07/04/2025
On the day of the 4th of July, we want to burn off that excess energy before the fireworks start. So, although we're still training, we're doing A LOT of play today. Lia LOVES tug. She'll play fetch, but her preferred game is tug, so, on the 4th of July, her preferred method of play can help make a positive association with the events of the day. 🐶❤️
When playing high drive games like tug, it's important to randomly take short breaks and ask them to perform some sort of impulse control behavior, like "Sit" or "Down." This is because done dogs and puppies will get so fixated on the toy that they seem to forget that there's a person attached to it. So they might accidentally nip our fingers, or jump on us. And for a dog as big as Lia, either of those situations can hurt haha.
But, if we periodically ask them to calm down and focus, we will build that impulse control, as well as their ability to focus on us during exciting situations. It ensures that the dog recognizes this is a game between them and US, and we're playing together with the toy, not simply a game between them and the toy. 🐶❤️