Game #10 · Behavioral & Enrichment
Chasing Games (The Reverse Chase)
Builds a reliable emergency recall by making you the ultimate prize.
- What you need:
- A high-value toy or treat in your hand.
How to play
- Get your dog's attention by making an excited sound or clapping.
- Run away from your dog instead of chasing them.
- When they catch up to you, reward them with a treat and praise.
- Repeat, turning it into a fun game of tag where you are always the target.
Coach's notes
- Never chase your dog when they have something forbidden — reverse-chase instead.
- Practice in a fenced area before trying it on trail.
- Pair with a novel recall word ('here!') so your emergency cue stays clean.
- Random jackpots (5-treat reward) keep the behavior bulletproof.
If your dog loses interest
Quick fixes when engagement drops mid-session.
- If they don't chase you, act sillier — high-pitched voice, arms flapping. Dignity is the enemy of engagement.
- Bored after 2 laps? Add a squeaky toy that only appears during this game.
- Never turn and chase them if they run past you — that trains the opposite of what you want.
Why it works
Reverse-chase leverages dogs' hardwired preference for socially-directed movement — the same domestication-era bias documented by Hare and Tomasello.
References
- [1] Hare, B., Brown, M., Williamson, C., & Tomasello, M. (2002). The domestication of social cognition in dogs. Science 298, 1634–1636.
- [6] Hare, B., & Tomasello, M. (2005). Human-like social skills in dogs? Trends in Cognitive Sciences 9, 439–444.
Which cognitive muscle is your dog's strongest?
Run the same science-based tasks from Duke in your living room and get your dog's full cognitive profile.