When we think about dogs, the golden retriever maintains a timeless and stand-out position in the forefronts of our imagination. Golden retrievers are, for a multitude of reasons, one of the most popular dog breeds in the canine world.
Perhaps it’s their epic cuteness or unflinching loyalty. Maybe, it’s their intensely loveable sociability. Whatever the case may be, one thing is normally true for any golden retriever: they absolutely love to play!
Whether you’re a lifelong golden retriever-parent looking for a fun new activity for your dog, or someone looking for a new four-legged and golden companion, the following list will absolutely enhance your play routines and make your pup think you are the most fun thing since Pac-man.
Spoiler Alert…Goldens Love to Retrieve
I mean… it’s in the name of the dog breed, for goodness’ sake. They were named retrievers for a reason. Golden retrievers love to search, chase, and bring back whatever it is you’ve trained them to retrieve.
Retrieving for them is like a game. It could be a ball in the backyard or a game-fowl on a hunting trip. Whatever it may be, they will happily fetch it and bring it right back for another round. It’s endless fun.
Swimming Is a Favorite Golden Pastime
The golden retriever’s history with hunting and retrieving wild game is where the breed also learned to swim. They are particularly good at retrieving waterfowl, like ducks.
If you don’t plan to bring your retriever on any hunting trips, that’s perfectly fine. They’ll happily swim after a ball or just jump in for fun and to cool off on a hot day. Pools, lakes, rivers, and oceans are all fun places to bring your golden.
Remember, start shallow and with heavy supervision. After a while, they’ll be swimming confidently by themselves.
Time for Tug-of-War!
Tug-of-war, much like fetch, is an absolute timeless classic. Playing tug is a great way to tucker out your golden. Something about the one-on-one competition draws them in and keeps them playing for hours.
You can even play fetch with your tug toy instead of a ball and combine these two favorites in a singular, mind-bogglingly fun activity for your dog.
Agility-Based Games
Most golden retrievers are high-energy and active dogs, especially in their younger ages.
A golden’s athleticism can really shine through during agility-based exercise games.
You can probably imagine the stereotypical dog handler leading their k-9 partner through an agility obstacle course. That can be you!
Except don’t worry, you don’t need the entire professional set-up to give your dog a good challenge. Most obstacles can be created with household items and a little DIY. For example, I got my dog to start jumping over a broomstick balanced on two stacks of books.
Obedience-Based Games
While you are working on ability games, you can also mix in some obedience style challenges. If you’ve already got your golden sitting, staying, and downing pretty well, it’s time for some extra flare.
Having your dog spin, roll over, play dead and hold a treat on their nose are all excellent obedience games. When that becomes too easy, you can try any of your favorite commands at longer distances or in faster succession. We love obedience games for winter days when it’s too frigid to play outside.
Don’t forget to mix up the sequence that you test their obedience skills in order to keep them on their paws.
Goldens Love a Good Puzzle
Many golden retrievers are impressively intelligent. They like to use their smarts to solve problems. Ever have your golden figure out how to open up the backyard fence and take itself on a walk? That’s exactly the kind of intelligence we are talking about.
Puzzle feeders are a great addition to keep around the house. Maybe you’re too tired to entertain your dog, or perhaps your golden is just looking bored. Entertaining your dog with a puzzle feeder keeps them occupied both physically and mentally.
Chewing
While we are on the topic of eating things, we might as well talk about chewing. Golden retrievers, especially young ones, love to chew. It’s instinctual.
When they get bored with one or decimate the squeaker on the inside, they can move onto a new one and keep playing. Depending on your dog, you may consider various types of chew toys:
- Stuffed squeaker animals
- Plastic chew toys
- Bones, antlers and hooves
Having a surplus of chew toys around the house is a good idea if your dog likes to entertain itself.
A Word of Caution
You’ll just want to make sure that when they do break into the innards of their favorite furry chew toy, that you’re there to supervise and remove any plastic from the inside from being eaten. And some goes for bones or hooves; when they become too small, they can be a choking hazard.
They’ve Got a Nose for a Reason
Like most dogs, golden retrievers have a very powerful sense of smell. This makes them excellent at following scents. For that reason, golden retrievers have been used professionally to find contraband and even as avalanche search and rescue dogs.
You can train your dog’s sense of smell by playing scenting games with them, like hide-and-seek. Like obedience challenges, playing hide n’ seek inside during cold days is a great way to keep your high-energy pup occupied inside.
It can be as simple as hiding treats or toys around your home and allowing your dog to sniff them out. When they locate the toy or treat, you can praise them, and they will love you for it.
Just make sure that if you are using treats, that you’re not accidentally overfeeding your dog. That last thing they want is a bellyache.
Hiking, Running and Cycling, Oh My!
Golden retrievers absolutely love doing whatever their human is doing. This goes for when the human needs to exercise. Bringing your golden when you go out for a hike, jog, or bike ride is a great way to spread out the fun between you and your furry friend.
Before You Unleash
If you are going for a hike, make sure your dog is solid with verbal commands before considering taking them off-leash on the trail. For jogging, it’s a good idea to ensure they are first effectively leash-trained during walking. And for cycling, start slow and with shorter distances. Always make sure you know the leash laws where you are, too.
Clean-Up Can Be a Game Too
Sometimes, after a full day of play and fun, you find yourself with a mess. This can be a bit discouraging. However, clean-up can also be a game!
Like the retrieving and scenting games from above, training your dog to clean up its toys after itself is a great way to incorporate a game into daily life.
Just have some sort of home base or toy bin for all of your dog’s stuffies, chew toys and bones. When they bring back their toys to home base, you can reward and praise them. Before you know it, your golden will be cleaning up after itself in no time.
Conclusion
There is no end to the myriad of games that golden retrievers like to play. Young or old, most golden retrievers love to spend their days doing fun activities. Their generally playful personality is one component as to why they are such popular dogs to own.
Having these 10 games in your repertoire will do wonders for bonding with your beloved pup and getting them ample amounts of exercise. After all, a tired dog is a happy dog. Now get out there and go have some fun!