Four Games You And Your Dog Can Play With A Tuggy

If you’re anything like us, you don’t go very far without your dog’s favourite Tug-E-Nuff toy.

Playing with it isn’t just fun – it can strengthen your bond with your dog and help with achieving training goals.

But whether you’ve had a Tug-E-Nuff training toy for a while, or you’ve recently treated you and your dog, we know that it can be easy to get stuck in a rut and end up playing the same old games with your tug toy.

So here are four fresh ideas to help you up your game… 

Put It Away

If your dog enjoys having their tug toy thrown for them to retrieve before tugging on it, you can build on this by teaching them to put the toy back in their toy box when you’ve finished.

How to play: Start by asking your dog to drop their tug toy into a box when they bring it back to you at the end of a game of tug. You may need to start by shaping this behaviour - you can read more about shaping behaviours by clicking here.  Gradually, move the box further away while using the command ‘put it away. It’s important to have a tug toy that’s well-suited to throwing (like the PowerBall Bungee) before you start.

Find It

Dogs have an amazing sense of smell and nothing excites them more than finding their favourite toy! 

How to play: After a quick game of tug, ask your dog to ‘stay’ while you hide the toy. Don’t make it too much of a challenge at first – perhaps try hiding it under a cushion in the same room. Then ask your dog to ‘find it’ and when they do reward them with a game of tug! Tug toys that include real fur (like the Wondabaa Bungee) or if your dog is foodie consider using a food toy (like The Clam) which can work brilliantly for this.

Hide And Seek

It isn’t just young children who love a game of hide and seek! Playing it with your dog can be a great way to teach recall and your dog will love the thrill of finding you. 

How to play: Start by asking your dog to ‘stay’ before moving into another room and hiding with your tug toy (don’t make it too difficult at first – try ducking behind the sofa or behind a curtain). Then call your dog and wait for them to seek you out. When they do, reward them with a game of tug.

Catch It

This is a game you can teach your dog which is guaranteed to offer hours of fun – and it’s one you can fall back on anytime, anywhere.

How to play: Get your dog’s attention before running away a short distance. Then, call them to you and when they reach you, pull out their favourite toy for a quick game of tug. Then repeat! It can help to have a smaller tug toy that you can hide in your pocket (like this one) to pull out at just the right moment. 

And if you want to keep your tug toy irresistible for your dog, don’t miss this post.