You’ve got your new puppy cradled like a sweet baby in your loving arms. As you gaze into your puppy’s eyes, you see them gently close, and soon your pup is snoring peacefully in your arms. You’re thrilled your puppy feels safe enough with you to fall asleep, and you’re proud of the bond you’re forming with your puppy.
It’s crucial to form a bond with your puppy the second your new puppy arrives. Bonding with your new canine best friend sets the tone for the rest of your relationship.
There are lots of things you can do to help you learn how to bond with your puppy. Playtime with your puppy is more than just for fun – it helps teach important life skills and provides physical and mental stimulation while solidifying a bond. Here are 10 fun dog toys to help grow your bond with your new puppy.
What Does it Mean to Bond With My Puppy?
We may know that “bonding” means getting closer to your puppy, but what exactly does that mean on a deeper level?
When you form a bond, you establish a trusting relationship with your puppy. Bonding helps the transition from Mama’s licks and cuddles to snuggling peacefully in your arms. Over time, your puppy will learn that you are a reliable source of safety, love, and fun!
Scientific research on bonding: The “love drug”
Bonds are not just feelings we have – there is also a hormonal component inherent in our brains that helps form our bonds with our puppies. The hormone oxytocin, also called the “love drug,” is naturally released in both humans and puppies. Oxytocin promotes the same maternal bond parents experience with their infants, and it’s no different for our puppies.
One study found that owners and their dogs who looked into each other’s eyes, talked to, and cuddled with their dogs for a set period of time experienced a 130% rise in oxytocin levels, and both male and female owners had a 300% increase. The oxytocin levels produce a positive feedback loop that encourages the bond between a puppy and its owner even further.
Bonding with your puppy is not just something that happens automatically beyond the first set of feelings of excitement. You’ll need to keep that effort going through the accidents, sleepless nights, ruined shoes, and general shenanigans your puppy puts you through! Even during these rough times, you need to show your puppy that you love them with your efforts and demeanor.
Why Should I Play With My Puppy to Bond?
As we mentioned before, playing with your puppy is more than romping around the yard or playing fetch. Playing serves all sorts of important roles in a puppy: Training: You have the opportunity to tell your dog what to do proactively rather than what not to do reactively.
- Teaches manners: Your puppy will learn bite inhibition and expected behaviors when playing.
- Gives them confidence: Your puppy will be more likely to try new things and figure out solutions successfully.
- Health benefits: Being physically active during play keeps your puppy’s joints lubricated, helps build a healthy musculoskeletal frame, is great for preventing heart issues, and improves coordination.
- Brain development and mental stimulation: A playful puppy keeps its mind sharpened and focused. Playing builds neurological pathways by encouraging them to exercise their prefrontal cortex, the area of their brain that makes decisions and learns boundaries.
- Helps with socialization: Playing with other puppies and humans helps the transition from Mama’s world into your home. Learning how to be a good doggo can be accomplished through playing.
How Should I Play With My Puppy?
This may seem like a silly question to address, but there are some factors you’ll want to consider if you want to get the most out of a play session with the intention of bonding with your puppy. It all starts with your mindset.
Be fully present during playtime
We all lead busy lives, and finding time to focus on just your puppy may be challenging. However, choose a time when you can give undivided attention to your puppy because you need to be fully present for oxytocin levels to build.
Multitasking during playtime takes your focus away from your bonding time. If you are playing a game of tug-of-war with your puppy but also talking to your friend, you won’t be able to give verbal praise and truly look at your puppy to form connections, and your friend won’t appreciate the interruptions, either. Your puppy needs all of you, not just a part of you.
Get your puppy on a daily routine
Writing out a daily schedule for your puppy’s routine will help you ensure you’re giving enough playtime to your puppy. You can follow a simple schedule, like sleep > potty time > eat > potty time > play > sleep to repeat again. You can use playing as a reward after potty time and their other basic needs are met.
Teach your kids how to play safely with your puppy
Children love choosing dog toys to help kids bond with their puppy. Kids and puppies go together like peanut butter and jelly! However, making a successful “sandwich” requires the right ingredients. You’ll need to thoughtfully introduce your puppy to your children with some guidelines to help them form strong bonds.
For young children, be prepared to demonstrate with a beloved stuffed animal how to properly pick up a puppy, pet a puppy, and show love toward your puppy. Make sure to always supervise when your children interact with a puppy since they will need coaching during those early months.
How Long Do I Play With My Puppy to Form a Solid Bond?
The simple answer is it depends, and here’s why. While all puppies will need daily physical and mental activities to stay healthy, each breed will have a specific activity level that must be met. For example, Basset Hound puppies for sale are known to be on the low-key, slightly lazy side, while in contrast, you will need to be prepared to spend 1, ideally 2 hours making sure Belgian Malinois puppies for sale have their needs met. That’s why it’s important to research the right dog breed for you so you choose one that matches your current lifestyle – not the one you wish you had.
Know when to end the session
Understanding canine body language will help you stay in tune with your puppy’s cues. It’s easy for a puppy to get overexcited, overstimulated, and overtired during a play session. Learn their cues that it’s probably a good time to end the play session. Let your puppy understand that playtime is over and help them transition to the next activity.
10 Dog Toys That Help Build a Bond With Your Puppy
Now that we’ve gone over why, when, and how to play with your puppy, let’s examine some amazing toys to help you bond with your puppy! Whether you get the whole family involved in a trip to the pet store to pick out a new toy or you order it online with a convenient click, choosing the best toys for bonding with your puppy is an exciting task.
1. FRISCO Pizza Snuffle Mat
A snuffle mat provides plenty of folds to hide scrumptious treats, whether you smear a bit of peanut butter or place treats deep down in the folds. Getting your puppy to play with a snuffle mat is a great chance to bond while touching them all over – their paws, checking out their ears – anything to help socialize them to touch since they will need to have this skill for situations like at the groomer or vet.
2. knitly Dog Puzzle Toys for IQ Training & Mental Enrichment
These 15 interactive components in the knitly dog puzzle toy give plenty of opportunities for bonding. The middle button calls your puppy to play games. You can place food or treats in the slots to have your puppy work to get them out, which means they’re problem-solving. No removable parts mean your puppy will not run the risk of choking or ingesting harmful material. This toy will never get old as you explore all the ways you can play together.
3. BIOSILK Double Sided De-shed and Massage Dog Brush
We love an item that has dual purposes! Massaging your puppy helps keep their heart rate down and lymphatic system going strong while promoting bonding time with you. If you haven’t experienced it already, your puppy will soon shed its puppy fur while their new adult fur grows in, resulting in so much shedding in some breeds! Now you can give a relaxing puppy massage while keeping that “puppy glitter” under control.
4. Hyper Pet Doggie Tail Interactive Plush
If you’ve got a puppy with a high prey drive, you may have found they like to dart after small animals which reminds them instinctually of chasing prey. Now you can tap into their innate prey drive with a doggie tail interactive plush. This battery-operated toy has a motion sensor that wiggles, jiggles, and vibrates when your puppy comes near. They will love playing fetch or keep away with it because it mimics going after a small animal. Letting them capture it every now and then will give them a deep sense of accomplishment.
5. Peanut Butter Flavored Incredibubbles for Dogs by Pet Qwerks
Kids and pets will love peanut butter-flavored incredibubbles! It’s the perfect toy to promote bonding between children and your puppy. Laugh hysterically as your puppy tries to catch the bubbles. The great aspect is that not only are these loads of fun, but the bubbles are safe for puppies and humans to ingest.
6. Wobble Wag Giggle Ball
You may have seen this fun product on TV! The Wobble Wag Giggle Ball has tubes in it that make funny laughing sounds as your puppy rolls and chases it. Four clutch pockets allow your puppy to pick up the ball. You won’t need batteries to have fun bonding with your puppy by playing with the Wobble Wag Giggle Ball.
7. Hunger for Words Talking Pet Starter Set Dog Toy, 4-pack
Have you ever wished your puppy could speak to you? Well, now you can make your dreams come true! Deepen your bond with your puppy by teaching it how to communicate via speaking buttons. You can program them to say whatever command you’d like. But you won’t have to figure it out on your own because it comes with a guided booklet to teach you how to get your puppy “talking!”
8. Suction Cup Interactive Dog Toy for Heavy Chewers
This toy could be considered the Swiss army knife of toys that creates several ways to bond with your puppy! If you have a breed that is a heavy chewer that needs an indestructible toy, this is the one for you. Some features that make it such a versatile toy include playing tug-of-war with the rope, a squeaker, a ball, and a snack dispenser – what doesn’t it do? The suction cup will affix to several surfaces to keep your puppy in place if needed. It’s great for their teeth and made of durable, pet-safe material, so you will get the added benefits of dental health and peace of mind knowing the product is safe to put in your puppy’s mouth.
9. ACORCE Dog Interactive Chase Toy
Giving your puppy treats in an exciting way will definitely help build your bond. This interactive chase toy also makes silly noises as they roll it to keep your puppy engaged. You can choose to put some food or treats inside, which are dispensed through holes when your puppy rolls it, encouraging even more playtime. This durable toy is also free from BPA, PVC, and phthalates, so you can feel even better giving it to your puppy.
10. KONG Signature Balls for Small Dogs
We didn’t forget the small puppies! The 2-pack of KONG signature balls is a good old-fashioned toy that can help you form a long-lasting bond with your puppy. You can throw, roll, or hide the ball for interactive playtime. In addition, this is a great time to teach commands such as Sit, Wait, Drop it, and Give.
Choose a Dog Toy to Bond With a Pawrade Puppy
Our team at Pawrade loves dogs, and we have lots of expertise in dog toys that have helped us bond with our puppies. If you find the perfect puppy for you among our puppies for sale, click the Contact Us button, Reserve Me button, or call (888) 729-8812. We can’t wait to suggest some fun dog toys to help you bond with your new canine best friend!
