Here’s an awesome collection of Dog theme party game idea, perfect for throwing the coolest ever Dog birthday party.
Doggy Drink Race
What you’ll need for this dog party game idea are two or three doggy dishes. Put Jell-O or any kind of drink in these doggy dishes and have the kids kneel beside the dishes with their hands behind their backs and see who finishes first the doggy drink. Another variation is instead of filling the bowls with a drink, fill them with Puppy Chow (there are many recipes online). (Remember, they have to eat and drink like a dog, on their hands and feet!)
Dog Bone Hunt
Hide about 40 cardboard bones (or get these great plastic personalized dog bones) at “dog height” and have the kid puppies hunt on hands and knees for them.
Dog Relay
Make two teams and designate a starting line and a turnaround line. Place plastic bones or cookie bones at the turnaround line (the same number of bones as there are kids). Blow a whistle to start the race and have the first kids in line run (on all fours) to the turnaround line, pick up a bone and run back. The first team to finish the bones is the winning team. Instead of bones you can use dog dishes with “dog food”.
Pin the Tail on the Dog
This is a simple variation of the classic party game idea of “pin the tail on the donkey”. Get a poster of a dog, have a picture blown up, or just cut the outline of a dog from poster board and cut off the tail. Blindfold the kids so that they need to try and pin the dog’s tail.
Musical Dog Bones
Cut out large dog bones from white poster board. Sit in a circle and play “doggie” music. Pass around the dog bones (one less in amount than there are people). Once the music stops, whoever doesn’t have a bone has to go to the doghouse. You can also call the game “hot dog” and pass a dog-stuffed animal around. Whoever is holding the dog when the music stops is out to the pound.
Dog Poo Pick Up
Divide the kids into two teams. In an area have a bunch of wrapped tootsie rolls all over the floor. Have two of the reach extenders (the long poles that help people grab things)- one for each team. Each child will take a turn picking up the Doggie Poo (tootise roll) and putting it into the garbage bag. The team to clean up the “yard” first wins. Gross in theory but poo makes kids laugh.
Barking Contest
A really cool party game idea is to host your very own barking contest where everyone is a winner. Each kid gets to give their best bark, and then you can award prizes for loudest, saddest, most real, squeakiest, funniest, etc.
Dog Obstacle Course
Divide the kids into 2 teams. Give each team a tennis ball, or other small ball. On all fours, the kids have to push the ball through the obstacle course with their noses. Set up tables to go under, hula hoops to move around, bubble wrap to move over, etc. Anything goes that will make it fun!
Dog Trainer Says!
This game is based on Simon Says, but instead it’s called “Dog Trainer says” and it’ll help get all the little “doggies” to pass Dog obedience school. This party game idea has the kids doing dog tricks, but only when the leader prefaces the command with “Dog Trainer says…” (The trainer will need a cheat sheet to remember appropriate dog commands: Sit, Growl, Lie down, Wag your tail, Roll over, Speak, Jump, Bark your head off, Shake, Stay, etc.). Every time they get something right the trainer can give out “doggie” treats (can be little dog-bone cookies). For younger kids (for example the age of 3) omit the “Trainer says” part and just pretend to teach them tricks like Run around the yard, backward, and other silly things.
Cat, Cat, DOG!
This is another version of the classic party game: “Duck, Duck, Goose”. Everyone sits in a circle. One kid goes around patting the kids on the head and saying each time “Cat”. Once they say “DOG” that person needs to get up and chase them around the circle. The kid being chased needs to run once around the circle and sit down where the “DOG” got up from. If the dog doesn’t catch them they become it.
Who Let the Dogs Bark?
Once each kid arrives take them to the side and tell them to bark into a tape recorder. Write down in what order you tape each person. Once it’s game time, playback each bark and see if everyone can guess which kid is barking.
Doggie Doggie Where’s Your Bone
Have the children sit in a circle. Pick one child to be the Doggie. That child then goes to the middle of the circle, scrunches up in a ball with their faces down to the floor and their eyes closed. On the ‘Doggies’ back place an object (this will be the Doggie’s bone). While the Doggie is sleeping, quietly pick one child to steal the bone off the Doggie’s back. Then have all the children hide their hands behind their backs.
The children then sing or say “Doggie, Doggie where’s your bone? Somebody took it from your home. It could be you or it could be me, Wake up Doggie and find your bone.” The Doggie then wakes up and barks at one person, that person then shows their hands to reveal whether or not they have the bone. The Doggie has three chances to find the bone. Then another child becomes the Doggie.
Doggie Dig
Fill two big tubs with sand and bury bones on the bottom of each. Make two teams, set a time limit, and see who can dig out the most bones in that time.
Puppy Show
For this party game idea, you can tell all the kids to bring their own stuffed dog to be part of a puppy show. Each kid will then have a chance to get up, show their dog to all, tell everyone its name, where they got it, etc. You can then have awards that you have pre-made as in Biggest Dog, Best Groomed, Best trick, etc. To make this more official, once the kids come to the party they can be greeted at a registration table. Someone there will then take down the name and information of the owner and the show dog.
They then move onto the grooming salon where the kids can pretend to bathe their dog in a tub, brush their dog’s hair, and add pretty ribbons to their dog. The kids can then go through all kinds of activities with their dog, such as throwing them through a hula-hoop for best jump, catching Frisbees while they are holding their dog, etc.
Leap Dog Party Game Idea
Divide the group into two equal teams. Have them each stand in a straight line one after the other. Once the whistle is blown everyone in the group bends over and the last person in line hops over the backs of all the other players. They then become the head of the line and bend over so that the next last person can hop over their backs. This continues until the goal is reached (which can be to either a designated line or to go around something and back). The first team to finish wins.
Feed the Dog
On a large box draw the face of a dog and cut out the mouth. Then, let the kids play feed the dog by trying to throw doggy bones into the dog’s mouth. Have them try from different distances.
Real Dogs
Excite all of the kids and have REAL dogs and puppies come to the party! There are certain organizations) that specialize in bringing 5 to 15 pups to parties for an hour or two. They usually set up a small fenced area in the shade and all the children get to go in and let the puppies run around them. The kids can usually pet them, hold them, etc. (Great photo opportunities!). You can also make it more educational and ask a worker at a local pet rescue group come with a puppy (or a dog) to talk to the children about respecting pets and dogs and the correct way to take care of a dog.
Take a look at our complete Dog Party Theme Idea section for more of the coolest party-planning ideas.
Kid Birthday Parties › Kid Activities › Dog Party Game Idea
Dog Barking
Somebody barks a pattern. The pup that barks picks another pup to bark the same pattern and if the pup gets the pattern right, they get to make up a pattern and do the same as the other pup did.
Puppy Pout Game
Get all the players to sit in a circle. Every one makes a big puppy pout (sad face, sad eyes, pouty lips, etc.). Then each player will take turns trying to make the other laugh and lose their puppy pout. For example, if one of the players is “it”, they go around the circle taking 30 seconds (or however long you want) and make a silly face, do a funny dance, etc. If that person doesn’t laugh and time runs out, the person who is “it” moves to the next person. If that person does laugh or smile, they switch places.
Dog Pound Activity
Have every party guest bring a stuffed dog. After all the guests arrive give them each $2 in play money. Tell them they have to keep their dogs with them at all times. Make someone the dog catcher (maybe an older sibling or party helper). If the dog catcher spots a dog left alone they will put it in the “pound.” To get your dog out you have to pay $1. Once you run out of play money, the dog has to stay in the pound. Any one with their dog at the end of the party gets a prize. You may want to designate a safe spot to keep all dogs when doing an activity such as eating.
Animal Control And Shelter Dog Party Game
Classic freeze tag. One person is “IT”, they are the dog napper. The rest of the group is divided into 2 groups. One group are stray dogs (this group should be larger than the other), the other half are dog adopters. The dogs must stay on hands and knees to move around. The dog napper tries to tag the dogs. Once tagged the dog must freeze and begin to bark. The adopters can then unfreeze the dogs by tagging them. But if the adopter gets tagged by the napper they become a napper too. Play until all dogs are frozen.
Doggy Dance
When all children are at the party, turn on songs like ‘Who Let the Dogs Out’ and ‘Scooby-Doo’
then have the kids get on their hands and knees to dance like a dog would! Or, you could just play the music for pleasure, and to add some edge to the party.
Find the Dog
This game you have to have a real dog to play.
Everyone covers there eyes with blindfolds than crawl around trying to find the dog. You are allowed to say stuff to let the dog come to you but it cannot be straight-out things like saying the dog’s name etc. Whoever catches the dog first and says ‘I caught the dog with my eyes closed’ gets a prize.