To play or to play SAFELY

We all love playing and having fun with our lovely dogs, and as owners we also get a lot of pleasure from watching them running around playing with each other. Interactive play has so many benefits – it increases the bond between you and your pet, it’s mentally stimulating, physically tiring and helps with training - and is, well, just plain good fun for all involved! So… what’s the problem? How careful do we need to be that our dogs don’t over-do it to the extent that they are at risk of sustaining muscular injuries?

Don’t worry, we can (and must) carry on playing! We just need to be aware of the risks and manage the intensity of our games appropriately on our dog’s behalf. Bluntly put: playing too roughly causes injuries.

Tuggy Games

Well-managed tug of war games are great for your dog, and some love to play it far more than playing fetch. If dogs were playing tuggy against each other, they would be more closely matched in terms of strength than a dog is usually matched against a human, and this is what can cause problems. Because the dog is (usually) weaker than you, they can pull too hard and be too vigorous, especially in the excitement of the game if they are a bit toy-crazy. Over-exertion and prolonged tugging against an owner who is much stronger than the dog can cause damage to the muscles and other soft tissues in the neck. If neck muscles become tight, shortened and sore this can in turn restrict the dog’s overall movement day-to-day, as they need to be able to drop their head to effectively drive from their hindquarters.

So, we just need to manage our games appropriately for the size and strength of our dogs. In the excitement of the game, they can’t tell when they are overdoing it, and we need to be looking out for them. 

You can keep tuggy games fun AND safe by considering the following three aspects from your dog’s point of view: the strength they are exerting, the alignment of their body, and the time they spend playing.

1. Strength: Remembering that your dog is weaker than you, be gentle, and don’t pull harder than the dog does. If you are playing with a small dog, you may not feel like you are tugging much at all. Avoid yanking or pulling the toy hard, and instead match your intensity to their size and strength. Also avoid dragging your dog around by the toy or hanging them in the air! Don’t hold on to the toy for long periods and instead drop it and encourage your dog to bring it back to you. An added benefit of playing the game this way is that letting your dog ‘win’ the tug shows them that playing with you is fun and rewarding, and they can choose to bring it back to you to carry on playing, building their confidence and the bond between you.

2. Alignment: Remembering that you dog is on a lower level than you, tug on your dog’s level, so that your dog’s back and neck stay in a straight line, and their neck is not bent upwards to your level. The dog may shake the toy from side to side – be led by them while keeping the motions as smooth and flowing as possible. Avoid pulling the toy up and down though, as this is an unnatural movement for the dog which causes stresses to the neck and spine. The idea is to keep the dog level, in ‘neutral spine’ position to avoid excess stresses on the skeleton and muscles and keep all of their feet on the ground. If your dog already has known neck issues or a condition such as intervertebral disc disease or arthritis, be especially gentle.

3. Time: keep the session short. Limit the length of tugs to 10-20 seconds, and just do a few tugs per play session. Although dogs may not show obvious discomfort at the time, repeated abnormal stresses can cause repetitive strain injuries and over time these weaken the soft tissues supporting the dog’s vertebrae in its neck and spine. This can leave the dog more susceptible to injury if it is involved in a subsequent incident such as a collision.

Thinking about these three aspects and making the game as comfortable as possible for them will also increase your dog’s enjoyment.

Safe play: head and neck in alignment with spine, and four feet staying on the ground.

Unsafe play: feet lifted off the ground.

Unsafe play: neck being pulled at a sharp angle to the rest of the spine.

Playing Safely with your Dog

So in conclusion, I encourage you to get on out there and have fun playing safely with your dog! They will thank you for it – today and in the future!

Author - Nia Ball Owner of Pentland Canine Massage