50 years training dogs, cats, and parrots. Funny stories, Canine Game Theory, and game-based training tips — free via email signup. Follow @GameCraftJamie on X!
Back in the early 70s, I got my start training seals and otters — watching them glide through the water with a playful spark in their eyes. My heart found its home with dogs, especially my service dogs Chesovy, Micah, Java, and Keeva, who've taught me more about life than I could ever teach them.
I've always loved coding — it lets me think like a trainer, breaking big goals into small, repeatable steps. So I built GameCraft Learning to feel like a computer program, with modules named things like The Command Prompt and The Cross-Platform Compiler, to make training fun, intuitive, and systematic. Whether you're teaching a dog to stay calm, a parrot to focus in a noisy room, or a human to resolve a dispute, this system works across species.
This book introduces the full 10-module GameCraft framework, from understanding your learner to generalizing skills across contexts. The real magic is still coming: an app with a full database of games, training plans, and contexts — and room to add your own.
Get the book on AmazonImagine a training app with games for dogs, birds, reptiles, or even kids! The #GameCraftLearning app is coming — add your own training plans and join a community of playful learners. What species will you train?
Training isn't just about your animal — it's about you, too. If the handler isn't ready, the dog won't be either. In GameCraft Learning, we start with a "pre-check" to make sure you're both set to succeed. Think of it like checking if your computer has power before you start typing — if it's not plugged in, nothing's going to happen.
Four stages, eleven sections — training reframed as a system you build, not a trick you teach.
The Pre-CheckIn GameCraft Learning, we call this "assessing readiness" — making sure both handler and dog are actually set up to succeed.
The Core ModulesScanning the environment, predicting routines, flagging errors, and executing tasks — all through games that make learning fun.
The Architect & CompilerPlanning the training like a roadmap, and proofing the skills so they're reliable in any real-world situation.
The Community HubCreating your own games, learning more about your animal, and joining a community that shares ideas to make training even better.
Imagine you're playing a strategy video game — you have to make smart choices, thinking about what your opponent might do, to try and win. Game theory is kind of like that: a way smart people analyze any situation where different "players" (you and your dog) are making choices that affect what happens to everyone involved.
In Canine Game Theory, training is a non-zero-sum game where both you and your dog can come out on top. You create "games" — like teaching your dog to come when called, or to wait patiently. The dog's best move in these games, the one that gets them the best reward, is the behavior you're trying to teach.
I've been training dogs for 50 years, from seals and otters in the 70s to my service dogs Chesovy, Micah, and Brynda, who've taught me more than I could ever teach them. This book started as a spark from my grandson Adam, a skilled trainer who saw the magic in my play-based methods and pushed me to share them with the world.
It's for anyone who loves animals — dogs, cats, birds, reptiles, or even kids — and wants to train with joy, not stress.
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The daily challenges give you a taste. The complete games, progressions, and thinking behind them live in the books.
130 games to help you and your dog go beyond the basics — impulse control in dynamic environments, scent detection, real-world emergency prep. Each challenge breaks down into five progressive games, so your dog doesn't just learn commands, they learn to think.
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The follow-up to GameCraft Learning: Create Your Own Games. Pulls back the curtain on why structured games work — a plain-English tour through Canine Game Theory, chaos theory, and what actually makes something a "game" instead of just a command.
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Two challenges in one: the Puppy Mastery Challenge (Ball in the Hand, Chase My Hand, Stomp It, The Name Game, Blanket Dig) for young or developing dogs, and the 5-day Public Paws & People Challenge for real public-access confidence.
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