Playing with your dog should be a fun activity for the both of you. Through play, dogs get exercise, keep mentally fit and create a strong bond with their owners. Walks and jogging are great exercises for both you and your dog, but playing is about more than exercise and is also an important part of your pup’s continued development. Remember, dogs are naturally pack animals, so for them the act of playing games together with you constitutes a fundamental team activity.
10 Minute-Long Games to Play With Your Dog
1. Hide and go seek (part one)
This is a fabulous indoor game to play with your dog on a rainy day – or any day, really. The object of the game is to show your pup an object (a favorite toy, blanket, etc.) and then hide the object somewhere in your home without your dog seeing you. Then go back to your dog and ask him to find it, encouraging him with ‘good’ when he’s close, and ‘uh-oh’ when he isn’t. This game will exercise both his body and mind, and provide a lot of entertainment. Remember, while it’s good to periodically praise your dog gently, avoid consistent overwhelming over-exciting praise. A dog should feel like it’s earned any sort of praise.
2. Play Frisbee
Frisbee is one of the most common games to play with your dog, and for a good reason: it’s fun, requires dexterity and mental acuteness, and it’s a great exercise. Use a soft, pliable Frisbee to minimize the chances of hurting either your dog’s mouth or snout.
3. Stairway dash
This is one of the other great indoor games to play with your dog, but it does require a stairway. The object of the game is as simple as its name: have your dog sit at the bottom of the stairs and then throw a ball or favorite toy up to the landing. Create anticipation by telling him to wait, and then yell ‘Go get it!’ This is great exercise, but be cautious – dogs under one year of age should not run up the stairs because it could hurt their joints. Similarly, this is not a good exercise for older dogs with joint pains, and your dog should never run down the stairs for fear of injury. If you don’t have a set of stairs or don’t want to wear down your stairs with through repeated pounding of your dogs four paws, you can search for any type of hill or elevated area outdoors.
4. Tug-of-war
Tug-of-war is a great indoor game to play with your dog, although it can also be played outside. If playing inside, make sure you have plenty of room around you and your dog so neither of you slams into a wall or piece of furniture. Be sure to allow your dog to win periodically, which will help them build up a sense of confidence. While you may not be, they are keeping score. Remember, dogs are pack animals so for them a hierarchy of strength and dominance is a fundamental thought-pattern. Don’t let them win all the time either, or they’ll start to think that perhaps they are dominant.
5. Chasing bubbles
Dogs and little kids aren’t that different – they both like to chase bubbles. This is a game to play with your dog either indoors or outdoors, although it’s great fun outside on windy days. Make sure to use non-toxic bubbles and to wipe your dog’s face when you’re done playing so that the popped bubble residue doesn’t irritate his eyes.
6. Water games
These are definitely not indoor games to play with your dog, but they are great outdoor activities. Most dogs love to play in water, and if there aren’t dog-friendly beaches near you, consider buying a kiddie pool and tossing in some toys for your dog to fish out. Running across a lawn sprinkler is also great fun and exercise!
7. Tag
This game requires two people as well as a dog, and it’s one of the simplest indoor games to play with your dog of them all. All you need are treats – and most dogs will play this game even without them. Each person should stand in a different room of the house and call the dog (offering a treat if using them when the dog comes). Then the other person calls the dog, repeating the process. You should urge your dog on so he runs and gets some exercise out of the game as well!
8. Digging
Dogs are natural diggers, so this is one of the most appealing games you can play with your dog – although this one is an outdoor game, for obvious reasons. Building a box and then filling it with sand is a great way to contain your dog’s digging to his box instead of your flower beds. If he doesn’t take to it right away, let him watch you bury some of his favorite toys to encourage him to dig them up. That said, be careful if you notice your dog starts digging everywhere. If this starts becoming a “favorite past-time” of your pooch, don’t encourage it further otherwise you’ll have freshly dug holes all around your house. Once they fill with rain water the whole place will look like a war zone, surely to upset neighbors.
9. Hide and go seek (part two)
This is a great indoor game to play with your dog on cold or rainy days. Instead of hiding toys or treats, simply tell your dog to stay then go hide somewhere in the house. Once you’ve found your hiding spot, call your dog until he finds you.
10. Picking up
Training your dog to pick his toys up not only helps you, it’s also a fun indoors game to play with your dog. You can even contribute to the mess by scattering more toys around the house and having him find each one and dump it in a box or basket.
11. Sniff the treat
This is probably easier as an indoor game to play with your dog, but you could play it outside as well. Hide some treats around your house (or yard), and then let your pooch loose! You can direct him in the general area where a treat is hidden and then let your dog sniff it out and eat it as a reward.
Summary
Playing fetch can, over time, get boring for both you and your dog. This list of games to play with your dog offers novel activities and several options for you to choose from that will keep your dog entertained and happy while providing physical and mental exercise. Whether playing indoors or outdoors, switch the game you’re playing every so often so that your dog doesn’t tire of it. You can always reintroduce games you’ve played in the rotation later.
