Playtime

Playing with Akita Puppy (Almost 1 year old)

Having fun playing with Himeko.

Akita Puppy Dog and Orange Ball (9 1/2 months)

Himeko likes to play with the ball. She even fetches it.

Playing Tug with Akita Puppy Dog (9 1/2 months)

Himeko loves tug. We usually play for a longer period of time. We practice a lot of commands such as drop, stop, stay and take.

Akita Dog Plays with Bernie Sanders

Kumason really likes playing with his new Bernie Sanders stuffed toy.

Akita Dog Finds a Squash

My dog just loves playing with yellow squash, eggplant or zucchini. I don't know what it is about the squash family, but I'd like to see what he does with a pumpkin next.

Akita Dog Plays with Bucket Toy

My dog Kumason seems to like playing with a bucket he found in the yard better than any of his store bought toys.

Akita Dog Plays with Yellow Pig Toy

Kumason is playing with his new rubber toy. Dogs can be entertained by the simplest of pleasures.

Entertaining Your Dog

It's a fact, dogs can get bored. It's very easy to create mind challenges and games for your dog by simply using a couple of common household items such as paper bags, paper towels, hand towels, napkins, small boxes and anything else you can think of. Always make sure there are no choking hazards with the toy as well as what you hide it in. I call this game “Go Find” which Kumason loves as you will see from the video. All I do is take one of his favorite toys (usually balls) and wrap it up while he's watching me. The goal is for your dog to retrieve the toy. That's all there is to it! I keep doing this over and over again, until I get bored!

Another variation would be to hide a treat. It's also a good way to train your dog to stay and wait until you give the command to start. I hope you enjoy the video and have fun playing this game!

Making Your Own Dog Toys

Dogs can easily get bored with their toys. Rather than running to the pet store to buy a new one, with a little ingenuity and creativity, you can make old toys more stimulating and interesting. I call this game 'The Gift Wrap Challenge'. Kumason loves when I hide a toy, in this case a ball, in a piece of wrapping paper. I often don't know which he enjoys more, the ball or the wrapping paper. When he opens the paper and reveals his ball, we play it again. It's fun to watch and quite funny at the same time. So, go ahead and create your own exciting challenge.

Talking Akita Dog

Wouldn't it be nice if our pets could actually vocalize the words "I love you?" Well, here I am trying to get Kumason to say those magic words.

Akita Dog with Glow Ball

This has to be Kumason's favorite toy of all times, except for his stuffed lamb chop which he uses like a pacifier to relax and fall asleep. With this ball, he likes to hear the sound of air as he compresses the ball and also seems to enjoy the light display.