9 super fun games for dogs

Playing with your dog isn’t just a great way to burn energy, it’s a rewarding experience that boosts your bond - and that means it can have powerfully positive effects on your dog’s behaviour and their wellbeing. 

But beyond fetch and tug - what games can you play with your dog? There are so many ways to use play to supercharge your training and to give your dog mental stimulation…

And as champions of The Power of Play we’ve got you covered with 9 game ideas you can try today. 

What’s the best dog game to play?

We asked thousands of owners what games their dogs like best in our 2024 Power of Play survey… and tug of war scooped the top spot! Keep reading to discover novel and exciting ways to play tug with your dog.

Tug trumps fetch, with 78% of dogs choosing tug as their favourite way to play.

Benefits of playing with your dog

1. Reduce stress and anxiety

Play is a great way to boost confidence and optimism. Engaging in play with your dog can relieve pent up energy in a safe and fulfilling way. 

2. Boost your bond

Playing with your dog reinforces and grows your bond - which has a direct impact on happiness and your dog’s desire to cooperate and listen to you. When you’re fun to be around and make good things happen - your dog will naturally be more drawn to paying attention to you! 

3. Faster training results

A 2017 study confirms that play actively speeds up learning in dogs, helping 

them remember what they’ve learned for faster results. Play is a fantastic way to positively reinforce and encourage good behaviour as part of your training.

4. Delivers mental stimulation

Exercise alone is not enough - dogs benefit from using their brains and their senses for maximum boredom busting and the release of feel-good endorphins. Mental stimulation isn’t just achieved through treats and puzzle toys - engaging your dog in scent games, training games and activities that satisfy their breeds needs is hugely beneficial.  

5. Boredom busting for all ages

Whether a senior dog who’s slowed down and can’t enjoy longer outings anymore or a your puppy who’s full of beans and learning about the world - dogs of all ages benefit from play. 

6. Appropriate outlet for natural dog behaviours

Dogs love to do dog things - but sometimes their natural urges can present problems for humans. Whether it’s a desire to chase, hunt, herd or bite - play can give your dog an appropriate outlet for their natural instincts in a way that’s socially acceptable! 

From chaser toys to ultra tough tug toys, our award winning dog toys were designed by dog trainers to tap into your dog’s natural instincts using interactive play. 

7. It’s fun!

We’ve saved the best for last! Yes, play has the power to deliver many advantages but we think the best thing of all is how fun it is. Our lives are busier than ever but just 5 minutes of interactive play has the power to make both you and your dog feel happy and connected - so ignore your to-do list for 5 minutes and get stuck in to playing games with your dog! 

9 Super fun games to play with your dog 

1. Confidence Booster: Make a noise box

A noise box is a brilliant sensory enrichment experience for your dog which can help boost their confidence with noises, textures and touch. As your dog pops their nose in to explore and sniff out treats, their building self assurance as their face comes into close contact with lots of different textures. 

How to play:

Use a cardboard box or container and fill it with items such as scrunched up paper, plastic bottles and a Clam filled with treats. If your dog needs extra encouragement, pop some extra treats inside to make it more enticing to have a go. 

You’ll see our award winning dog treat ball The Clam features in many of our games - because it’s an insanely versatile toy that can be used in so many fun ways. 

2. Bond Booster: Hide & Seek

It’s not just young children who love a game of hide and seek! Playing it with your dog can be a great way to grow your dog’s desire to focus on you and choose to be close. 

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 with their special training toy.

3. Recall Powerup: Play Recall Relay

This fun game will take your recall skills up a gear so you can teach your dog to come when called even when very exciting things are happening. 

HOW TO PLAY:

You need two people for this game and two special toys. Ask your dog to wait or stay at your side. Have your helper start a distance away from you with a chaser toy for extra wiggle factor, then have them start moving slowly. Release your dog to go to them.

When your dog’s midway towards them, use your recall cue to call your dog to relay back to you and reward them with a BIG tug party when they return. 

If your dog struggles to get Recall Relay right, make the game easier to start with by asking your helper to add more distance and less movement.

Our chaser toys create the movement that chasey dogs crave - with an extra long bungee handle they’re our best selling toys for a reason! Tap directly into your dog’s instinctive urge to stalk, chase, pounce & grab - and use their natural instincts to inspire unrivalled play. 

4. Impulse control: Play Tug on Cue

This game teaches your dog that tug starts when you announce the beginning of the game. This is especially helpful for excitable dogs or dogs who could benefit from honing their impulse control skills! 

HOW TO PLAY:

Show your dog your tuggy - start with something low value/less exciting to make it easy for your dog to win the game. Wait a few seconds then say your start cue - get it/tug! 

Reward your dog with an exciting game of tuggy.

Rinse and repeat building your dog’s ability to control their impulses and ability to wait for you to start the game.  As your dog gets the hang of the game, extend the duration you ask them to wait before you say your tug cue - or introduce a more exciting toy to increase the difficulty. 

Our powerball range of toys combine the undeniable thrill of fetch with the interactive bonding power of tug. Whether you're throwing and fetching or engaging in a team tug-of-war match, these toys are designed for collaborative play that’ll grow an unbeatable bond.

 

5. Leave it - Teach the toy Switch 

This is the ultimate game for reinforcing a leave command - and it’s a great way to build value in your special training toys while listening to you. If you have a dog who steals stuff or you want to power up impulse control, this game’s for you.   

HOW TO PLAY:

To play, you need two of (ideally) the exact same toy. Start by moving one in a prey-like manner (fast - slow - fast) before letting your dog grab and tug. Then make the first toy disappear and quickly bring out the second one and do the same thing. Then repeat!

 

Featured in this game is the Pocket Fauxtastic, a fantastic toy for walkies since it fits in your pocket and is epically tuggable! It’s light enough to carry everywhere and small enough to hide - it’s your secret weapon for grabbing your dog's attention and delivering instant, exciting rewards (wherever you are).

7. Scent Game: Play ‘Find it’

Put your dog’s fantastic sense of smell to work with this easy but exciting game that works your dog’s brain - a proven way to elicit calm! This is a great way to end any game to help bring your dog’s arousal levels down after an exciting game of tug. 

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. Our real fur toys that are naturally scented or food-based toys (like The Clam) work best for this.

This game can be played with food, toys or even with your keys! Scentwork specialists UK Sniffer dogs put together an awesome tutorial for us to show you how to teach your dog to find your keys. 

8. Focus game: Tug-E-Nuff Time Trials

This is a great game for teaching your dog to listen and engage with you before being rewarded with what they want. In this game, we’re teaching your dog patience and to control their impulses by giving them tasks to do before accessing their tuggy reward. 

HOW TO PLAY:

Place your dog’s favourite Tug-E-Nuff toy on the ground and walk away from it, encouraging your dog to you. Ask your dog to perform a cue they know well - you can use anything your dog knows such as hand touch, middle, sit or lie down. 

Then chain 2 cues together before releasing your dog to retrieve their tug toy. Reward your dog heavily with a super fun tug party. As your dog gets the hang of the game you can extend your chain of cues to increase your dog’s focus on you.

9. Retrieve game: Come racing back

This game is a brilliant way to introduce self control and develop attention on you when playing fetch. It’s also a great way to limit pressure on your dog’s joints since they wait for the toy to land before being released to retrieve - which puts an end to all the twisting, turning and sudden braking that can happen during regular fetch (which can be hard on your dog’s joints). 

How to play:

Ask your dog to stay and toss your toy a short distance - you can increase the distance and movement when your dog gets the hang of the game. 

Once the toy has landed, release your dog to retrieve their ball or tuggy - and encourage them back to you for another round of this super fun game.  

While we often think of treats as a reward - being released to run and retrieve your dog’s favourite toy can be waaaay more rewarding. 

If you’ve got the play bug and want even more game ideas to play with your dog - grab our free games ebook here. 👇

Want even more? Maybe you’d like to have a go at fun dog sports - whether you’d prefer something non-competitive like mantrailing or a sport that’s highly energetic like agility, there’s something for everyone. Take a look at the top 11 dog sports here and see if anything tickles your fancy!

Read Next:

The science behind why your dog loves to play

The best interactive dog toys: Why collaborative play rules

6 Surprisingly Normal Behaviours Dogs Display During Play

Why your dog has a high prey drive (and what you can do about it)