Fun Summer Games for Kids & Dogs

Both kids and dogs can get bored and lonely during the summer months when the regular routine goes out the window and the days get warm and lazy. Fortunately, there are plenty of fun summer games kids can play with their dogs, providing them both with amusement, exercise and great spirits.

  1. Agility

    • Agility competitions have gotten more popular in recent years, but many people have found that setting up simple amateur agility courses in their backyards can be just as fun and rewarding. Encourage your child to design a basic obstacle course for the family dog. These can be as simple or elaborate as you'd like, but most backyard courses include a broomstick or two-by-four on the ground, a tire or Hula Hoop hung from a tree, and a "balance beam" made of wood and sawhorses. Your child can then spend afternoons outdoors teaching the dog agility by going through the obstacle course: jumping through the tire/Hula Hoop, walking across the balance beam, jumping over the broomstick.

    Dog Bowling

    • Arrange a triangle of 2-liter soda bottles on your lawn or patio. Kids should take turns calling the dog over with the lure of a treat. They should sit or stand behind the "bowling pins" of soda bottles. The child who gets the dog to knock over the most pins en route to his treat wins that round. This can be repeated again and again, adding or taking away pins, or making it more challenging by adding obstructions the dog must go through, such as a sprinkler spouting water, or up and over a small board. You can also throw a ball for the dog in the direction of the pins if he loses interest in the treats.

    Find the Treat

    • A simple game for younger children and patient dogs, Find the Treat simply involves the child's hiding dog treats throughout the house. The dog must stay until all of the treats are hidden, and then, on the command of the child, run through the house collecting every treat. Children can make this as easy or difficult as they wish, and summer adds the fun element of being outdoors for the treasure hunt.

    Frisbee

    • Most trained dogs will love catching a Frisbee, which allows for more physical activity than a regular ball. Kids get exercise throwing and retrieving lost Frisbees while dogs run, jump, catch and retrieve. Both benefit from being out in the sunshine with fresh summer air in their lungs, bonding as human and canine companions.