What do kids and puppies have in common? Aside from both being small and cute, both kids and puppies love to play, play, play! Playing together is an excellent way for your child and your puppy to bond. As a parent, having your child play with your dog is a great way to encourage your child to be active, engage their brains, and nurture their empathy as they care for a living creature. This also provides enrichment and exercise for your puppy – great at any age, but especially critical during their first few months of life! In short, your child playing with your dog is not only heartwarming but benefits everybody involved!
Quick Safety Tips
Before diving headfirst into play, take a moment to review best practices for children and dogs. It is especially important to be certain that both your child and your dog are being respectful of boundaries during play. Make sure that your child does not play too roughly with your puppy and remind them to respect if your puppy does not want to play. Above all, never allow your child to ride on your dog’s back. Your puppy, on the other hand, may become overexcited and start nipping or jumping up on your child. In either of these cases, this is a sign to switch to a calmer activity.
Make sure that the environment is safe before beginning your game. The area should be secured and free from tripping hazards or sharp objects. Regularly inspect dog toys to make sure that no parts are broken or torn to keep your dog safe. Finally, make sure that play is conducted with adult supervision.
With all of this in mind, you’re ready to play! Here are some games for you and your family to try out.
Games for Kids and Puppies
Fetch
Fetch is a perennial favorite of dog lovers everywhere! It’s simple, appeals to a dog’s natural instincts to chase and retrieve prey, and is accessible to all ages. If your child can toss an object, they can play fetch with the dog! Whether the dog will bring the toy back is a different problem entirely. Teaching your puppy the “Come” or “Give” commands will help speed this process along. Give your puppy treats and/or praise when they return with the toy. If your child is of an appropriate age, they can even engage in this part of training. One way or another, fetch is a classic game that your pup and child will love!
Find It!
Play this game with treats or your puppy’s favorite toy. Instruct your puppy to sit and stay while your child hides the treats or toy somewhere in the room. You may have to start off simply by allowing the puppy to watch the child hide the object or encourage the puppy through pointing. Once they catch on, you and your child can have fun watching your puppy put their sharp nose to work! If you have an especially clever puppy who achieves mastery of this game, you can even take it to the next level and start giving the toys names. Have your child scatter several toys around the room, then command your dog to find the toy by name (e.g. “Find Lambchop!”). You might be surprised how much some dogs can learn – one Collie in South Carolina is on record for knowing more than 1,000 toys by name!
Hide and Seek
Hide and seek is similar to the previous game, but instead of hiding treats or a toy, your kid themselves will be hiding! Give your child a handful of treats and send them off to hide. Have your puppy sit and stay while your child finds a hiding place. When your child is ready, tell your puppy “Free” and have your child call your puppy’s name. If your puppy is new at this game, they may require your child to call out more than once, but the more that you practice this game the more creative you can get! When your puppy finds your child, have them praise the puppy and offer a treat. Repeat until all the treats are gone!
Follow Me
“Follow Me” is both a game and an extremely useful command to teach your dog. For your child to play this game with your dog, give your child some treats and have them use the command “follow me!” Have your child move about the room and give your puppy treats when they follow them. If your puppy is having difficulty grasping this game, you can start by having the puppy on a leash that your child uses to lead them around the room. Monitor them closely to make sure that your child is not dragging the puppy around too forcefully nor being pulled over by the dog. Once your puppy has learned that follow me equates rewards for sticking close by, your child can lead them on complex adventures – hopping over, under, and around various obstacles or through multiple rooms.
This game is not just fun but a useful tool to guide your dog where you want them to go. By teaching them “follow me”, you can use it in situations such as leading them in or out of a building, coaxing them onto an unfamiliar surface, or directing them to the next activity. However, this command should not be used to trick your dog into somewhere they do not want to be; this would turn what has been a fun game into a negative experience. You and your child should use “follow me” to help take your puppy on adventures – be they just in the living room or out in the wide world!
Round Robin Recall
This is a game that you and your child can play with your puppy together. Stand on either side of a room or secured yard and take turns calling the puppy. When the puppy comes to the person that called them, give them treats or praise. This easy game helps to teach the puppy their name, reinforces their recall ability, and can even be used to teach your puppy the names of family members (e.g. “Go see Katie!” as Katie calls the puppy). Round Robin Recalls can also easily include more people. Add siblings, your spouse, or even family friends to make a circle around the puppy and call the puppy back and forth.
Crate Games
While your kids should not ever be getting into a dog’s crate, they can take part in helping to build the positive association with the crate through crate games. Here’s a very simple one to start with – have your child toss a few treats into the crate. When your puppy hops into the crate to get them, have your child say “crate!” When your puppy comes out again, say “free!” Your child can take pride in playing an active role in training your puppy and helping them become comfortable with their crate.
Obstacle Course
Most people have seen dogs doing agility courses, and we highly recommend them for anyone who wants to give them a try. However, you don’t need to go out and buy a bunch of expensive equipment for your puppy; instead, you and your child can build an obstacle course using items around the house! Try things like boxes, a tent, or a cheap tunnel you can buy online to get started. This activity engages your child’s brain as they build the course and help your puppy to navigate it, and is sure to be a treasured memory for them to look back on one day.
One Game Not to Play – Tug-of-War
Whether you should play tug-of-war with your dog at all is a topic that has been debated over the years. On the one hand, it is a great source of exercise for your puppy, can help with their teething, and can be utilized to build impulse control. On the other hand, while tug of war will not lead your puppy to become aggressive, it can exacerbate resource guarding in dogs that are already prone to it, may lead to tugging on clothes or hair, and should only be played with strict rules.
Because of this, we strongly advise against children and dogs playing tug-of-war. This is for both the safety of the child and the dog. When playing tug-of-war with a dog, you must take care not to play too roughly with them. If a dog’s feet are coming off the ground or their necks are twisting around, this could lead to injury. On the other hand, if the puppy is large and your child is small, the child would be guaranteed to lose every round of tug-of-war. They may even be pulled over in the process. Moreover, a dog may accidentally latch onto hands when they bite down on the toy. There are many other wonderful games for your child to play with your puppy. Give one of those a try instead!
Final Thoughts
The most wonderful thing about play is that your limitation is your imagination. As long as you practice basic safety and common sense, you and your family can invent tons of ways to have fun with your dog. Blow bubbles and let your puppy try to catch them. Have your child help you set up snuffle mats or other enrichment tools. Teach your dog to swim or any number of tricks. It’s a big, bright future for you, your child, and your new puppy. We hope that it is full of fun.
Looking for more information about kids and dogs? Check out the Top 10 Dog Friendly Breeds, or read our guide on handfeeding to learn about you can help your child and puppy bond.
