Key takeaways
- Mental games are ideal on rainy days, for small spaces and for dogs recovering from injury.
- Scent games tap into dogs' strongest sense and are calming as well as tiring.
- Tug and fetch are great when played with simple rules.
- Rotate toys to keep them interesting and supervise with new toys.
Play builds your bond, burns energy and keeps your dog's brain busy. Here are simple games you can start today — no special equipment needed.
Indoor games
1. Find it
- Have your dog sit or stay (or have someone hold it).
- Put a treat on the floor a short distance away while your dog watches. Say "find it!" and release.
- Gradually hide treats in harder places: behind furniture, under a cup, in another room.
2. Hide and seek
Have one person hold your dog while you hide. Call your dog's name once and celebrate with a treat or toy when it finds you. Great recall practice!
3. The cup game
Hide a treat under one of three cups, shuffle them and let your dog sniff out the right one.
4. Trick training
Five minutes of learning a new trick — spin, shake, touch, bow, roll over — is great mental exercise. Use positive reinforcement.
5. Muffin tin puzzle
Put treats in some cups of a muffin tin and cover all cups with tennis balls. Your dog removes the balls to find the treats.
6. Towel roll-up
Roll treats inside a towel and let your dog unroll it.
Outdoor games
Fetch
Teach "drop it" with a two-toy game: throw one toy, and when your dog returns, show the second toy. When it drops the first, throw the second. Avoid throwing sticks — they can splinter and cause serious mouth and throat injuries.
Tug
Tug is great exercise and doesn't cause aggression when played with rules:
- You start and end the game.
- Teach "drop it" (trade for a treat or restart the game).
- If teeth touch skin, the game pauses briefly.
- Let your dog win sometimes!
Flirt pole
A pole with a rope and toy at the end — great for high-energy dogs in a small space. Keep sessions short and avoid sharp turns for dogs with joint issues or puppies.
Scent walks
Let your dog lead and sniff. Scatter a few treats in grass for "sniff and find."
Interactive toys and puzzles
| Toy | What it does | Level |
|---|---|---|
| Stuffable rubber toy | Stuff with kibble, wet food or dog-safe spread; freeze for a longer challenge | Easy → hard |
| Snuffle mat | Hide kibble in fabric strips for sniffing | Easy |
| Treat ball / wobble toy | Dispenses food as it rolls | Easy–medium |
| Lick mat | Spread food on textured surface — calming | Easy |
| Puzzle boards | Slide, flip or lift parts to find treats | Medium–hard |
Feed some or all of your dog's daily kibble from puzzle toys instead of a bowl. It turns a 30-second meal into 15 minutes of enrichment.
Toy safety
- Choose toys larger than your dog's mouth can swallow.
- Supervise with new toys and remove damaged ones.
- Avoid very hard chews (antlers, bones) that can break teeth.
- Rotate toys weekly to keep them exciting.
See our dog toys buying guide.
