The Pocket Guide to Play
Playing with your puppy, with purpose
When families tell me their puppy doesn't listen, one of my first questions is how they play together. A puppy who thinks you're the most fun thing in the park will choose you over a lot of distractions, and play is one of the best training tools you have.
This pocket guide shows you how to read play, how to play tug with rules using my Scatty Bananas game, how to use play as a reward and how to end games calmly, so play builds focus instead of winding your puppy up.
I've been training dogs for over 30 years, and I wrote this the way I'd explain it if we were sat at your kitchen table together.
What's inside
What puppies learn from play
Reading play, and when to step in
Tug with rules: the Scatty Bananas game
Using play as a reward in training
Ending play calmly, and brain games for quiet days
Play for children and puppies, and as your dog grows
Pages to print and keep
A page of play ideas
The rules for safe play
Why this guide is different
It's short enough to read in one sitting
Every game has rules that teach self-control
It shows you how to end play calmly as well as how to start it
It never uses punishment or telling off
It's built on games plus structure, with reward-based training
Who it's for
Families with a new puppy, puppies who get over-excited in play, and anyone who'd like to use play as part of training, wherever they live.
What you get
A 17-page PDF and an EPUB in one ZIP file, emailed to you straight after checkout. Read it on your phone, tablet, e-reader or computer, and print the pages at the back.
