Nintendogs lets owners choose a puppy from one of 18 breeds, then raise and train the pup. As you start spending time with your pup you can throw flying discs and balls to improve the pup's agility. You can bathe it when it gets dirty and use your own personal voice commands to train the dog to do tricks. If you train it well enough, your dog will excel in obedience and agility trials and disc competitions, which will earn money that you can use to buy other supplies and puppy breeds. When you earn enough cash, you can buy even more puppies to live with your original pup.
Players can socialize their pups by walking them around the town, where they will meet neighborhood dogs, and maybe even find new toys. Trips to the park and gym offer valuable training time to prepare for agility trials and flying disc competitions. Over time, the pup's stamina will increase so players can explore farther and farther. Players can interact wirelessly with their friends' Nintendogs -- they can set their DS to bark whenever another puppy is within wireless range.