It's hard not to smile watching puppies play.  But puppy shenanigans serve a serious purpose.  In fact, puppies that miss out on play can have behavior issues later in life.  Just as children do, puppies try different social roles and postures during play, and learn from their effects.  The give and take of play-fighting teaches puppies how to read their littermates' body language and respond appropriately.  They learn how to initiate play politely, to acquiesce when dominated and to inhibit their bite.  A puppy that misses out on this early socialization period, can become the overly reactive dog you sometimes see lunging, barking and often aggressing toward other dogs.  Or, the result can be a very shy and fearful dog that cannot tolerate any stress.  Either way, the unsocialized dog is not comfortable around others of his species.  The window for this type of social learning pretty much closes after sixteen weeks, so the socially naïve adult dog cannot easily be changed. 

 

Once learned, the impulse to play continues throughout a dog's life.  This is one of the things that so endears them to us.  Playing with your puppy is not only fun, it is a smart way to lay the foundation for successful training.  Strong bonds are formed through play.  Time spent cultivating that bond pays off big later.  The type of playing we do with our puppy teaches him how to interact with humans.  Games like tug-of-war or wrestling send the message that rough mouth play and jumping on top of people is acceptable behavior. Teach this to a puppy and you will have to "undo" it later.  Better to teach him how to learn with games like retrieving, hide and seek, and object discrimination. 

 

Playing with your puppy regularly will convince him that you are the most interesting thing in his world.  This will keep the puppy focused on you and that attentiveness will continue to grow as he does.  Once training begins, the play sessions can be strategically timed to happen immediately after a successful training session.  Wow- what a great reward!  Your dog does what you ask and you give him his favorite thing-play time with you!  Done correctly, play brings a dog's enthusiasm and attentiveness to another level.   This type of relationship building is what keeps a dog around even when off-leash.  The temptation of a squirrel, a cat or a duck cannot compete with the awesome games he plays with you!

 

Susan Claire is a Certified Professional Dog Trainer, in Broward County, and owner of PlayTrain, Positive Dog Training! She can be reached at 954-349-5969

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Dear Georgia: Last week at the assisted living facility that I visit with my dog, I made a comment to one of the patients about how beautiful her bracelet was and asked her some questions about it.  I was just trying to make conversation with her, but I think that I made her really uncomfortable.  Did I do something or say something that maybe I shouldn't have? - Perplexed

 
Dear Perplexed -  When it comes to theft, unfortunately, there are many people out there that prey on the elderly.  What makes a perfect crime is not a perfect criminal but a perfect victim. Elderly patients are just that. They are often functionally disabled or cognitively impaired, making them unable to keep up with their belongings. 

Most nursing facilities have theft prevention strategies which include background checks on the employees, but many forget about the necessity of background checks on the volunteers.  C.A.T. requires that all volunteers submit to a criminal background check for this very reason...We must do everything that we can to protect the population that we serve.

I am sure that your intentions were nothing more than to have a conversation with this woman, but it is very possible that she has been a victim of theft or has heard rumor of it from other patients.  Telling her the bracelet was beautiful was probably fine, but further questioning could have made her feel that she could be a potential victim.  Most of the time it's best to compliment the patient on how wonderful they look, or the beautiful color of something that they are wearing, rather than focusing on anything that may considered of "value" to them.  - Georgia