FIRST GAMES
A young dog needs lots of things to do and his brain needs to be stimulated. in the wild, he would be taught to track animals, to fight predators and to catch prey. However, the domestic dog has none of these skills to learn and therefore you should provide alternatives. By doing so, you will minimize the chances of your puppy becoming bored and the engaging in destructive behaviour. Toys and games are the answer; most dog toys are now virtually indestructible, though not totally, as you will soon find out. Dogs, particularly Salukis like to chase toys attached to a pole.
Do not play tug of war with a soft toy - you will be training your puppy to be destructive and possessive. All dogs can be taught to play with a ball but be careful that the ball is not too small. Dogs jaws can open very wide and they can accidentally swallow quite big objects. If they accidentally swallowed rubber or plastic ball the consequence can be very serious. Do not give your pup an old shoe to chew and destroy - dogs notoriously ignore the difference between old and new shoes.
Throw a ball just in front of him, then make a fuss when he returns it and persuade him gently to "drop". When he is proficient at retrieving, hide the ball for him to find, close by to start with but gradually increasing the distance.