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The Games Dogs Play

My dog, Echo, has a toy that you would use for tug a war,
but instead I throw it at him, then act like I'm going to take it
from him and then he moves really quickly and then I will pretend
I'm going to sit down, then reach down quickly and try to get it
from him. It is a lot of fun and makes me and Echo get tired real
quickly. Annie, age 10 Missouri

My dog and I play a game where you move your feet around
and wait until she starts to chase them and then you try to run
away and he chases your feet and tries to get them.
Lauren, age 10, Australia

I like to play Fetch with my dog. We made up a game where
I bounce the ball high and Beau (my dog) catches it. Then we wrestle.
We also play hide and go seek with a dog biscuit.
Tyler, age 9, Colorado USA

My dog Harley and I play tetherball together. We have a tetherball
pole in our backyard. I will hit the ball to him and he jumps up and hits the ball
back with his front paws. He just loves it! Julie, age 12, California

Me and my dog Riley play tug-o-war. Sarah, age 8, Pennsylvania USA

My sister and I usually play bobbing for biscuits with our dog,
Kirby. We drop some treats into her water bowl and she'll take them out again.
Just like when we bob for apples at Halloween. Kirby also joins us for running
through the sprinklers. Ning, age 12, Colorado USA

I play Frisbee with my dog, Skipper. Once I threw it in a tree,
and he tried to get up to it! Kyle, age 8, Kentucky USA

My dog, Kelsey, and I play "Find The Cookie" with our other
dog, Denver. My sister and I will hide a dog biscuit without letting our dogs
see where. Then we'll see how fast the dogs can find the treat, and which one
finds it first! Bethany, age 13, Missouri USA

Shayna is my 4.5 year old Old English Sheepdog! She weighs
100 pounds and is very energetic. I usually go outside and play soccer with her
and I sometimes, when it is yukky outside, I play hide and go seek. My brother
holds Shayna with a piece of her favorite food in his hand and then I hide.
My brother gives Shayna the treat to calm her down and then she goes to find me.
When she finds me, I give her good comments and then I give her a kiss and a
piece of food. Then my brother hides and we continue playing.
Jessica, age 12, New York USA

I take a sock, put tissue or paper, etc. in it. Tie it up securely and
start playing!! Aimee, age 10, Oklahoma USA

I play fetch with my dog, Sally. I use a Frisbee. Katie, age 10, Illinois

I like to play hide and seek with my dog. It isn't much, but
it is kind of fun. What I do first (it is better to do this game at night) is throw
her favorite toy as hard as I can across the yard (fenced). Then as soon as I
do that, I run the opposite direction and hide. It is fun, but you have to find
different hiding spots and switch around, otherwise the dog will keep looking
where you always hide. Once she couldn't find me and started whining a little,
but I called her and she found me. Kellie, Age 12, Oregon USA

I walk up the road with my dog and then when we're at the top,
we run home (racing) my dog, Sunny, always wins! I also throw the ball way
out in our backyard, then Sunny goes to get. (I'm still trying to teach her to
give it back, and sometimes she does!!) Dustin, age 10, Washington USA

One game I play with my dog, Coco, is 'find the treat'. I rub the
scent of the treat on the rug to the place where I'm going to hide it and put
Coco in a room so he can not see where I hide it. Then I open the door and
ask Coco where it is while he is picking up the scent with his nose and he
finds it. Jocelyn, Age 11, Ontario

We play games that teach Astro not to be too aggressive. When I
throw a toy, he runs to get it. When he returns, he usually tries to not let me
have the toy so I ignore him. Then he gives me the toy and I reward him and
try it again. Katie, age 10, California USA

We play 'Come to me'. That means that when I call my doggy,
she 'comes to me' and I give her a kissy and a pat. When I say "Come to me!"
she understands what that means and she really comes to me. I love my dogs!
I have 3 all together. Miss B, age 11, Sydney Australia

I play a fun game that me and my dog, Tia, decided on
called Tug~O~Fun. My dog is too stubborn to let me have the ball.
When I throw it for her, she comes back with it. I get on my hands and
knees and tug-o-war with her and that's why it's called Tug~O~Fun!
Sarah, age 11, Perth,Western Australia

Both of us play wrestling with our dogs. Our dogs' names are
Doc and Suzy. Also you can get a frisbee and throw it and let your dog catch
it and bring it back to you. KS, age 10, Illinois

I play tug-o-war. Ryan, age 11, Illinois USA

Le tiro un palo y el lo coge con la boca y me lo trae.
Santiago, age 4, Bogota Colombia

El me persigue a mi. Maria, age 7, Bogota Colombia

Me and my dog Niki like to play search. I hide a toy then he
finds it. It's fun!!! Glo-worm, Age 12, Alberta, Canada

I play hide and seek with my dog. I throw his tennis ball really
far and then I run to hide somewhere, and when he comes back
I call his name once and he comes looking for me. When he
finds me we do it again! Danielle, age 11, Connecticut USA

My dog, Cricket, loves to play shake a paw, give me five!
then ten! She'll run up and sit in front of me and I'll say "Gimme five!"
She'll slap her paw into my hand then I'll say "Shake a paw!" and she'll slap
her other paw into my hand.Then after she does that countless times, I'll
say "Gimme ten!" and she'll slap both her paws into my hand. Then she'll go
tearing off and play with her Panda. Jenny, age 15, British Columbia Canada

My dog, Spot, loves to play ball but he is sometimes too stubborn
to return the ball to me. He loves it when I give him a good pat on his head,
but it makes him mad to see our neighbors because they tease him. But I'd do
anything for my dog. Therese, age 11, Mandaue Cebu Looc Phillipinnes

This game is very simple and I am sure that most people,
(if not all), have played it. I give my dog his toy, and he plays keep-away.
I hide behind a chair or something, and he'll slowly walk over to my hiding spot,
and then I'll jump out and try to grab his toy. Sara, age 11

We play a lot of games with our dog at once. When our dog,
Wiggles, starts running around really fast, she is in her playful mood. We run
and then she chases us. When she tags us, we crawl on the ground and start
wrestling. When she gets out of hand, we throw her toy lion and she fetches it.
After a while, we use the lion to play tug-of-war when she starts to tear it up,
so she won't be sad. TIP: DO NOT let your dog win each time! If you do,
that will tell your dog that he/she is stronger than you, and he/she will try to
take over. Maxie and Alexis, ages 12 & 7,Texas USA

My dad has a cabin by a lake and my dog, Coco, and I race
downhill until we reach the swamp. Then I catch frogs, tadpoles, crawfish,
snakes, toads, etc... And then I let it go in the middle of our driveway. Both
of us trying to catch it, until it gets tired, and we let it go back in the swamp
to produce more of it's kind so Coco and I will have more for us to chase next year! Erin

My dog, Muffin, and I play this game. First I crawl on my
knees and stamp my hands on the floor. Then, after a while, she will start
doing it too. Then, after we do that for a while, I get up and start running
around the house while she tries to catch me. NOTE: MY DOG ONLY DOES IT
WHEN SHE'S FEELING PLAYFUL. Megan, age 7, Texas USA

My Springer, Randy, can catch a ball in his mouth when I
throw it to him. Randy, Connecticut USA

Me and my dog, Snoopy, play a neat game. It's called
'Round Them Up'. Here's what I do: I dress up like a cow, then I hide
somewhere in the house. Next I say "Yahoo!". Snoopy will sniff for me and
when he's just about to find me, I run down the hall mooing like a cow.
Snoopy will snap at my heels trying to put me in my room.Tip: It really only
works with sheepdogs. Gina, age 12, New mexico

I throw a ball or stick for my dog. Her name is Lucy.
She's a black Labrador Retriever. I try to teach her how to play hide and seek,
but she's really good at tag. I have another dog too. Her name is Molly.
Lucy and Molly are sisters. They love it when I throw a ball for them in the
water. I think my dogs are the best dogs. Tessa, age 8, British Columbia, Canada

I really wish I had a dog, and if I did, I'd play all these games.
But I'd really like to go swimming with it...Paul, age 12, Pennsylvania USA

My game is hide-n-seek. I hide his toy somewhere in the yard.
When I'm done hiding the toy I'll say, "Go get the toy" and he searches the yard
for the toy. When he finds it, I hide it again. (But don't hide it too hard because
he won't be able to find it.) Sylvia, age 12, Nova Scotia, Canada

I give the dog his doll. Then I start pulling it softly from
his mouth. Then I start pulling it hard and hard. Then he starts pulling too,
until he shakes his head. Then I throw it away. Then he will go to bring it.
I love this game and he does too. Adil, age 11

I taught my dog to Hug. I put some food in my hand and held it
in the air and patted my chest. She jumped for the food and landed on my chest,
then I bent my arm that was patting my chest so that she would land on it.
And when she did, I would give her a hug. So each time I put my hand in the air
and patted my chest, she would give me a hug. Kate, age 12, New Zealand

My dog and I like to play catch. It is not your regular game
of catch. I throw the ball or frisbee as high as I can and he tries to catch it.
He's a pretty good catcher. He's only missed a couple of catches!
Shannon, age 13, California USA

A big Thank You! to Jemma, age 10,
from South Africa, for sending us the idea for this page.

 

 

Here are some books that will give you
lots of ideas for things to do with your dog:

Totally Fun Things to Do With Your Dog (Play With Your Pet) by Maxine A. Rock, 1998 Here's a book that gives ideas and step-by-step instructions for dozens of fun and safe games and activities to do with your dog: from playing basketball, Frisbee, and hide and seek, to jumping through hoops, taking photographs, creating unusual dog houses, and throwing dog theme parties. Written for kids ages 9-12

Fun Stuff to Do with Your Best Friend: The Interactive Dog Book, by Nancy Furstinger, August 1, 2000 From an Amazon.com reader: My family and I thoroughly enjoyed Fun Stuff by Nancy Furstinger. It's easy and fun to read and has a lot of great activities for kids and their dogs (or is it "dogs and their kids"?). We haven't tried all of the activities, of course, and we only tried one of the recipes so far, but it's a book we continue to use and refer back to. We're still working our way through the web sites, which gave us even more information! The "K-911" first-aid kit was a great idea and we now have one safely under our sink. A great book! Highly recommended! Ages 4-8

A Dog's Best Friend An Activity Book for Kids and Their Dogs, by Lisa Rosenthal, Chicago Review Press 1999 This book is for kids ages 9-12 who want to learn how to have fun with their dog and do it with gentleness and respect. It's clear, well-written, and well-organized.

 

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