The importance of play

I was interviewed by Marilyn Mele on her summit What Reactive Dogs Really Need on the topic of play, and I thought I’d share it here on the blog!

Want subtitles? Just click the CC-button at the bottom right! Oh, and if you’re a French Speaker, Benjamin Trévisan kindly translated this discussion – find it here!

There’s an entire module devoted to the topic of play in my online course Animal Emotions, which opens for enrollment in January!

Here’s what we cover in the interview:

The Biological Power of Play: Play is fundamental, and can literally reconfigure and reprogram an animal’s brain.

The Science of Epigenetics: We discuss how play acts as a major modulator of gene expression.

Developing an Optimistic Mindset: We cover how play induces a strong positive emotional state that helps animals become more optimistic. An optimistic animal expects good things to happen and is more likely to be curious rather than fearful.

Building Resilience Through “Rough and Tumble”: I explain how social play teaches animals to handle slight discomfort (like being chased), learning that positive events follow such moments (like chasing the other); this helps build resilience.

Training for the Unexpected: We talk about how the unpredictable nature of play helps animals learn to deal with unexpected events without being overwhelmed.

Seven Practical Reasons to Use Play: I outline specific ways to use play as a tool for:

• Strengthening the relationship and adding to the “relationship bank.”
• Inducing a positive mood and appropriate arousal level to set the stage for learning.
• Acting as a powerful reinforcer during training instead of just using treats.
• Creating a place preference to help animals feel safe and happy in stressful locations like the vet.
• Physically inhibiting fear responses in the brain.
• Managing arousal levels to boost speed for activities like agility.
• Improving memory consolidation so the animal remembers their training better the next day.

Safety and Rehabilitation: We discuss why establishing safety is the first priority for anxious or shutdown animals before they can truly open up to the benefits of play.

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I write, speak and teach on the topic of animal emotions, behaviour, learning and welfare. If you want to be notified whenever I write a blog post, participate in an interview or open my courses for enrollment, just sign up below!