10 Engaging Activities for 2 Dogs To Play Together

Do you have more than one dog? Some people are a one-pet kind of person, but more often than not, pet owners tend to have multiple pets. Their pet has a built-in playmate at the ready, and you don’t have to worry about them being too lonely when you’re gone all day.

There can be some difficulties with having more than one pet. There is twice the clean-up (or more depending on the number of pets), twice the expense, and more than one pet to keep entertained.

Playing games with more than one pet at a time can be challenging because of the potential for jealousy. If you play fetch, they may all chase the toy and then fight over it. So what is the best way to have activities that can include all your dogs without the risk of a potential fight?

Here are some great games and activities for 2 dogs:

Obedience Training

This may not seem like a 2-dog activity, but it’s a great opportunity to train your dogs better and help them bond with each other and you. You can have shared favorite treats to reward good behavior, or keep each dog’s favorite treat on hand.

Your dogs may even learn from each other as you go through the process of teaching them commands and tricks. If one dog catches on sooner than the other, for example, and you reward them with the treat, though it may cause a bit of jealousy at first, the other will soon learn how to get the treat from their sibling example.

Toy on a String

This has the potential for a few jealous tussles, but is possible to play with two dogs at a time. Dangle a favorite toy from a string on a stick, trail it around the house and let them chase it, hold it up high and have them jump for it in an attempt to catch it. If they fight too much over trying to catch the same toy, you can always mix it up by dangling two fun toys at a time, one in each hand, and see which one they prefer.

Obstacle Course

Preparation

This doesn’t have to be too complicated, and you can use furniture and empty boxes and anything you already have lying around in your house. Figure out what you want to use, a couch to run around, a small table to jump over, a box with the ends open to crawl through, maybe something your dogs can jump up on and balance.

Follow-Through

Then, with treats at the ready, try to lead them through the obstacle course you’ve arranged. Dogs love to follow their owners, and they’ll be so interested in what you’re doing that they’ll be too busy to fight with each other. You can try leading one at a time, if your dogs are trained to sit and stay, and let the other watch. Take turns, try having them go together, just have fun with it and see what happens.

Cardio Twist

Known as weave poles, this game of cardio twist can be used with either household objects like small tables or chairs, or you can set up some type of pole that both you and your pet can use. If you have several poles or items, even better.

You can have them heel as you show them how to twist around the object. Once they grow familiar with the game, they can take turns. If you have two poles or objects, they can both play at the same time.

Muffin-Tin Fun

This is a game that combines a dog’s two favorites, treats and balls. You can have both dogs play at the same time, watching for jealousy or potential arguments. Or, set up two and let them both try with their individual tins. Have your dogs watch as you place favorite treats in each cup of the muffin tin, then cover the treats with balls of various sizes and textures. Sit back and watch the fun!

Sniffing Games

Hiding Treats

Most dogs can sniff well. When there’s an interesting treat or food smell somewhere around, they can usually find it. A fun game that can entertain two dogs at the same time is to hide treats around the house in different locations.

Try one room at a time, calling your dogs into the room after hiding the treats and see if they can find them just by smelling the treats in the room. You can start with easier locations at first, then as they learn the game and how to use their sniffing abilities even more, you can choose more difficult locations.

Hide-and-Seek

You can play this with one dog or two at the same time. This is easier if your dogs know simple commands like stay and come. You can take your dog in another room and tell them to stay, then go hide.

Or, if your dogs are already in another room, you can hide somewhere else and then call for them. Either way, it’s fun to watch their confusion when they come into the room you called from and don’t see you anywhere!

Classic Dog Games

Chase

If you have a yard, or a long hallway with no breakables, this can be a really fun game. Just start running with your dogs. They’ll want to run too, and they may end up chasing each other around as they get caught up in all the fun. Either way, it’s a great way to have them spend some of their energy, give them exercise, and join in a fun activity together.

Fetch

As mentioned earlier, this has the potential to end in a few scuffles, but with training and patience, you can play fetch with both your dogs at the same time. Try different methods and see what ends up working the best for you and your special pals.

Try throwing one ball or toy, then try throwing two different ones at the same time. If your dogs each have a special toy they prefer, they may naturally just chase their own toys when you throw them both. Find what works best for you.

Tug-of-War

This can be played just between you and one dog, but can also be played with two dogs together. If you have a special tug toy, or find a thick rope and tie knots on the ends, you can give one end to your dog, then tug with them for a while.

Take turns with each one, then give one end to one dog and the other end to the second dog. They may even eventually play by themselves if you leave the tug toy lying around!

Final Thoughts

There are lots of great activities to try with your dogs, even with two dogs at the same time. Any of these games will be an opportunity to find out what your dogs like the best and what they are capable of doing.

Just try to make it fun, watch for any jealousy issues, and have a great bonding experience!