“Stories from a holistic vet” is the blog of Dr. Laurel Davis, a holistic vet and “animal interpreter” with a clinic in Asheville, NC and also offering intuitive animal health and lifestyle advice for animal companions and their human friends across the USA.
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Play…what a fascinating concept!
Scientists are in a quandary as to why dogs, or anyone for that matter, play anyway. It certainly does not have any apparent adaptive function. Play’s reason for being is truly a mystery. Is it practice for hunting or fighting skills? Is it to get rid of excess energy? Is it to train their bodies for the unexpected, with their quick responses and exaggerated movements? As a holistic vet, I find it important to explore where play fits into the life of a healthy, balanced pooch.
Says Bark! magazine: “Although we still do not completely understand why animals engage in social play, research suggests that animals play to help form social bonds, enhance cognitive development, exercise and/or practice coping skills for life’s unexpected situations. All of these benefits, if real, are important to our dogs.”
Whatever the reason, just the mention of play brings joy to the hearts of humans and dogs alike. When your 4-legged wild man breaks into a rambunctious and frenzied dance around you, soliciting play, this is your chance to leave the bills, the household drudgery, the yard maintenance and enter the panting, frolicking and frenzied world of a dog in play mode.
Play with your pooch can come in many forms: a rousing game of ‘Hide and Seek,” fetch (until your arm drops off), chase!, where is the toy?, tug-of-war, wrestling and and other variations on these themes. All of these are guaranteed to bring a smile to your face and wags to your dog’s tail. And when you tire of the play, it can be just as satisfying to sit back and watch your buddy as she romps with Snoopy, the next door neighbor’s Beagle, or amuses herself.
From an energetic standpoint, when dogs jump and run in play, often in joyous spins, they are, like the dolphin, forming energy vortexes capable of cleansing your energy, and offering a ‘channeled’ frequency that is beneficial to the environment.
How Do Dogs Signal They Want to Play?
Most of you probably already know that play often starts with a “play bow”–front end low, butt wiggling in the air,goofy open-mouthed smile. Behavior nerds call the play bow a metasignal, meaning it tells the recipient how to interpret what comes next. When Dogalini offers Spike a play bow, she’s communicating that subsequent lunges, growls, bounces, and snaps aren’t real threats. When two dogs know each other well, they may barely sketch the play bow. Dogs may also laugh to initiate play. The behaviorist Patricia Simonet describes the laugh as a “pronounced forced, breathy exhalation”–panting, but a particular kind of panting, with a broader frequency range. In Simonet’s small study, puppies who heard recorded pant-laughs often picked up a toy or approached people and other dogs who were present.1
The bottom line: Just do it! (stolen from Nike :))
Shine on,
PS: If you think you’ve seen dogs playing, you ain’t seen nuthin’ yet! Check out this video of Halo, the Pool Playing Dog. She would beat me paws down!
And check out these ideas for games you can play with your dog.
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Dr. Laurel Davis is a holistic vet offering phone and Skype consultations for animal lovers everywhere.
Call 828-254-2221 or order an Ask Dr. Laurel™ phone or Skype session or bring your dog or cat to her downtown Asheville, NC clinic.
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