Having a dog as a pet has become very therapeutic and has started being highly recommended all around to have a pet in your house.
A dog, or any pet in general as well, guarantees social outdoor activities, walks, jogs, and time away from the otherwise mundane activities.
They are also known to be of help for depression or anxiety. Whoever has a dog would tell you what a rewarding experience it is to nurture a dog, to play with them, to watch them grow up and everything that surrounds them.
The best part about being a dog owner is that you will assuredly have a partner to play games with at whatever hour you want to.
Playing games with your dogs is very important as it would give them a chance to stimulate not just physical but also mental strength,
it would relieve them of the boredom they might feel after being in the same place for long durations.
Playing dog games can also be a kind of fun exercise through which you can train your dogs and this would also be a sort of exercise for yourself.
So don’t you think it is necessary to know a few dog games that your dog would also like to play with you?
For more ideas on play with your pup, check out these 9 Backyard Games to reinforce your dog’s skills
Here are a few dog games that I thought you might enjoy playing with your dog for your leisure:
FETCH
Fetch is the most common physical activity that you can indulge your dog in. it would give them the right kind of energy boost and excitement.
The best part of this game is that you do not have to necessarily go out for this game and can play it indoors as well.
This makes this game perfect for all weathers and situations.
HIDE & SEEK
Hide & Seek is the most popular game not just amongst children but also with dogs. It would bring you so much joy to see your dog look around all confused while trying to look around for you.
Also, their wagging of tail and smile at the end after having found you would be the best thing you would ever see.
This game can be turned into a learning exercise as well where you call their name to provide them with a hint about your whereabouts.
There is a variation of this game possible where you show them their treats and then hide them hereby enhancing their smelling and searching instincts.
Also Read:- Expert Tips On How To Determine Your Dog’s Age
SMELL SNATCH
Smell snatch is also kind of hide & seek but a little more mentally stimulating as what you will do here is you can take 4 – cups and hide their treats under any one of them pushing them to smell and find for themselves.
After one or two tries they will also get an idea about the kind of game you are paying and you would see their indulgence as well as excitement.
SPRINTING UP THE STAIRS
To burn off extra calories, if you have stairs in your house, create a game out of sprinting up and down the stairs.
To ensure that your dog receives the most amount of exercise while also placing the least amount of stress on his joints, begin at the bottom of the staircase.
While your dog is sitting in the sit-stay position, toss the toy up to the landing at the top.
When you say “ready, set, go,” the energy that has accumulated as a result of holding your dog in a stay will be released kind of a serotonin boost.
You should give your dog the freedom to return to the bottom of the stairs at his or her own pace. Encourage them to return at a more leisurely pace,
since it is the downhill descent that provides the biggest risk of injury. The majority of the time, this will result in your dog desiring to sleep after around 10 repetitions of this behaviour. So a win-win situation for you.
You should bear in mind that this activity is only suitable for dogs who are more than a year old. This practice should not be performed with younger dogs since their joints have not yet developed to withstand the power of the contact. This might result in long-term injury.
TAG
This game will revive you with your childhood energy and memories. This is a fun innovation of the game where instead of simply running after another person and tagging them, you can have your dog play with you while exercising at the same time.
This dog game would require a person other than you. Here, both of you or however many people you are, all of you must gather treats in your pockets and then go and stand at different corners of the room and each one of you must call the dog or lure them with treats making them run to a different person each time.
This would increase their stamina and agility. You can also take it up a notch by moving further away after each call to make your dog run more until it gets tired.
P.S. Please do not overstrain your dog
CLEAR OBSTACLE
If you have enjoyed hurdle races as a child, do not think your dog would too and go easy on them with a different version of that game.
You can create a tract course in your house with different household items because making this outside would be too much of a hassle, and then you can teach your dog various commands through this.
You can put items like empty cartons, or tetra packs to dodge, chairs to run under, and a box with open ends on two sides would be just the perfect way to end it with a treat at the end waiting for your do.
A hula hoop in the middle would be a great touch to your course that you can add if you have otherwise you can always improvise with whatever you have at your house.
This is one way you can convert games you played as a child into a sort of dog game.
UNDER & OVER
This is more of a training exercise than a dog game, but a game nonetheless. Any activity with dogs is playful in the end. Training your dog can be challenging sometimes but you can always introduce a new activity to teach through that.
About this under & over, as the name suggests, it would be a way of teaching your dog the meaning of under and over through a game and obviously treats at the end.
You can place a low chair, stool, or a bedtable, according to the height of your dog, and then show them the meaning of the words through your hands or by keeping treats in front of them.
Through this, you can also encourage other activities like teaching them how to stand with their paws on the table and other things.
TRAINING PLATFORM
If you are new to dog games, you might not know about this but training platforms are great tools for training as well as playing with your dogs.
These are low platform stools of sorts that you can use indoors for various dog games as well as playful activities. You can take this outside as well and the platform is washable so no worries about getting it dirty as long as your dogs have fun around them.
TUG OF WAR
Tug of war is the way to go when you have run out of all ideas for dog games. Take any of your dog’s basic toys that are a little elongated and give them to your dog, then start by holding on to one end of the toy and start pulling it.
Dogs usually enjoy just playful activities and can be indulged in this for way too long. This is also physically exerting and a great exercise for agility.
But do keep in mind that dogs can also get annoyed by such repeated actions so d does not push them to the extent that they end up biting or scratching you.
PLAY WITH BUBBLES
Dogs love bubbles, who am I kidding, everyone loves bubbles, they vanish in a few seconds making them much more fun to chase.
Get the bubble mixture, sit back with it, and watch your dog tire himself by chasing after the bubbles for hours to come. This is such a happy activity that would make you as happy as your dog.
TOYS
There are toys like lure poles, frisbee etcetera that is great sources of entertainment as dog games. You can play with your dog with a Frisbee for so long without having to run after the Frisbee once because your dog would do it for you, and quite happily, if I may add.
This is a very great activity for stamina building and also for some physical activity other than running and taking walks.
In case you cannot go out, you can get a lure pole, which is a long stick with toys sticking out from the end of the pole.
For this you just have to sit at the center and let your dog do all the chasing, tiring himself out completely.
All dog games are fun if your dog is happy and tired at the end of it. Dogs are the perfect companions for all sorts of games and fun activities and provide you with some outdoor time as well. But always keep in mind to not exert your dog to a level that they get sick or stop responding. Take baby steps with them, let them build their stamina, and increase their playtime gradually.
Also Read- 10 Amazing Things You Don’t Know About Your Dog
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