The Modern Guide to Puppy Games
100 one-minute games that teach real-life manners
Most puppy game books give you a pile of fun ideas and leave you to work out which one fixes the nipping. This one works the other way round: you start with the problem you've actually got, whether that's biting, jumping up, pulling on the lead or a puppy who won't settle in the evening, and it points you to the games that help with it.
Every game takes about a minute, so you can fit a few into the kettle boiling or the adverts, and each one comes with a step-by-step picture of Sully the puppy playing it, plus what to do when it isn't working. Games on their own won't teach everything, and neither will drills, so you'll get a bit of both: play that your puppy loves, with the steps that turn it into real manners at home and out on walks.
I've been training dogs for over 30 years, and these are the games I use with my own dogs and with the families I teach, written the way I'd explain them if we were stood in your kitchen together.
What's inside
Which game do I need? A problem finder that sends you straight to the right games for twenty everyday puppy problems
Why games work, how puppies learn through play, and why the best results come from games and step-by-step teaching together
Before you play: rewards, timing, too much excitement, finishing a game well and keeping children and puppies safe
100 games in ten groups: connection and focus, calm and settle, self-control, mouths and toys, greetings and visitors, recall, lead walking, handling and everyday care, body confidence, and brain and scent games
Every game on its own page with a step-by-step Sully picture, how to play, the golden rule, what to do if it's not working, how to level it up and when to skip it
Choosing games to suit your puppy's age, personality and home, including small flats and busy family houses
When a game isn't working: the problems families tell me about most, and what to change
Keeping it going: a simple weekly plan, how to make up your own games and the questions families ask me
Pages to print and keep
A printable "Which game do I need?" finder for the fridge
A weekly play plan and a game tracker
Twelve cut-out game cards to keep by the back door or in your treat pouch
Playing with our puppy: simple rules for children, to go through together with an adult
An index of all 100 games
Why this guide is different
It's organised by the problem you want to solve, so you go straight to the games that help with what's happening in your house
Each game is short, about a minute, so it fits into real family life without needing a training session
It pairs play with step-by-step teaching, so the games turn into manners your puppy uses every day
Every game shows you what to do when it goes wrong, which is where most families get stuck
It's built on reward-based training and up-to-date research, with no punishment and no shouting
Who it's for
Families with a new puppy, or a teenager who's forgotten everything they knew, who'd like to get on top of nipping, jumping, pulling and settling without it feeling like hard work. The games suit puppies from eight weeks and older dogs too, and many of them are fun for children to play with an adult alongside.
What you get
A 160-page PDF and an EPUB in one ZIP file, emailed to you straight after checkout. Read it on your phone, tablet, e-reader or computer, and print the pages at the back.
