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Provide dog chew toys to play with. Frisbees and balls are great for a game of fetch
(or chase, depending on the dog). A large hard plastic ball is great for group play, and won't pop.
Use obedience commands as dog games. Practice sit, stay, down, come, etc. with food as a reward (this is the
safest way to give picnic food to canine guests, as it reduces fighting).
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Have a sit contest. The dog who stays in the sit position longest
wins.
Here's a fun dog game from Nancy Furstinger, author of "Fun Stuff You Can Do With Your
Dog: An Interactive Dog Book" (Doral Publishing): Play musical chairs with your party guests. When the music
stops, all the players put their dogs in a "sit." The last one to sit in each round exits the game until one winner
remains.
Invite
a trainer or groomer for a brief, fun lesson and to answer questions. Ask the guest speaker to come with some funny stories
about his or her work. A good storyteller can have your guests howling about mishaps, embarrassing moments, dogs who got the
best of them, etc.
Let the party dogs figure out their own games by allowing
them to socialize in a fenced area. Take the people out of the area so the dogs can interact naturally with each other.
Play "find the toy" by hiding a toy under a cup or blanket. This can
be a fun party game for dogs.
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Invite a portrait photographer to take candid pictures of your
guests' dogs. These often reflect the dog's personality better than posed studio portraits.
Here's a classic dog party game: have a relay race or a recall race. In a recall race, all
the dogs are taken to one end of a flat area. Owners stand at the other end and call their dogs. The dog who reaches its owner
first gets a prize (and everyone gets a treat, of course).
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Try a dog/owner look-alike contest. Give door prizes
for the biggest, smallest and shaggiest dog, or for the guest who traveled the farthest distance to attend the party. It's
a great way to hand out your goody bags to all your guests.
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