As a dog lover, many of us always want to train our dog to be the perfect companion that will always be well behaved.

But building a strong and trusting relationship with our dog is not always about establishing a training regimen for our dog to follow. Our dog is a social animal that also needs time to have fun.

There are also many benefits when we engage our dogs in fun and healthy games during playtime such as:

  1. It is a great vehicle to build a strong and trusting relationship with our dog. In the process we also learn to communicate better with our dog. Remember that every dog ​​owner who plays with his dog gets his dog!
  2. It keeps our dog away from boredom. Many dog ​​problems, such as chewing on carpets, furniture, digging in the yard, etc., are a direct result of dog boredom.
  3. Playing is also a form of exercise to keep our dog fit, healthy and mentally stimulated.

In addition, any game that your dog likes can be used as a reward for good behavior in your training session with him. For example, use a favorite game like toss or fetch to reward checkouts and long stays.

However, it is very important to remember that the dog is a pack animal and you should always establish your alpha position, that is, you maintain control of your dog even in the midst of all the excitement that you and your dog have while playing together.

Here are four all-time favorite games you can play with your dog.

Game #1: Treasure Hunt

  1. Put your dog in a “down” position.
  2. Place treats (food or toys) in a variety of hiding places within their sight.
  3. You have to wait until all the hiding places are done.
  4. Return to your dog and issue the command “GO!”, sending him running and finding each of the hidden treats.
  5. Repeat this activity, varying where you place the treat.
  6. You can increase the difficulty, such as hiding the treat where you can’t see it, for example, behind a piece of furniture, etc.

This game is especially good for dogs that have just begun to learn the “stay” command.

Game #2: Hide and Seek

  1. Put your dog in a “sit” or “down” position.
  2. Go and hide.
  3. When you are ready, call your dog. Be very excited when he finds you.
  4. You can make it more difficult by “hiding” behind doors, diapers, etc. If he doesn’t find you the first time, call him again.

This is a good game to teach and train your dog to wait until called.

It’s also a great game for kids to play with dogs, as long as we teach them NOT to encourage the dog to chase them.

Game #3: Clean up your toys

  1. Get a box or bucket and collect a number of dog-safe toys and other items. Remember not to start with things that your dog likes to accumulate or that you never want them to touch.
  2. Scatter the toys in a small pile on the floor.
  3. Through shaping and teasing, have your dog pick up the items one at a time and place them in his hand.
  4. Remember to reward each “gift” he hands you with a treat.
  5. Make it harder and harder to get things in your hand, while keeping the fun of this “return for refund” game.
  6. Each retrieved item is dumped back into the bucket.
  7. Over time, your dog may even learn to jump up and start putting things directly into the bucket.

Game #4: The shell game

  1. You need 3 identical small buckets about a gallon, dog food or biscuits, a leash and a training collar.
  2. Place your dog in a “down” position in the kitchen.
  3. Go to your living room and place the three cubes next to each other, with their mouths on the floor (upside down). Leave approximately one foot of space between each bucket.
  4. Put a dog biscuit under one of the cubes.
  5. Go back to your dog and give him the command to “release”, and walk him towards the cubes.
  6. Say, “Where’s the cookie?” and encourage your dog to sniff the buckets.
  7. When he gets excited about the bucket with the cookie under it, praise him generously. Then, kick the bucket over and let him take the cookie.
  8. Repeat this process by changing the bucket under which the cookie is hidden.

Once your dog begins to get familiar with the game, you can add more complexity by separating the cubes further or by adding more cubes.