Dog games - The best way to learn and teach

Here are some of my favorite dog games and things to do. These are only ideas; remember, the smarter the dog, the more creative the owner has to be.

Herding – there is nothing wrong with herding dogs ushering subjects around; or objects for that matter, as my friend’s 14-week-old foster Border Collie proofed when he pawed soap and shampoo bottles off the shelves into the bathtub and attempted to herd it all.

Herding dogs are bred to control things; allowing it, and channeling it into appropriate behaviors is very satisfying for the dog and can be a lot of fun for the owner(s) as well. Herding isn’t a problem; nipping is. Train space balance by guiding your herding dog away from you with a hand-touch command; and/or by walking into your dog’s space. Once the pooch has learned to respect your personal 30 cm, or 15 inches, spread out on a walk, in the house or yard and leave it to your herding dog to round you all up again. It tires the busy, control-minded pooch mentally and physically, and makes you the focus, instead of the environment. Herding people can become one of your dog's preferred dog games.


Tracking – sniffing is for dogs what reading is for many people. Important to most dogs, the desire to discover the world through scent is even more intensified in scent hounds. (If it is important to you that your dog’s nose is off the ground, a Beagle isn’t the best choice.) Not letting the pooch sniff is mental cruelty. As with herding, the smart owner who structures nose work into dog games can have it both: get attention and satisfy his dog’s need to do what many a dog does best – track things down.

Tossing treats on the ground for your dog to sniff out; “accidentally” dropping a mitten or sock for the pooch to find; hiding the ball and Frisbee after every few throws; and playing hide and seek, once again shifts your dog’s focus away from the environment back to you. Structured sniffing fulfills your dog’s primal need, builds confidence in your dog and strengthens the bond because you’re doing something purposeful (for the dog) together.


Come command – playing the “round-the-circle” come dog game helps to a reliable recall, which is one of the things every pooch should know. Every person in the family takes turns calling the dog and rewards when she comes. Rewards vary from person to person, and can include exuberant attention, a ball toss, food, a toy and so on. The dog has to go to the person who called her, otherwise he’ll be ignored and no rewards happen. The dog learns to come to every family member and the game tires her out.


Touch and target dog games have many excellent functional benefits. It can help to direct a dog away from a person; teaches space politeness and prevents nipping.

It teaches a pup to approach a human hand with a closed mouth, which playfully forms a different association for the mouthing puppy.

A guiding hand can help to teach a dog all kinds of tricks and positions, even to remain in heel position when teaching leash manners.

Once a dog understands the concept of touching something with his nose, it can be expanded into touching objects – and other people, dogs or cats. Because touch and target is one of the dog games most pooches love, it helps to diminish fear. While playing the game the association to a stimulus that usually elicits fear changes to someone who triggers a fun and familiar activity.

Hold your outstretched hand close to your dog's face. Touching it briefly comes natural to most dogs. Praise (that is when a clicker or verbal reward marker is really handy) and reward out of the hand the dog is NOT touching. Change hands, then ask for two or three touches before you reward, then move your hand farther away. That’s the first step to hand-touch and targeting.

If you take the ball to the dog park, bring a couple of identical extras, so that if one gets lost or is stolen by an out-of-control pooch, your dog doesn't need to fight for it, but returns to you instead because you, as a good provider, have a second one.


Follow the leader – enticing the dog with an upbeat voice, changing directions often, or initiating a chase game in which the dog chases you, teaches your dog playfully to stay close to you voluntarily. It’s a fun “catch-me-if-you-can” dog game and conditions desired space proximity to you, which is fancy talk for polite leash manners.


Digging basket and sand box – a very satisfying dog game not just for terriers, but for every bored and bright pooch. Fill a basket (size depends on your dog’s size), with all kinds of things your dog treasures. It’s essentially a toy box, except you add old socks, towels or T-Shirts you collected from friends and family, in which you tie in toys and treats. A ball, bone or stuffed Kong can be hidden underneath a pile of clean rags, and part of your dog’s breakfast could go into toilet paper rolls with the ends folded in. There are endless possibilities for your dog to discover and dig for something new each day. Initially, be careful that he doesn’t swallow what he shouldn’t, just rips and shreds to get to the treats.

The sand box is a the same idea taken outside – a designated digging place where little treasures are hidden.

Working for, and finding food and toys, and treat surprises, is very fulfilling, mentally stimulating and tiring. And, once your dog is conditioned to go to the designated places in and outside the house, she’ll leave all your stuff alone.


Dogs playing with other dogs – some dogs, not all, love dog with dog games. A game is a game as long as all dogs involved have fun, which means that they return to it voluntarily and don’t run away or hide. A good game is reciprocal, which means that each dog is alternately chaser and chasee, sometimes the top and others the bottom dog. Dog savvy pooches give each other little signals that stops the interaction for a brief moment, which prevents over arousal and dog game escalating into a fight. A playing pooch should still respond to his owner, otherwise he is too charged up and the interaction should be interrupted.

Name the toys and clean up – is a great indoor, bad weather dog game. See how many toys your dog can learn to identify by name. Have him bring a certain toy after you taught your dog the name, and ignore him when he brings the wrong one. Play when he brings the correct one. Once you have solid response and the pooch knows the toy by name, add another.

Like anything else, you will be most successful integrating learning into dog games if you start slow, generalize, and increase difficulty incrementally.

Not all popular dog games are good ones. Read about two that are counter productive to learning desired behaviors.