They say that a dog is a man's best friend and pet lovers usually treat them as part of the family. Taking care of our dogs does not only include feeding them or taking them for a walk. Dogs needs to play too and so giving quality time to play can help develop a better communication, understanding, and respect with your dog. Playing games involves communication and working together.

Playing is an important factor in building up social relationship as dogs are social creatures too. Playing games is a basic way of imitating real life. Obedience can be taught to your dog through games and following basic instructions can be fun.

There are games that came from pet owners and these are testimonies on how games can be both fun and educational. Below are some of the games that you might want to try to your dogs.
Follow the Leader
If you have more than 1 dog, this game can be played by setting up obstacles and you as the owner can be the leader. This can also be good for puppies.

Find the Treat

In this game all you need is your dog's favourite treat. Start by telling your dog to "stay" or you can put her/him on a leash. Then start hiding your dog's favourite treats and when you are done hiding it release your dog or just say "GO" and your dog will have a lot of fun looking for the treats.

Hide and Seek

This game teaches your dog to wait until you call his/her name. Since your dog can not count, put him on a sit or lay down position. Find a place to hide and then call his/her name. You will have a lot of fun with this game as sometimes you will see your dog peeking!

Go Find

This is an off-shoot of the game "Find the Treat" but instead of treats, use a ball. This will start as a game of fetch the ball. Then add a separate command of "stay". Drop the ball and make your dog stay. If he takes the ball, ignore him and turn away for a few minutes. But if he stays introduce the clicker word "Yes". Try to increase the distance of the ball every time you do this game. Just make sure you toss the ball gently so that your dog will not get excited. You can also try variations on this game. Instead of throwing the ball, walk ten to fifteen paces leaving your dog behind and drop the ball. When you say "yes", that's the only time your dog will get the ball.

Fun with Toys

Toys can be very helpful not only in playing games and be a form of exercise but it can also be utilised in treating boredom and other behavioural problems. It also improves your relationship with your dog. In a separate article, we will discuss these benefits and will include reviews on the different kinds of toys.