Fun with doggie - Games and Toys

Doggies are a lot like children. They like to play and have a lot of fun. Aschiuta is the perfect example for this. Ever since she was a small puppy, she has been very energetic and growing older hasn't changed that at all.

Toys

Since I said dogs love to play, I should also add that they really like toys, just like children do. A new toy is always a reason of joy. That could also mean that your dog might get bored of old toys. So, here is where you need to outsmart them: make old toys seem new again. Invent new games to be played with them or rotate toys. You will have a happy dog if you do that.

There are many toys for dogs on sale, such as ropes, rubber chew toys, "pinatas" with food inside, balls, frisbees and tug toys. Of course, if you don't have a lot of money, there are always alternatives to the shop offers.

For chewing, we use a lot of harmless and even nutritious things. Check out the post on chewing for more info on what we give our dog to chew on.In short, Aschiuta has several socks, shoelaces, a rubber toy that squeaks and a rope as toys. For eating, we give her carrots, cowhide bones (used to, but not anymore), beef meat on the bone (watching so she doesn't eat the actual bone, it's dangerous).

The rope, shoelaces and socks are also used for games like tug-of-war and to make the doggie jump up to catch them from our hands.

And of course, the favourite toy of all is the tennis ball. She loves to play catch with it. We are currently at our second tennis ball, since the first one disintegrated after being chewed and played with a bit too much. All the balls before (made of foam primarily) disintegrated even faster, so we thought a more solid ball would be in order.

Aschiuta with her tennis ball

Games

Now, toys wouldn't be too interesting if they weren't played with. The topic of games is really vast and dogs can be taught to play quite a number of games.

First of all, there are games that need no toys. They are as simple as running around with your dog, chasing it or letting it chase you. Scorp's mom told me that when he was little, their dog taught him to play tag.
 

Aschiuta also loves to run and we've lately found out the best way of getting her back in the room after she dashes out: run away from her and let her chase us inside. It is also a good way to catch a dog that is trying to run off on its own. If you run after the dog, it will think you want to play chase and it will just run away from you.

Another game to play without toys is wrestling. I wouldn't recommend this game to just anyone, since dogs have teeth and claws and use them when they play. But it can be good fun for both you and your dog.

Now, for games with toys...

The most popular game to play with your dog is fetch. You throw an object (such as a ball or frisbee) and the dog has to catch it and bring it back. This practice is also closely related to hunting with a dog, as hunting dogs are trained to fetch the game the master kills.

Notice the concentrated look... She means business!

It is also important to teach your dog to bring things to you, to save you time and energy running after it to get them back when your little pet turns into a little thief.

Aschiuta learned to play fetch all on her own. It's one of the mysteries of the dog's mind. Maybe she just wanted to keep playing and understood that, for the ball to be thrown again, she'd have to bring it back to us. She also brings us toys when she wants us to play with her; it can be really hard to do any work when she does.
 

Here is my home-made video of Aschiuta as a puppy playing with us. Enjoy.

Tug-of-war is also a popular game and lots of toys have been invented for this purpose. We use the socks, shoelaces and rope. She will grab hard on one end and skid on the slippery wooden floor, but she really wouldn't give up easily. If we don't play with her, she starts mopping the floor with the poor sock.

These are just a few of the most well-known games to play with your dog. The rules of playing are simple: be creative, have fun and stay safe. You can act silly for your dog, jump around and behave like a little kid - your dog will love it!

Playmates

Yes, you play with your dog, but you can also let your dog play with other people or even other dogs (careful about fights, possible diseases or dogs in heat). Let your dog socialise and play; it's good fun for dogs to make friends. Aschiuta would want to play with every person or dog we meet.

The game environment

One more thing to add here is that where you play a game can also be quite important. For example, Aschiuta loves grass and simply going out in general. She feels free and loves to run - she is almost unstoppable in the grass. We went to Brasov (a city close to the mountains) and she went really wild there.

Exploring the great outdoors

All in all, go ahead and play with your dog. You will most likely both enjoy it.

Girls just wanna have fun

Ever wondered what your dog is thinking? They can't say much, but their actions say it all.

The idea of this post: an interpretation of some of the things Aschiuta does sometimes, plus some matching lyrics. It's all for laughing purposes and I'm pretty sure none of it is true... or is it? Only the dogs know.

I am beautiful in every single way...

She passes by the mirror before going out, looking to see if her fur is ok and if the harness looks good. She smiles, "Yes, I am that pretty!"

Posing with her ears turned inside-out.

"Can I borrow your make-up?" Aschiuta often steals my eyeliners or mom's make-up, even if we've all been trying to tell her to just go natural.

"I would like my manicure, er... pedicure done please." One of her favourite things to chew on is my nail file. She also sharpens her claws... on us.

Diamonds are a girl's best friend...

"I really think this jewelery brings out the colour of my eyes." Indeed, she loves my jewelery. She even broke one of my jewelery boxes to get to the shinies inside.

We've created us a credit card mess
We spend the money that we don't possess

 

"I simply don't trust banks with my money! Well, I wouldn't trust them even if I did have any money." On several occasions, Aschiuta has left puddles in front of banks.

I'm a model you know what I mean
And I do my little turn on the catwalk

"Oh, darling, I just had this awesome jacket/dress/top tailored for me by the best fashion designer in town!" I made Aschiuta a little jacket for the colder weather because I saw her trembling when we went out in the cold. Scorp told me that while I was away, she wouldn't want to take it off.

All the women who are independent
Throw your hands up at me

"Yes, I am sure that males are no better than females! And I am eager to get my point across." Our little doggie is a feminist... But instead of burning bras, she's trying to chew them to shreds. Mine, of course, who else's?

She'll redecorate your home, from the cellar to the dome... 

"This colour is so last year! And that couch is atrocious! Just let me make it pretty for you." She chews on the door frame, couches, tables and tries to dig at the floor. I'm thinking she doesn't like the way our room looks...

Your table manners are some cryin' shame
You're playin' with your food, this ain't some kind of game

"Are you gonna eat that?" Aschiuta would eat anything she finds yummy, even if she's full. She stays and waits for us to give her something while we are eating and if we leave her unattended, she will just steal it.

When we give her kibble, she hunts down every piece and "kills it" before gulping it down.

No, don't leave me
Please don't leave me no no no

"Don't leave me all alone..." Whenever we leave her out on the balcony or close the door behind us to leave, she has the saddest look on her eyes. She is scared of being alone. Most of the times, we find a big mess to remind us of that.

I'll be there for you, like I've been there before.
I'll be there for you, cause you're there for me too.

"It's so good to see you! How was your day? Here, let me take your coat." No matter where you've been, no matter how you smell, when you come back home, your dog will hug you and lick your face and be all over you. Aschiuta is no exception. She literally wags her whole butt along with the tail and she makes her sweetest face, ears close to the back of the head. She really is happy to see us again.
 
A foxtrot above my head,
A sock-hop beneath my bed...

"Hey, play with me? Will you, will you?" This doggie is like a tornado sometimes. She jumps, runs and wants to meet and play with every person or dog we meet.

I was gonna pull right over and stop but I was high

"Grass is the new weed, dude!" Aschiuta loves her grass... A lot. She runs in it, rolls in it, jumps in it and sometimes even chomps it. Yes, grass is great for doggies. Just beware of hidden dangers. We know, we've been there... She ran right over some broken glass and cut her paw. But that really couldn't stop her from running some more.

Got grass?

So, here it is... a little sneak peek into the mind of a little dog.

On the streets

If you live in a "wilder" neighbourhood, where stray dogs are left alone to roam the garbage and sleep under cars, you must be familiar with the image I'm about to describe.

Taxi - "Comunitaru' ( = The Stray)": this video is actually a satire directed at Romanian politicians and their obsession (at the time the video was made) with stray dogs, when the country has more pressing problems... But don't look too deep beneath the surface, enjoy the video.

I live in a neighbourhood with an especially bad reputation for being dirty and full of pick-pockets and stray dogs. Also, there is a huge parking lot between the buildings, so the local dogs have claimed the place as their own. Their favourite spots: under the cars, next to a small playground, in one of the small gardens around the blocks. One of them has been accepted at the entrance of a block Literally, they have gathered in packs and conquered the place.

Life of a stray dog

The "local dogs" are dirty and full of fleas, some of them have a hurt paw or missing a part of their tail.

Food can be hard to come by, especially with no garbage bins around, but there is enough garbage all around the place to rummage in. For the luckier ones, there is somebody who comes and feeds them and leaves them water.

A stray puppy my parents met on a trip to the mountains

Shelter from the rain isn't hard to find, there are cars to crawl under and roofed entrances to sit on. But the summer heat and the cold and the wind aren't as easy to avoid.

Surprisingly enough, they survive and some of them look almost well-fed.

The pack

As I've said before, the dogs around here gather in packs and are very territorial. People passing by are usually no problem (unless they smell suspicious) and if they have food, they are more than welcome. However, other dogs outside the pack are treated with hostility. They bark at the new dogs, warning that they are getting too close to the pack's territory. They can even get aggressive and try to chase away or bite the intruders.

We sometimes have problems like that, especially from big packs. Groups of two or three will rarely get out of their area, but sit put and bark at Aschiuta. The larger groups however often tend to be very hostile. To avoid any problems, we pick Aschiuta up for protection and maybe even chase the strays away. They have nothing against humans and if you show them some authority, they will back off.

The warning barking can be a bit annoying. Once a dog starts barking, the others that hear it will follow suit. It ends up as a loud concert that will most likely disturb the neighbours...

A little bit of "awww..."

When walking around the parking lot with Aschiuta, we sometimes meet a stray dog alone and then the two dogs can socialise and sniff each other and maybe even play. Aschiuta loves to play. She even tries to go and get friendly with dogs that would most likely bite her if she got too close.

This is how we met some of the local friendly dogs. First, there were the black dog at the other block and a small puppy (maybe related to the big dog). I think the pup got adopted by a child and his family, because I haven't seen it in a long while. The big dog is very friendly and played quite a bit with Aschiuta. He even tried to make advances, but we wouldn't let him, so he hasn't tried again.

Another adorable puppy strayed into the mini pack at the playground. We called her Codita ( = Little tail) because her tail had been cut off. She still wagged her little butt every time we met and acted a lot like Aschiuta. They always played together and became friends. One time, another bigger dog from the pack came and let the little ones sniff and jump around. I had some treats to train Aschiuta and divided them among the three of them. The older dog didn't even touch his share. Later on, Scorp told me that maybe he was leaving it for the puppy. Dogs can really care for their own. After a while, though, we couldn't find Codita at her old spot anymore... I hope she is still ok, maybe someone took her in their home.

Yesterday, as Aschiuta and I were going out for a walk, we had a little puppy following us. Of course, Aschiuta tried to make friends and the puppy was sniffing her happily too. Some passers-by were afraid that, being a bigger dog, Aschiuta would hurt the little one, so I left, to avoid an argument. Soon enough, I could see a man pick up the pup and try to convince people to adopt it.

I'm glad to see that a lot of the people living here are fond of dogs and look out for the strays. Some people though comment that feeding the stray dogs will only encourage them to stay around and make a mess...

Mihai Constantinescu - Iubiti si cainii vagabonzi ( = Love stray dogs too): I couldn't help posting this video... I'm sure a lot of the Romanians reading this will find the song nostalgic. I'm sorry for the audio quality, but this is the only video with actual pictures of stray dogs.

And finally, we couldn't forget our most personal stray story, because before the lively, happy and well-fed doggie that she is now, she once was a hungry puppy on the streets.

This is why I say to everyone, don't invest into "cute slavery"; a dog is not just a pedigree, it's a little soul with a lot of love to give. So if you want to get a dog and are ready to be responsible for it, look on the streets first. There must be one to warm your heart.

This is the story of our neighbourhood strays... They survive how they can and stick together no matter what.

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Disclaimer: The videos shown here are the property of their respective owners.