Find out what kind of games your puppy likes and how you can develop his motivation to work with you.
Play and get to know your puppy
Once you've found out what kinds of toys your dog likes, it's time to learn to play together. You might have to practice a bit before finding some rules you both agree on. Follow your dog's reactions and respond to them by adapting your play style.
You can find some tips for a game by watching your dog play with other dogs: If your dog likes to play rough, he wants to get a good tug-of-war out of you, otherwise he will think that playing with you is boring. If, on the other hand, your dog is more reserved, he won't enjoy playing with you if you pull the toy too hard.
When playing with your dog, remember that he feeds off your excitement. Make yourself interesting and fun to play with, someone who listens to the dog. In other words, you really need to know what sort of materials your dog likes to hold in his mouth, if he prefers big or small toys, squeaky or silent toys, light or heavy playing, chasing or tugging. Get to know your dog and practice playing with him in different situations and places!
Playground is everywhere!
You can only use playing tug as a reward once your dog loves playing with you in different surroundings and different situations.
Once you’ve found the best rewards and best ways to interact with your dog, you can start practicing playing at home. When you find the common rules for the game and playing at home goes smoothly, it’s time to move out to play.
Practice playing with your dog in different places: in your own garden, on a walk, next to a sports arena, outside the mall... Add distractions to the game only after your dog loves playing with you alone in a quiet, familiar environment. When you can get your dog excited about playing with you even in the middle of a busy shopping mall parking lot, you have a tool that you can use to reward your dog on the training field.
Have fun playing with your dog!
