Co-Operative Play: Building Better Engagement With Your Dog
CO-OPERATION (Not Just a Board Game)
We’ve talked before about better toy selection and how to actually use your dog’s toys properly (if you’ve not read that, go give it a read here), but all of that goes out the window if you don’t know how to actually play with your dog.
Now I’m not gonna bleet on too much about ball chuckers here — but just know that launching a ball into space isn’t the same as playing with your dog. Not unless you’re adding structure and working on something that makes sense for your dog's breed. That’s not me saying never use one again — just that it doesn’t count as proper co-operative play.
So, now we’re past that — what the hell is co-operative play, and how do we do it with our dogs?
In short: it’s playing with your dog interactively. With give and take. Basically, putting in some actual effort to build a stronger relationship with your dog through play. You’re not just there to lob toys — you’re part of the game.
How to actually do it
Like with any decent bit of training, we start with the lead on. Trust me, this’ll make sense soon.
Pick a toy that you can both grab hold of. If your dog’s bonkers for a ball, ditch the tennis ball (they’re crap for teeth anyway) and go for something like a Durofoam ball on a rope (K9 Corner do some awesome ones).
Now you’ve got a way of engaging with your dog together. Tug is ideal for this. And don’t go all-out straight away — match your dog’s energy. In fact, early on, give ‘em some easy wins to keep the game fun and rewarding.
And yeah, I can already hear it:
“But once they’ve got the ball they leg it and won’t give it back!”
Enter the trusty lead I mentioned earlier. By keeping that leash on (and holding it while you play), you stop them from doing a runner once they’ve “won.” But more than that — it lets you bring them back to continue the game. You’re showing them that the fun is with you, not in trotting off with the prize.
If your dog doesn’t want to share
Now, if your dog’s got a bit of a history of guarding stuff, this might take more time. Maybe you’ve taken stuff off them in the past and now they’re wary of you being around “their” toys. That’s fair — from the dog’s point of view, you’re always trying to nick their stuff.
If that sounds familiar, it’s worth chatting to a trainer to work on that first. But assuming you’re in the clear — back to the fun stuff.
Get into it (like, properly into it)
Co-operative play falls flat if your vibe is more “stoned sloth” than “enthusiastic squirrel.” Your dog feeds off your energy — if you’re not bringing it, they won’t either. Get stuck in. Move, react, be silly.
It’s actually a top-tier way to de-stress as well, so it’s a win-win. A mate once said to me:
“If you feel a bit stupid doing it, you’re probably doing it right.”
And they weren’t wrong.
Getting the toy back (without turning it into a fight)
Eventually, you’re gonna want the toy back. You’ve got a few options here:
Trade for equal value (ball for ball)
Trade up (ball for higher value toy or food — food only works if your dog isn’t too aroused)
Let them win and walk off with it — then collect it once they’ve had enough
For example — with Sam, I know full well she won’t trade a ball for food in the park. She’s too buzzed. But she will trade a ball for another ball.
So early on, I didn’t even say anything — I’d just show her a second ball, and she’d drop the first one. Once she got good at that, I started saying “drop” just before showing her the new ball. Eventually, she learned that the word predicted the new toy was coming.
That meant I could start adding gaps between the cue and the second ball appearing. Then I built that into a bit of structure — I’d ask her to drop, then cue a sit, then give her the second ball. That’s classic marker work, and if you’ve not read my marker post, go check it out —> here <—
Nowadays, I’ll ask her to drop the ball, heel her back to the van, get her to crate up, and then either food reward her or give her the ball back as a crate reward (cos I know she’s not gonna shred it in there).
Final thoughts
There’s a lot of nuance when it comes to co-operative play. I can’t cram it all into a blog post. But I can point you to The Interactive Play Guide by Craig Ogilvie — highly recommend it if you want to take this seriously.
Co-operative play is a game changer. It’s a big part of how I train, and honestly, it’s one of the best ways to build trust, engagement, and just a solid relationship with your dog.