Top Activities For Dogs With Owners Who Like Football

Introduction

Playing football, watching football, talking about football…if this sounds like you, then you have come to the right place! Passing your love of football on to your dog is not as difficult as you may think. In fact, there are many football related activities that you can do with your pup. So don't think that when the game is on, your dog has to sit in the corner! Pick one of these fun football games to play and make your dog love football just as much as you!

Sprints

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Free

Normal

30 min

Items needed

Football Field

Activity description

Football is a lot of stop and go. To put it as simply as possible, the play begins, there's a lot of action, a lot of running and then the play is complete. A typical football play is only a matter of seconds long but those few seconds are very high energy. Know who else has bursts of energy? Your dog! Dogs are natural sprinters and enjoy running and stopping, running and stopping. So why not let your dog practice like a football player and join you in some wind sprints on the field? Get ready to get tired quickly while your dog will probably want to play forever!

Step

1

Find a field

Head to your local football field. High schools and middle schools are great places to start looking for a good location for you and your pup to play. Public schools typically have fenced in fields and the games aren’t as frequent so you will be able to go play with your dog in the off season.

Step

2

Sprint!

Start at the end zone of the field and get ready to run. Keep your dog on a leash if they tend to wander off or let them go off leash if you are confident they will come when called. Keep in mind that football fields are big - you don't want your dog running off! They need to work out with you!

Step

3

Run until you drop

Sprint to the 10 yard line and then turn around and go back to the end zone. Then head to the 20 yard line, back to the end zone, 30 yard line and back….you get the idea! All the while, keep your dog running with you. See who can go faster! Your football sprints are complete once you have run the whole field.

Touchdown Celebration

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Cheap

Easy

2 hrs

Items needed

TV

Treats

Couch

Activity description

Get your dog involved in watching the big game by teaching them to recognize and get excited for a touchdown (by your favorite team of course). There is nothing as fun as celebrating your team scoring that to rejoice with your pup. Your dog may already be aware of your favorite team based on your reactions to the TV - dogs are smarter than you think! So encourage this behavior and get your dog even more involved in the game with a touchdown treat tradition. After a few touchdowns with this new ritual, your dog will get very excited when football comes on the TV!

Step

1

Start the game

Turn on the game and call your pup over to watch with you. Let him join you on the couch like a regular old football fan! Get a pile of treats ready to go and maybe give your dog one or two right away so that they get excited. Show your dog the TV and say things like football and touchdown repeatedly so that they start to associate the words with the game on TV.

Step

2

Celebrate the touchdown

When your team scores a touchdown, get overly excited (this shouldn't be hard) and grab your dog's treats to toss to your pup. Say touchdown and give your dog a treat and then do this series again. Touchdown, treat. Touchdown, treat. You can also do a little dance or make a fun hand gesture that will go along with the word touchdown.

Step

3

Touchdown traditions

Celebrate your team's success with your dog every time your team plays. Soon enough, when your dog sees the blue shirts on TV (or whatever color your team is), they will automatically be as excited as you are! You can even train your dog to have their own touchdown dance like the professionals!

Catch

Popular

0 Votes

Sunny Day

Cheap

Easy

1 hr

Items needed

Football Field

Football

Activity description

All dogs love playing catch, some will even return the ball to you making it a game of fetch! Weather your dog likes to just catch a ball or actually retrieve it, make that ball you are throwing a football. While a tennis ball is the typical go to for a dog, a football works just as well and your pup may appreciate the new shaped ball. Take your dog to your local football field and get ready to toss the ball around. Work on your throw and your dog will be able to work on their chase! Everyone wins!

Step

1

New ball

Purchase a football that your dog will be able to handle. If you have a smaller pup, opt for a small, child sized football that your pup will be able to carry in their mouth. A regular sized football will work for a big dog. There are also football toys made just for dogs if you'd like one of those!

Step

2

Play and throw

Visit your local football field with your dog and get ready to play. Throw the ball as far as you can and let your dog run after the ball. Call them back to you and tell your pup to drop the ball. Throw it again and see if you can get it to go farther this time!

Step

3

Perfect your spin

Toss the ball over and over, letting your dog retrieve it each time. Keep playing as long as you'd like, or until you or your pup get tired. Practice throwing with accuracy, for distance, and to perfect your spin! Your dog will be having fun no matter what skill you are working on.

More Fun Ideas...

Puppy Bowl

Sign your dog up to play in their own football league. While this will mostly consist of your pup running around in a jersey with other dogs, that sounds like a ton of fun!

Punt

Head to a football field with your dog and a football. Practice punting the ball down the field as your dog runs to chase it.

Conclusion

Football isn't just for dog owners, it can easily be for your dog as well! Your love for the game should be shared with your pup who will also get just as much enjoyment out of football as you. Besides, dogs love any game that allows them to chase a ball or get a treat. All of these activities are perfect for owners who like football and they make sure everyone in the house is into the big game, including the dog.