Playing games with your dog is one of the most fun things you can do with your dog and it is important for many reasons. By playing a few challenging games, your dog will learn to listen and respect you as well as concentrating and improving his memory.

Choose things that are safe and appropriate for your dog. Puppies should not jump too much. Older dogs should not over-exert themselves. Know your own dog and choose what is appropriate. Rather than just letting your dog leap around, add some control, but not so much that he loses interest. For example, get him to sit on a low wall, then call him off and run with him. Encourage him back on, ask him to sit and give him a
treat.

On walks, use naturally occurring obstacles to add interest to the walk. This could involve jumping fallen tree trunks, negotiating streams, jumping on and off a low wall. When throwing a toy for your dog, do not always throw it in the direction he is expecting. If he runs in one direction in anticipation, throw it in the opposite direction, or call him back to you before you throw it.

When playing these games, stand in the middle of the field so that you can throw in any direction. In the house, stand in the hallway by an open door, so that you have several directions which you can throw in. This game is particularly good for dogs who love to chase. It enables the dog to learn the rules of the game, so that even when the dog is chasing something, if the owner calls, he should go back to him.