Five quick engagement games to build focus and drive. Use them with puppies or adult dogs, at home first, then in new places. Keep sessions to 1 to 5 minutes and quit while your dog still wants more.
What is inside the engagement games cheat sheet
- The ground rules: keep it short, mark and pay, set them up to win, be the fun
- Name game
- Hand targeting
- Tug with an out
- Food chase
- Find it
- Reps for every game, step-by-step instructions and the most common mistake
- Signs it is working, when to take a break, and a sample 5-minute session
Name game and hand targeting
The name game teaches your dog that their name means look at me, good things are coming: say it once in a happy voice, and mark and reward the look. Hand targeting gives you a simple way to move your dog and get focus back: present a flat palm, mark the nose touch and build it left, right, low and a step away before adding the cue.
Tug with an out
Tug builds drive and teamwork, and a clean out keeps the game under your control. Tug low and side to side, gently with pups. To ask for the out, go still and hold the toy against your leg, then mark the release and restart the tug, so letting go keeps the fun going.
Food chase and find it
Food chase turns food into a game: toss a treat to one side, mark as your dog turns back, toss to the other side. Find it uses the nose and is a great way to calm down after play, starting with a treat at your feet and building to easy hides.
A sample 5-minute session
Name game x5, hand target x5, food chase x10, tug with an out x3, then find it x5 to calm down. Log it on our free Daily Training Log.
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