The Importance of Puppy Play
After listening to Professor Gelman lecture about the psychological need for children to play, it got me thinking more and more about how play is important for every social creature. When I think about my own childhood, the neighborhood kids that weren't allowed to come out and play always ended up being the most awkward. Likewise, people who never walked their dogs tended to have dogs that were aggressive or antisocial. Melinda Wenner's article, The Serious Need for Play, briefly discusses how play is important for animals, such as dogs. When puppies play, they learn the different between a friendly tumble and an aggressive attack. The also learn how to trust. It is not only important for you to play with your dog to build a good relationship, but also for your dog to play with other dogs.
In doing further research, I found that in puppy training websites, such as the guide provided by PEDIGREE, include instructions to socialize your puppy with other dogs before they get too old. Once dogs are socialized, they have fuller lives are and less stressed when they encounter other dogs and people. Also, they are less likely to act out to get your attention like this:
More and more owners are now realizing their pet's need for socialization. There are even play date websites for your puppy now. Play is clearly just as important in animals as it is in humans. In some ways, it is even more important since their interactions with anything beyond the family is unfamiliar and often limited. However, proper socialization, or proper puppy play, can lead to a lifetime of happiness for your dog.
I actually skimmed over the part in the article discussing the importance of play for animals. I find this post and the Gelman lecture interesting because in my mind, I had never thought about play being especially important for child development because of my own childhood(my pre through middle school had recess everyday), so I never knew the difference. I did, however, understand the importance of puppy play. My family has always taken my dog to the park or at least for a walk twice a day, and my dogs have always been very sociable, happy animals. However, even at a young age, I noticed a difference in the dogs that were always on their owner's leashes, never interacting with other dogs. They always seemed angrier, and less social with both other dogs and with other owners.
ReplyDeleteIts interesting because what I immediately thought upon reading this was the fact that most puppies, whether they are pit bulls or Chihuahuas, are cute and easier to engage with. As dogs get bigger some of them will grow into dogs that unfortunately have bad reputations. If this is the case then there is so much importance to them playing at younger ages, even if it is for appearance reasons. This seems like a prime time for cute puppies to learn "social" skills in order for them to surpass stereotypes at an older age. Goodness, humans and dogs are so similar.
ReplyDeleteAs a dog lover, this post is very interesting to me. While dogs come in all different temperaments and sizes, it's always easy to spot a "scary" dog or a cute dog from a mile away. I will never forget when I was only 10 years old and got bitten by a family friend's dog upon walking into the house. After crying for an unreasonable amount of time, I decided I hated that dog and that he was mean. Looking back on the incident, I laugh for many reasons: most obvious being that it's a dog and not a human who can be described as "mean". Another reason though is because I always wonder if the dog socialized a lot, and clearly decided that the dog definitely did not have a normal "social" puppy life. In this way, we can see that "puppy play" is biologically important and more than just cute for the owners to watch. Moral of the story: Don't own a dog if you're not going to take him out to play!
ReplyDeleteMy family and I are obsessed with our dogs. Throughout my life, we have had 4 different dogs. From the time I was born until 4th grade we had one dog, and then we decided to get another for my older dog to play with. Since then, aside for a few months, we have had 2 dogs at the same time. They absolutely love to run around and play together. We always joke that there is never a quiet moment in the house because they are like little kids. Our neighbors also have 2 dogs and the 4 of them love to play together. The 4 of them have playmates, and in the summer we buy a baby pool for them to play in (they all love swimming). They definitely have a puppy "social" life and look forward to "puppy play". In fact, when we put one of our dogs to sleep last year, our younger dog sulked for days and did not want to play with anyone. Until we got another puppy a few months later, she seemed almost depressed (if that is possible for a dog). The moment we got another puppy, she cheered up and was back to her old self. This, I believe, truly illustrates the importance of "puppy play" and "socialization". They need their own companions, just as humans need their own human companions. They are social beings, as well.
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