Training Games for Dogs

Training a dog can be a frustrating process for many. Dogs are very intelligent and willing to learn but can easily get bored with excessive training. Many types of dog training games are available. Use these games to help make the training fun and enjoyable for you and your dog.

  1. Follow the Leader

    • Use this game to help teach your dog obedience and commands. Play this game in the back yard to give you plenty of room. Place several different obstacles around the yard. These obstacles should include traffic cones, small wooden inclines, wading pools and even toys. Lead your dog through the obstacles using whatever simple commands you are attempting to teach your dog. These can include "come," "over," "in" and anything else you want. Scatter a few toys throughout the course as a distraction. The dog must avoid grabbing the toys to finish the course. After it finishes, give it a treat and let it play with some toys.

    Clean Up

    • Play "clean up" with your dog to help teach it how to clean up its toys. It may not learn to do it perfectly every time but turning it into a game with a reward can help your dog learn the basics. Scatter its toys around the room. Make sure these are toys you know your dog likes but doesn't hoard or destroy easily. Say "clean up" and point to a toy. Encourage your dog to pick up the toy and hand it to you. When it does pick up a toy, immediately praise it and give it a treat. Repeat the process with all the toys. Always give your dog a reward. Make cleaning up a game each time your dog plays with its toys. Give it a small, easy to access bucket in which to place its toys. Reward the dog for placing the toys in the bucket.

    Find the Food

    • Train your dog to pace itself with its eating by playing "find the food." Take several small bowls and fill them with dog food. Make sure it's an appropriate amount of food for your dog to eat. Hide the dog food throughout the house. Start by making the food very easy to find. Say "time to eat" and release the dog to find the bowls. The food is its own reward. Place the bowls in different areas of the house each time you play. Make them increasingly difficult to find but not impossible. Play this game each time you feed your dog.

    Hula Hoop

    • The "Hula Hoop" game is appropriate for teaching dogs how to come in and go out through a door or crate. Place the hula hoop on the ground so that your dog can move through it. Hold the hula hoop with one hand while holding a treat in the other. Encourage it to walk through the hula hoop for the treat. Say "in" when the dog starts to walk through. Give it the treat and praise it. Turn the dog around and repeat the process with it going through the opposite way. Say "out" instead of "in" and give it a treat and praise it when it goes through. Repeat the process until it goes "in" and "out" on command. Try it using a door after it has learned the command.