Alasdair Bunyan

Assistant Head of Behaviour and Training

“It’s fun to have fun but you have to know how.”

The Cat in the Hat, by Dr. Seuss

The Importance of Play

• Practise social skills

• Increase motor skills, coordination & problem solving abilities

• Exploratory behaviour increases

• Teaches communication without confrontation

• Builds relationships built on fun, trust & compromise.

Designing and testing the function of play:

– Play includes the individuals mental and emotional state.

– Play behaviours are fundamentally similar to non play

behaviours.

– Everyone will read the behaviours differently making

studies difficult (studies differ in interpretations).

Difficulties in Defining Play

Lack of Play – An Emotional Marker

• Medical Issue

• Stress

• No Social Connection

• Fearful

• Hunger

• Lack of experience

Common Play Signals

• Play biting, grabs.

• Paw movements

• Pouncing, ambush

• Vocalisation

• Play bows - punctuation

Types of Play

• Social Play

• Object Play

• Play Fighting

Social Play Between 2 or more individuals (inter-species or intra-species)

• Excellent Communication

• Boundaries are Learnt

• Role Reversal

• Self Handicapping

• Cooperation

Remember – Emotions can Change in a Second

Object Play

• Allows an animal to explore novel stimuli with minimal risk.

• Edible, ignore or interact?

• Facial Dexterity?

• May involve: pouncing, vocalising, guarding & killing of toys

Play Fighting

• A means of refining the skills necessary for combat (Fagan, 1981).

• Involves the use of species specific patterns of agonostic behaviours in a non-serious context (Fagan, 1981)

CANINE PLAY STYLES

• Each dog or type will have specific play styles

• Dependent on breed and previous experience

Canine Play Styles

• Genetics provide the potential - the environment creates the opportunity.

Mixture of Play Styles

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/2ko5NQbG8U4

Appropriate Play with Other Dogs

• Roles should be acceptable to both

dogs.

• Healthy play self interrupts.

• Correct and similar play styles

• Physical space is respected by both

• Relaxed, not rigid, enjoyable and

FUN

First Play Session

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/kLr4EnwWjq0

Appropriate Dog to Dog Play

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/UD3A_84F-oY

Inappropriate Play

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/SDaEpY3ZHZI

DOG TO HUMAN PLAY

The Frequency of play between two individuals is a measure of their mutual affection. Gunter Tembrock

• “Where there is no play, there is no relationship or meaning.” People who play sincerely with their dogs can’t help but develop a connection with them. (Lindsay, 2006. Miller, 2008)

• We humans, if we’re not careful, can forget about the importance of having fun. We may fall into the trap of allowing others to do our playing for us (Miller, 2008)

The Importance of Play With Humans

Successful Dog – Human Play

• Eye contact and focus from the human

• Eye contact from the dog alternates between toy and human.

• Mirroring behaviour, lunges, running together, grabbing at toys, hand slaps may create a play bow.

• Self handicapping during physical games (tug etc)

Tug Games

• High Value Reinforcer

• Help to Train and Build Retrieve

• Can Teach Confidence

• Can Teach Impulse Control

• Can Teach Sharing

Play, It’s Personal

• Empathetic

• Reciprocal

• Fun for both

• It’s not about winning and loosing, it is the taking part.

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/zoVIt2ad7zE

Play Together, Stay Together P. McConnell

Please click the following link to view the video https://youtu.be/_Qvjq8DgExI

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