Playing with your puppy is a huge part of your relationship, and it has loads of benefits! The couple who plays together, stay together – and play will build the bond and the trust between you – and give you ways to interact and enjoy your time together.
Puppy games help keep your playful bundle of energy active and healthy, help in their physical development, and build their confidence and problem-solving abilities. So, if you want to discover some of the best games to play with your puppy indoors, then you’ve come to the right place. Carry on reading to find out what you need to know about puppy games.
Benefits of playing games with puppies
People often think that the only exercise a dog needs is a daily walk – but that couldn’t be further from the truth. A walk exercises their body, gives them a chance to explore the great outdoors, investigate new smells and meet new people (canine and human) and gives them a much-needed change of scenery from being stuck in the house all day.
Play and games serve a completely different, highly social purpose. If you watch puppies with their mum or littermates, awake time is dominated by play. Puppies only play with others they feel comfortable and safe with, which is why playing games with your puppy:
- Provides an appropriate outlet for hardwired instincts (such as chewing, gnawing, chasing, catching...)
- Provides enrichment opportunities and teaches them problem-solving skills.
- Builds their physical coordination, strength, and confidence.
- Strengthens the bond and trust between you, helping you learn more about each other.
Sometimes playing games in the house mixed with some training exercises can be an alternative to a walk if the weather is truly awful – or for some reason you or your dog can’t go outside.
Owners who play with their pup usually have a far better relationship with the dog that shares their life and their home – and they certainly have more fun! So read on for some ideas of games that you can both enjoy.
5 puppy games to try at home
1. Become a human climbing frame
This is a great early game to play with your baby puppy in the first few days to help build their confidence and get to know and trust you – and it is a very lazy one for you!
Just lie down on the floor and let them climb over you and explore you. Don’t use any hands and don't do anything else but let them walk over you, stand on you, roll around… This is fun for you both but it gives your puppy a chance to get to know you without any forced interactions.
In turn you get to discover a lot about your new arrival – are they confident, totally gung-ho, or more thoughtful, Do they explore with noses, paws or teeth. This is a voyage of discovery for you both!
You can add in some tasty treats every now and then too – so they learn just how fabulous you are.
If they start to get overexcited however, it’s time to quietly stand up and end the game.
2. Engage their sense of smell
Playing sniffing games with your puppy might be the very best thing you can do with them – and it’s something so many owners overlook.
These are games that provide great enrichment, but they are good games for calming down an over-bouncy pup – and distract from jumping, grabbing and nipping.
These can be anything from following a trail of treats, to scrunching up an old towel on the floor and hiding some treats in the folds, to putting treats into an old kitchen roll tube and folding the ends over for them to sniff out and discover how to get out.
There are plenty of shop made toys too like snuffle mats and activity rugs – which do the same thing.
3. Play a gentle game of tug
If your puppy is still learning what they can and can’t chew and loves grabbing things and pulling, redirecting onto an appropriate toy with a fun but gentle puppy game of tuggy can be the perfect deflection. Some breeds really love these games - especially terriers - as it taps into their natural instincts to grab and pull.
For some however it can be a bit intimidating. Make sure you have a toy that’s long enough for you to hold comfortably without their teeth accidentally contacting with your fingers, and make sure your puppy enjoys it before continuing.
Always let your puppy lead the tug – they pull you and NOT the other way round. All you do is hold the toy steady and provide resistance. Pulling too hard can damage or be painful on baby joints and muscles, and it can also lead to your puppy losing confidence.
Never drag them around or pull the toy upwards; instead, gently wriggle the toy gently from side to side to keep their interest.
Ignore the old-fashioned advice of ‘never letting your puppy win’ a tug of war game. Take it in turns to end up with the toy. This is a partnership not a dictatorship – and who would want to play a game where you can never win? Winning is a fantastic booster for your puppy’s confidence and development.
If your puppy gets over-excited and starts grabbing or biting, simply stop the game by swapping the toy for a treat. Because tug can be physically tiring for puppies, keep games short, and never play on a slippery indoor floor.
4. Build recall with hide and seek
This is a great option from our puppy games list. Hide and seek builds confidence, helps start teaching recall (or improves it) as your puppy learns that coming to you is rewarding, is a fun game that all the family can play.
Some dogs who don’t like more interactive games like chasing balls or tugging things, love to play hide and seek.
Ask someone to hold your puppy while you hide somewhere in the room (really obviously to start with!) - behind a curtain, behind a door or behind a piece of furniture – with a tasty treat ready to reward them.
When you’ve hidden, call your puppy’s name and let them seek you out. When they find you, be really happy and excited, and give them a treat. Once they get the hang of it, you can hide in more difficult places but remember that the aim of the game is that the puppy finds you not that you ‘win’!
You can play this game inside or outside, making it a great choice whether you’re having an outdoors adventure or are stuck inside on a rainy day.
Avoid this game with dogs that have separation issues.
5. Retrieve games (fetch)
While you don’t want to be throwing hard balls around in the house, there are plenty of soft toy options that work for learning how to chase and bring back things (retrieve). It’s often best to have two identical toys for this game. This isn’t a formal retrieve; it is just a fun way to interact using your puppy’s natural instinct to chase moving things - and depending on their breed, bring them back.
Start by getting your puppy interested in the toy by wiggling it about and maybe playing tuggy with it. Then throw it a metre or two away from you and see if your puppy chases it. If they do, praise them enthusiastically and encourage them to come back to you with it. If they don’t, that’s fine too - some breeds see no point in these kinds of games, so it is a case of knowing your own dog.
When they get back to you (with or without the toy), get them interested in the other one. When they let go of the toy they have, say “drop” (or any other word you like), and when they are focused on the one you have, throw that one.
You can then repeat this a few times. For puppies, these sessions should only be a couple of retrieves at a time and over short distances only. Always swap a toy that your puppy has for either another toy or a treat to keep it rewarding.
Puppy games FAQ
Play is an important part of puppy development, a social activity and it’s fun! They are also learning important skills for the future.
You can play with your puppy as much as you like each day – just remember to do it in short bursts, and that your puppy needs a lot of sleep so make sure they are getting that too.
If you watch puppies with their mum or their littermates, you will see that when awake, there is a lot of playing. This is a social activity and highly bonding. Puppies (and dogs) only play with others that they are comfortable and feel safe with. This is why play helps strengthen the bond between you. It is also important for puppy development as it helps build coordination, strength and confidence.
Purina Editorial Team
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