The Importance of Play and How to Reward Your Pet
Just as we humans continuously learn and have fun throughout our lifetime, dogs are very similar. Training and play are an important part in maintaining your pet’s overall mental and physical health. For puppies, training and play contribute to their early development and continued training as they grow ensures they stay mentally and physically fit.
Therefore, daily exercise, play and stimulation are vital. Learn more about the importance of training, play and rewarding your pet.
There are many ways to train, exercise, and play with your dogs to keep them mentally and physically fit. Think walking, fetch, sit-stay practice, or interactive treat time. Keeping your pet active helps them to:
- Learn new skills and commands,
- Strengthen the bond between you,
- Keep them active and healthy,
- Ensure they stay mentally stimulated and,
- Have fun!
Play & Training Tips
Letting your pet know that they have done something right is an important part of the training process. Using treats to reward their play and training, but be aware of the amount of calories they may contain. Opt for a low-calorie, healthy treat such as Love'Em Kangaroo dog treats. These tasty treats are great for training and suitable for dogs of all sizes. Your pet will enjoy these tasty bite-sized liver treats as part of a healthy diet.
You could also use kibble from their daily food portions to maintain their caloric intake for the day.
Other non-food related rewards can be praise, attention, or their favourite toy. All of these will act as an incentive to repeat good behaviour. Here are some other ways you can keep training and play fun and engaging:
- Keep it brief
- Start early
- Be consistent
- Don’t be too strict
If you have any questions, feel free to contact the Pet Direct's Customer Service Experts on 0800 200 240.