My Puppy, My Self

How dogs make us human.

by Lee Charles Kelley

The Power of Play, Part II

By Lee Charles Kelley on May 20, 2009 in My Puppy, My Self

Free play facilitates the growth of pro-social circuits in your pup's brain, helps develop impulse control, and increases neurological and emotional development. In fact, a puppy will learn and retain more in one vigorous thirty-minute play session than he will in a six-week puppy class. I'm among a growing number of trainers who think it's time to reverse the current trend of pushing puppies into learning obedience skills long before their brains, emotions, and bodies are ready. Read More

Applicability to Kids as much as Puppies

Submitted by Alex on May 20, 2009 - 12:58pm.

Thanks for the fascinating articles. I have to say, I wholeheartedly agree with your natural learning philosophy. Have you, by any chance, read the following book:

http://www.amazon.com/Turning-Learning-Right-Side-Education/dp/013234649...

Entitled "Turning Learning Right Side Up: Putting Education Back On Track" and written by Russell Ackoff and Daniel Greenberg, it explores the problems with the modern Western educational system (for children as opposed to puppies) and discusses how it runs contrary to many of the natural ways children learn.

If you're unfamiliar with their work, I just wanted to point it out to you. When reading your post, the ideas really resounded with me, as humans and dogs are both similarly social species and learn in similar ways. It's amusing (and frustrating) that they are "taught" in an unnatural way which may in fact be counterproductive when compared with a more natural style of learning: Play.

I believe your fellow PT Blogger, Peter Gray, has a number of blog posts on this subject with respect to human children. It may be interesting to have a discussion and develop the ideas further. =)