse, or jump on you, only when given a cue to do so. This will prevent your dog from trying to play rough with others. This is also beneficial for the times you may be wearing clothes you’d prefer to stay in one piece. Without training, you can’t expect your dog to understand when it is a good time or bad time to roughhouse.

• Teach your dog a cue that will indicate that playtime is over such as “game over” or “settle.” This command is good for anytime rough play gets too intense or there is excessive mouthing or nipping. Your dog needs to know those behaviors are not acceptable.
  • Look for signs that your dog is stressed so you can spot aggression before it escalates.
  • Supervise your dog closely when around other people like children, those with disabilities, and the elderly
  • Avoid chasing your dog as part of play, this could make it difficult to get a hold of him in an emergency situation.
  • Take short breaks or timeouts to allow your dog to calm down.
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  Esistono molti modi divertenti e dinamici di giocare con il tuo cane che non incoraggeranno comportamenti che potrebbero avere conseguenze problematiche. Qualunque cosa tu decida sia giusta per te e il tuo cane, assicurati di essere coerente in modo che il tuo cane capisca le regole.

   
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