Top 6 dog & puppy training games

If you’ve got an energetic dog or puppy, dog training games are a great way to teach useful skills, bond with your pup and expend some of that energy! We’ve compiled some of the most popular dog training games which, when paired with some of our high value dog treats, will have your dog practicing their new skills in no time.

How to make training fun for your dog?

Training games are an excellent way for bringing some fun to your dog’s training, whilst also providing mental stimulation and a form of physical activity for your dog. Combining play and learning, training games will leave both you and your dog feeling good.

Best training games for dogs and puppies

Best for teaching your puppy their name – Name game

An important stage in raising any puppy is of course teaching them their name and encouraging recall when you call their name. This dog training game, developed by Petrina Firth, is especially effective when paired with our puppy treats too.

To play:

• Throw a treat away from yourself so that your dog moves away from you
• As they finish their treat, say their name clearly
• When they look at you, give praise and throw another treat away from yourself
• Keep repeating this process.

Best for cooperative care – Bucket Game

The Bucket Game, developed by Chirag Patel, is founded on empowering your dog, enabling them to gain a form of choice and communication with you.

How to train:

• Put the treats in a bucket and hold the bucket out to the side
• Reward your dog when they look at the bucket but maintain some distance from it
• Then, place the bucket on the ground/chair – reward them for looking at it, but not for jumping for it
• Next, reward your dog when they maintain eye contact with the bucket for longer periods of time
• Remember, there is no need to call them/shake the bucket of treats - your dog can look around between focusing on the bucket as this game is about your dog making the choice to engage in the practice.

Use Practices:

• You can implement this impulse control practice across different procedures or activities, for example grooming, nail trimming or checking your dog’s ears
• Once your dog is focused on the bucket, you can begin touching them. If they continue to look at the bucket, reward them. If he looks at you/your hand, they have communicated their discomfort
• When they re-focus on the bucket, rebegin the game by rewarding their maintained focus on the bucket
• The game continues until you can groom their fur or trim their nails

Best for teaching focus – Airplane game

The objective of this training game, developed by Adrienne Farrcelli, is to improve obedience, focus and attention in your dog by encouraging them to keep focus on you despite tempting distractions around them.

To play:

• Use a high value treat and move it around and above your dog’s head in different directions, saying their name to get their attention
• Reward your dog with the treat when they follow the treat with its eyes and ears, ignoring other distractions
• Make it gradually more difficult overtime by playing it in noisier locations, or places with more distractions around.

Best for recall training – Counting game

This simple but effective game, developed by Chirag Patel, builds engagement with your dog. The process of counting is a great way to avoid overusing names or other cues that you may have, and encourages attention – when they hear ‘One’ they’ll begin to recognise that there is a treat on offer for them.

To play:

• Say the word ‘One’ and simultaneously move down to the ground and place a piece of food or treat on the ground with no expectation. Give your dog 10 – 15 seconds to respond
• Repeat the same steps, saying ‘Two’… ‘Three’… ‘Four’… placing a treat dog with every number
• As your dog approaches, move to a new location and repeat.

Best for impulse control training – Red light, green light

This training game is a great way to improve leash walking skills. It can take a bit of time to get into practice but the results can be really positive.

To play:

• With you dog on the leash, walk forwards.
• When your dog hits the end of their leash and pulls, stop and wait.
• Wait for your leash to droop slightly and a “J” to appear in your leash. Mark with an affirmative response (“good” or “yes”)
• Continue walking and repeat the process whenever your dog stops.

Best for leash skills – 1-2-3 walking game

Developed by Leslie McDevitt, this simple training technique helps your dog handle distractions when out walking and helps them stay close to you when walking.

To play:

• With some treats in your pocket, count out loud “One” “Two” “Three”
• When you say “Three”, give your dog a treat
• Give the treat to your dog until they learn that treats come when you say “Three”
• Begin keeping treats in your hand close to your pocket and your leg to prompt your dog to stay close to you.

These training games will help you bond with your dog, stimulate their minds and teach them new tricks, especially when combined with some engaging and high value treats. Shop our natural dog treats today to find the perfect treat to help your training practices.