Zooka first met Willy the Goldendoodle when he was just a baby. Willy was very tolerant of Zooka the Puppy's ear pulling and other puppy antics. Their play has changed over time. Zooka is less obnoxious. Willy has less desire to play.

But they do have one game that has evolved over time and is quite fascinating to me. It is their Elaborate Game of Chase.

This is not your normal game of Chase. This is the Elaborate Game of Chase. It has its own set of rules. And the rules are very detailed. Who made the rules? Well, I would like to say it was a team effort. But no, that is not true. Zooka made these rules. My house. My rules. That's how Zooka feels.

When Willy comes to stay with us, they play this Elaborate Game of Chase when we go for our off leash walks on our property. If Willy forgets the rules when he comes over, Zooka will remind him. Zooka is very clear about the rules. There is no negotiating them. They are clear rules that do not change.

The first rule is that Zooka initiates the game. He does so by finding a stick. There are only a gazillion sticks on our property, so it's not hard.

The bigger the better. In fact, the goal is to find a bigger stick than the last time. But really, any stick will do. As long as Zooka has it, Willy will want it.

Next rule is that Willy is supposed to chase Zooka.

But it is very important to remember that the next rule is that Willy does not actually get to take the stick away from Zooka. 

The rule is once Zooka drops the stick, then and only then, can Willy pick it up. 

But Willy is not always patient enough to wait his turn and will take it sometimes. That upsets Zooka because he thinks Willy is not following the rules that have been established. 

And if Willy takes the stick, the game is done. Willy will not play chase and be the Chasee. If he gets the stick, he takes it, lies down and starts chewing on it. That's no fun. At least, not for anyone other than Willy.

On a visit in December 2020, Zooka had one of the big sticks and Willy was chasing. But when Willy would start to cross that boundary and try to take the stick, Zooka would growl. But he would immediately try to get Willy to chase him again. So, he was not getting mad at Willy, just trying to remind him of what the rules are. As long as Willy followed the rules, there were no problems. But Willy does like to be a rebel and break the rules sometimes. . . 

In a spring 2021 visit, Zooka got another Elaborate Game of Chase going. Oh man, these two have their rituals. It is pretty darned funny and just fascinating to watch.

This was literally the longest game of Chase we have ever had. But, mind you, it was at low speed. So I use the term “chase” very loosely. It was more like a game of “follow” at low speed.

They went around the entire perimeter of the fenced in portion of our property in this game. Zooka made a few stops. Willy would stop too. 

Now, remember the rules. You “chase” but you cannot actually “catch” and take the object. You must wait for the Chasee to leave the stick before the Chaser can actually take it. There were a couple of times that the Chaser (Willy) got too close. The Chasee (Zooka) reminded him of the rules with a growl. And then the chase would resume. 

Seriously, a very elaborate game with very strict rules. It’s pretty fascinating actually that they have this game that only works between the two of them. 

They had a good time and it’s the longest that Zooka had been able to engage Willy in a game in quite some time. Willy had really not engaged in play since he’d been here during that stay. 

This Elaborate Game of Chase is one that has endured over time. And Zooka will be happy to remind you of all the rules should you happen to forget any of them.

Do your dogs have any elaborate games with a distinct set of rules?

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