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Viral video: Puppy piñata party goes adorably right

If your pup loves tug of war, they'll adore this dog piñata idea

Nate Swanner
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Have you ever seen a dog open a gift? Most of the time, humans wrap gifts for dogs like they would for other people, and dogs aren’t quite sure what to make of it. It’s a box, maybe smells like something they want — but they’re totally unsure how to get inside.

Honestly? That’s kind of rude, pet parents. Luckily, one dog dad figured out a better way. He took what dogs already know how to do, instinctively, and used that to give his dog and at least one of its pals what they really want: tennis balls!

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The viral video below shows a cleverly rigged piñata that only asks the dog (we’re guessing this pup is a standard black lab) to give a ball dangling from the bottom a tug. It’s a smart ploy: get the dog to use its instincts, and it’s rewarded with more of what it really wants.

After tugging on the ball, the piñata opens to reveal many more balls. After being stunned for a moment, the puppy and his pal (another lab?! Lucky!) each sniff around the room before grabbing a ball of their own to play with.

There’s nothing not to love about this video. Puppy parties, new tennis balls for playing fetch, dog friends, and happy parents. We hope somebody rigs something similar up for a terrier that’s a bit tougher to get into. We bet an American Staffordshire Terrier would just love that!

A chocolate lab plays a game of tug of war indoors.
Image used with permission by copyright holder

Why dogs like tugging on things

Dogs like tugging because it’s something they do as puppies during play time. Many experts believe dogs play tug of war to establish trust.

Experts also believe dogs don’t treat humans much differently than other dogs. They may view us as leaders of their pack, but they want to interact with humans the same way they do other dogs. That’s why it’s important to play tug of war with your dog and encourage them to follow their instincts.

To that, these puppy parents are doing a great job. The dog obviously wants to tug, trusts his humans enough to tug on the ball his dog dad tells him to, and is rewarded with so many tennis balls.

But good luck around the holidays and on birthdays, pet parents. That pup may think every gift-wrapped item is full of tennis balls and rip packages open! Guess you’ll have to hide the gifts, moving forward. Small price to pay for the pure joy those puppies are experiencing, though.

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Nate Swanner
Nate Swanner
Former Digital Trends Contributor
Nate is General Manager for all not-Digital-Trends properties at DTMG, including The Manual, Digital Trends en Espanol…
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