Easy Puppy Training Games

Training a new puppy may not always be the most fun thing to do. It can be stressful and frustrating for both you and your pup. One way to make training more enjoyable is to play training game. Certain interactive games can help stimulate your puppy’s mind as well as create a better bond between you and your new friend.

The Come Here Game

One of the first things many new dog owners will try to teach their new puppy is to come. This can sometimes be a challenge, but you can make it fun by turning it into a game. If you have a couple friends that are willing to help, you can turn the Come Here Game into Pass the Puppy to give them more practice and extra socialization.

How To Play The Come Here Game

• Sit on the ground with a toy or treats
• Tell your puppy to “come here”
• Once they do, give them the treat/toy and a lot of praise
• Wait for them to walk away and repeat
• Tip: Try moving spots and changing the reward to keep things interesting

This is an easy and fun game to teach your new puppy an essential training tool that will be beneficial for them to know as they get older.

How To Play Pass The Puppy

• Have a couple people sit around the room with treats or a toy
• Have one person at a time tell your puppy to “come here”
• Whenever they reach that person, have them give your puppy the toy/treat and a lot of praise
• Continue to repeat these steps with different people

This game has the same benefits as the Come Here Game, but it also gives them more socialization and is a fun way to introduce your new puppy friend to your people friends.

The Which Hand Game

This is a mentally stimulating nose work game that helps teach your dog manners what handling treats. All you need to start is puppy training treats.

How To Play The Which Hand Game

• Place a treat in your hand
• Close both hands and hold them out to your dog
• Let them choose what hand it is in
• If they choose the correct hand, open it up and give them the treat

You may run into some issues when playing this game. Your pup may get too excited about the potential treat and start to bite or claw at your hands. You would then want to take a pause from the game to teach them how to be more gentle when it comes with treats.

The “Find The Treats” Game

This is another nose work game that is good for mental stimulation and helps them polish their natural sniffing abilities. Learning a new skill can also help boost their confidence and build their focus. The game is easy to play, it’s just teaching your dog to sniff out treats you find around the house.

For the first couple rounds, you’ll want to make it easy for them. Have them sit in one spot of the room, and hide the treats while they are watching you. After your dog gets the hang of things, you can start making it more challenging. Try hiding the treats under rugs and pillows or have the your dog in a different room while you hide them.

How To Play Find The Treats

• Have your dog sit in the stay position
• While they are sitting, hide some treats as they watch you
• Instruct your dog to “find the treats”
• Praise and encourage them as they find all of the hidden treats
• After they get an understanding of “find the treat” means, you can start making it more challenging

Since treats are all you need to play this game, its easy to play in different environments and challenge them on different levels.

Hide & Seek

Just like young children, young dogs can enjoy playing Hide & Seek. If it’s just you and your dog, you’ll want them to have their stay command mastered. If not, you may have to grab a friend to hold your dog while you hide.

How To Play Hide & Seek

• Have your dog sit in the stay position
• Find a hiding spot
• Call for your dog
• Give them a lot of praise when they find you

You won’t want to hide in too difficult of a spot because your dog may get frustrated if they can’t find you. Once they get the hang of it, you can find more difficult places to hide and give them more of a challenge.

Tug Of War

One of the classic puppy training games is Tug Of War. Not only is it a great training tool, but it is good exercise for them as well. It teaches them basic impulse control and manners, but it does not make them aggressive or dominant. Research has actually found that dogs who play this game often are more obedient and confident.

There is one rule to remember when playing Tug of War with your puppy. The game stops when their teeth touch your hand. This will teach them not to use their teeth to get what they want. You can stop the game for a minute or so, then start it back up so they learn that when their teeth touch you, the game ends.