Resources we’ve used to teach our dog to play with us

This post was first published in January 2021. I last tweaked it in June 2024.

If I only have time to do one thing in a day with Scout, we’ll play together.

Play used to largely be an afterthought to me. We weren’t very good at it—she wouldn’t tug or bring toys back willingly or drop things on command—and I didn’t realize how important it was for her fulfillment.

In many ways, playing with my little cattle dog felt like a chore. When we did play, I went into it with the goal of “tiring” her out. I didn’t think much about the game itself and whether or not we were both having fun.

Now, though? Play is the heart and soul of our relationship!

Out of everything we’ve done together, sharing games has built her confidence and strengthened our bond the most. We’re always working on making it better—especially in new, scary environments—but I’m thrilled with how much fun we have goofing off.

Here are my favorite play concepts and resources that helped us build up our game! (And, of course, an ackno…