Playtime Should Be Fun, Not Frustrating

When I adopted Gracie the staff at the dog shelter gave me a large, heavy rock her former owner had left there with her. It was supposedly Gracie's favorite "toy."

Gracie's idea of "playing" with this thick, flat rock was to push at it with her front paws or straddle it while trying to move it under her; all the while yelping and whining in frustration because it barely budged. What was her former owner thinking?

After watching this unhealthy "play" for a few minutes I decided my dog deserved a more pleasant and satisfying experience.  I got rid of the rock and offered substitutes. Gracie's favorite ended up being a basketball, either fully pumped up or slightly deflated (she can get a good mouth grip on a slightly deflated basketball, to carry it around).

Gracie loves to straddle her basketball and pull it around the yard underneath her, especially when there's snow to help it slip along the grass.

Continuous frustration is as bad for dogs as it is for humans. Playtime should be fun and make a dog happy!