11/08/2026
What does healthy dog play actually look like?
If you look closely at these photos, you'll see far more than dogs running around having fun.
You're watching a group of adolescent dogs learning an entirely new language.
Dottie the Border Collie repeatedly glances back over her shoulder while running, inviting the Golden Retrievers to chase her. Peach responds with wonderfully inhibited play, even grabbing Dottie's fluffy tail without escalating the interaction. Because Dottie immediately turns back to re-engage, we know she's still happily participating in the game.
Ash and Dijon constantly soften their play with loose bodies, open mouths and curved approaches. Greta the Airedale joins the group politely rather than barging in, while Maverick the Kelpie reads the room before deciding when and how to participate.
These are all examples of play signals, behaviours that tell another dog:
"I'm only playing."
Even better, watch how the roles constantly change.
The chaser becomes the chased.
The hunter suddenly runs away.
The larger dogs deliberately handicap themselves to keep the game fair.
Everyone gets a turn.
This kind of role reversal is one of the strongest indicators that play is cooperative rather than competitive.
Perhaps the most valuable part of our Adolescent Playgroup isn't just the exercise, it's the education.
Young dogs don't magically know how to interact appropriately with other dogs. They learn through hundreds of social conversations with dogs that already possess good social skills. Our more experienced dogs help teach the youngsters when to speed up, when to back off, when to invite play, when to pause, and how to resolve excitement without conflict.
It's a bit like children learning playground etiquette. Adults can explain the rules all day long, but much of the learning happens through positive interactions with other children who already understand the game.
That is why we love having a mixture of ages and personalities in our playgroups. Every dog becomes both a student and, eventually, a teacher.
These social experiences don't just create better playmates.
They build dogs with greater emotional regulation, better communication skills, improved confidence and healthier social cognition, skills that carry over into everyday life.
Our FREE Adolescent Playgroup is available exclusively for Urban Dog Training clients because we believe social education is every bit as important as obedience training.
After all, a dog that can communicate well doesn't just make better choices at playgroup...
They make better choices everywhere.
Contact us for more information.
Call - 3496 9301
https://www.urbandogtraining.com.au/free-puppy-play-groups/free-adolescent-play-group.html
