i know not to do tug a war and rough housing in a way that makes him want to nip but i want games that will help us bond but not encourage biting .... as i have all but put an end to the biting ...... cause its not cute when hes 100 lbs and thinks some one talking with there hands is enciting a game and they get bite for it
Mike
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When tug of war is done properly, it teaches great self control. See the link below for the ground rules.
MyHandsAreMadeOfPasta
I used to play fetch a lot with my last Akita as a pup. Akitas catch on pretty fast but also get bored fast so don't ever expect any game you play to last as long as it would with any other dog-LOL. I know tug-of-war isn't recommended but I too played a limited and very controlled type of the game where I used it more as a tool to show the dog that I controlled the playing. When he got rough, we'd stop and if his teeth ever came close to mine I'd correct him. Again, we wouldn't play this long as much as we both liked it but it was more for driving the point home that the alpha, me-controlled play time. Kicking a ball around, hide-and-go-seek, and dog toys in general are great fun. You have to do a lot of trial and error to find exactly what toys really interest your dog though. At only 8 weeks though you don't want to do too much but it's a good time to start introducing the pup to sprinting with you (all out running when they're older), small trails and going out for walks in strange new places to introduce the pup to all sorts of new experiences that work the body and mind. It's all great for learning but also good for bonding with the pup and as such a young age can wear them down quickly too. But then a tired pup is a happy pup.
Anonymous
Tug of war is actually a great game and can teach a puppy/dog self control if done properly, its best to start when its a puppy...
Other games like scent games are good, you can hide a treat and take another treat and tie it to a string and drag it on the ground and make a scent trail to the treat then let the puppy loose to track the treat...
Also if there is another person you could take turns holding the puppy and hiding and the person holding the puppy could let it go to find the person, it the dog version of hide and seek...
There are plenty of scent games, not too hard to come up with one...