This is the puppy training podcast, episode 166.

Play is powerful.

This podcast is designed to help you on your journey of becoming best friends through love and learning as you train your own dog from home.

And I'm here to help you every step of the way.

This is the puppy training podcast and I'm

your host, Amy Jensen. Hi, welcome to the puppy training podcast. I'm so glad you're here today.

We are talking about play. One of my favorite things when it comes to living with a dog.

Who doesn't want to have fun with their dogs, right?

Did you know you can use play to train your dog? Today I want to teach you how. First, let's talk about why play is so powerful. Play is powerful when we train our dogs for several reasons. First,

positive reinforcement. Play engages a dog's natural instincts and desires making it an effective way to

reinforce desired behaviors, things that we want our dogs to do through positive reinforcement.

When a dog does a behavior during play that we want to encourage, such as following a cue or

showing good manners, you can reward them with praise, food, or continued play. Now bonding is the second

item. Play strengthens the bond between us, between me and my dog, right? Engaging in fun

activities together builds trust, communication, mutual respect. This makes it easier for our dogs

to learn and want to respond to cues. They're more willing to cooperate

with us and there's fewer power struggles. Number three is physical exercise. Many things that we do

to train our dogs involve physical exercise, which is really important for our dog's overall

health and well-being. By incorporating training into playtime, you can ensure that your dog gets the exercise

they need while also learning new skills. So do play. Play is great exercise. Mental stimulation.

Number four, play provides mental exercise for our dogs, which helps prevent boredom.

Bortem is usually the cause of problem behaviors like chewing or excessive barking,

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