Game Rules

! Overview

Every pup deserves stylish footwear. In Dogs with Shoes, you'll collect adorable dogs and outfit them with matching shoes — four shoes per dog, and they're ready to strut! But watch out: rival players will send robbers to steal your hard-won shoes and fireworks to scare your dogs. Be the first to fully dress your pack and you win!

What's in the Box

<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.cards.types.sporty_dog">Sporty Dog</span>

Dog Cards

Lovable pups of various breeds. There are 3 copies of each breed in the deck. Not all breeds are used in every game — the number depends on how many players.

Cool Dog

The trendsetter! Cool Dogs accept shoes of ANY breed. Flexible, powerful, and everyone wants one.

Shoe Cards

Tiny shoes in every breed, in three values:

1 1-Shoe cards (most common) — A single stylish shoe.
2 2-Shoe cards — A matching pair!
3 3-Shoe cards (rare) — A triple set of fabulous footwear.

Each breed has 8 single-shoe cards, 2 double-shoe cards, and 1 triple-shoe card.

Robber Cards

Sneaky characters who steal shoes from other players' dogs.

Guard Cards

Loyal protectors who block robbers.

Firework Cards

Loud and scary! They frighten dogs, freezing them in place.

The Dog Breeds

Breeds are included based on player count. More players means more breeds!

Dancer

The graceful performer

Sporty

Always ready to play

Rain

Loves a good puddle

Beach

Sun, sand, and shoes

Snow

Cold-weather champion

Sleepy

Naps between turns

Mountain

Peak adventurer

Cool Dog

The wildcard pup

Deck Composition

The deck scales with player count to keep the game balanced.

Each breed contributes 14 cards: 3 dog cards, 8 single-shoe, 2 double-shoe, and 1 triple-shoe.

Card Type	2P	3P	4P	5P	6P
Breeds used	3	4	5	6	7
Breed Dog cards	9	12	15	18	21
1-Shoe cards	24	32	40	48	56
2-Shoe cards	6	8	10	12	14
3-Shoe cards	3	4	5	6	7
Cool Dogs	3	3	4	5	6
Robbers	8	8	10	10	10
Guards	4	4	6	6	6
Fireworks	6	6	6	6	6
Total cards	63	77	96	111	126

Setup

1 Choose your breeds based on player count (see Deck Composition above).
2 Gather all dog cards, shoe cards, and Cool Dog cards for those breeds. Add the Robbers, Guards, and Fireworks.
3 Shuffle the entire deck.
4 Deal 3 cards to each player. Keep them secret!
5 Place 5 cards face-up in the center. This is the Market.
6 Place the remaining deck face-down nearby. This is the Supply.
7 Leave space for a face-up discard pile.
8 The player who most recently petted a dog goes first! Play continues clockwise.

Game Areas

Your Hand

Your secret cards (max 5). Only you can see them.

<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.cards.types.dancer_dog">Dancer Dog</span>

Your Dogs

Dogs you've played, face-up in front of you. This is where you build shoes.

The Market

5 face-up cards in the center. Buy from here by discarding a card.

Opponents

Other players' dogs are visible. Plan your attacks!

Your Actions

On your turn, you take exactly one action. Then play passes to the next player.

1. Play a Dog

Take a Dog card from your hand and place it face-up in your Dog Area.

● You can only have one dog of each breed in your area.
● Cool Dogs count as their own type — you can have one alongside your breed dogs.
● After playing a dog, draw 1 card from the Supply (if your hand has fewer than 5 cards).

<span class="translation_missing" title="translation missing: en.cards.types.sleepy_dog">Sleepy Dog</span>

2. Play a Shoe

Take a Shoe card from your hand and place it on one of your dogs.

●The shoe must match the dog's breed. Cool Dogs accept shoes of ANY breed!
●A dog can hold a maximum of 4 shoe value.
●You cannot place shoes on a scared dog.
●After playing a shoe, draw 1 card from the Supply (if your hand has fewer than 5 cards).

When a dog reaches exactly 4 shoes, it is COMPLETED! Completed dogs are safe forever.

3. Play a Robber

Send a Robber to steal from another player's dog!

●Choose an opponent's dog to rob. You cannot rob a completed dog or your own dogs.
●The victim may block with a Guard! If blocked, both Guard and Robber go to the discard pile.

Normal dog with shoes: Steal the top shoe card. Place it on your matching dog or keep it in your hand.

Scared dog with shoes: Steal as many shoes as you can take! Take shoes one at a time.

Dog with no shoes (not scared): Steal the entire dog! It moves to your Dog Area — but only if you don't already have that breed.

After playing a Robber, draw 1 card from the Supply (if your hand has fewer than 5 cards).

4. Play a Firework

Scare an opponent's dog with a loud bang!

●Choose an opponent's dog. It cannot be already scared or completed.
●The dog is now scared: it cannot receive shoes and scores 0 points.
●After playing a Firework, draw 1 card from the Supply (if your hand has fewer than 5 cards).

😌

5. Calm a Scared Dog

Soothe one of your own scared dogs, returning it to normal.

●Choose one of YOUR scared dogs and un-scare it.
●The dog can now receive shoes again.
●You do NOT draw a card after calming.

🛒

6. Buy from the Market

Discard 1 card from your hand, then take 1 card from the Market.

●You must have at least 1 card in hand to discard.
●After taking a card, the Market refills to 5 from the Supply.

🔄

7. Flush the Market

Not happy with what's on offer? Clear the shelves!

1.Discard 2 cards from your hand to the discard pile.
2.Discard the entire Market to the discard pile.
3.Draw 5 new cards from the Supply to form a new Market.
4.Take the best card from the new Market into your hand.
5.Refill the Market from the Supply so it has 5 cards again.

8. Draw a Card

If nothing else appeals, simply draw 1 card from the Supply.

●If your hand is already at the hand limit (5 cards), you cannot take this action.

Key Rules

Hand Limit

Your hand can never hold more than 5 cards.

Completed Dogs Are Untouchable

Once a dog has exactly 4 shoes, it is completed and permanently safe. It cannot be robbed, scared by fireworks, or affected in any way.

One Dog Per Breed

You can only have one dog of each breed in your Dog Area at any time.

The Supply Runs Out

When the Supply is empty and someone needs to draw, shuffle the discard pile to form a new Supply.

Cool Dogs

Cool Dogs accept shoes of any breed. This makes them faster to dress but also a big target! Opponents will want to rob and scare your Cool Dog.

Winning the Game

The Race! (Standard)

The first player to have 3 completed dogs wins immediately! There is no final round — the moment you complete your third dog, the game is over.

Scored Variant

When any player completes the required number of dogs, finish the round so all players get one more turn. Then count scores:

Scared dog	0 pts
Dog with 1 shoe	2 pts
Dog with 2 shoes	4 pts
Dog with 3 shoes	6 pts
Completed Cool Dog	10 pts
Completed dog (4 shoes)	12 pts

Tiebreaker: most individual shoe cards on dogs, then most dogs in play.

Quick Game Variant

For 4-6 players wanting a faster game, play with a 2 completed dogs win target instead of 3.

Strategy Tips

For New Players

● Timing your dogs matters. Playing a dog early is efficient, but a dog with no shoes is an easy target for robbers. Try to have at least one matching shoe ready to play on the following turn.
● When you play a card, you draw a card — and that draw might be just as useful as buying from the Market. Don't underestimate simply playing what you have and seeing what comes next.
● That said, keep an eye on the Market for rare cards. Three-shoe cards are scarce and powerful. If one matches a dog you have or plan to play, it's usually worth buying immediately.
● Save your Guards for the right moment. A Guard is most valuable when protecting a dog that's nearly complete — especially if you just placed a high-value shoe and need one more turn to finish.
● Fireworks are efficient: you disrupt an opponent and draw a card, so your hand stays intact. Target dogs with 2+ shoes — they'll likely have to calm immediately or risk losing everything to a robber.
● Completed dogs are untouchable. Once a dog has all 4 shoes, it can't be robbed or scared. Prioritise closing out dogs rather than spreading shoes thinly across many.

For Experienced Players

● There's a tension between speed and safety. Playing a dog when opponents already have that breed makes it less of a target — they can only have one of each type. But waiting too long means falling behind in the race.
● Sometimes it's worth collecting a full set of shoes before playing the dog. If you can play a dog and complete it in one or two turns, opponents barely have time to react. But if the race is tight, you may not have the luxury of waiting.
● Don't be afraid to flush the Market. Discarding two cards is a real cost, but if you urgently need a robber to slow down a runaway leader — or a specific shoe to close a dog — flushing is how you find it.
● Build first, attack when it counts. Robbing early rarely pays off as much as building your own board. But don't let an opponent open up a big lead unchallenged — know when to shift from building to disrupting.
● A scared dog with multiple shoes is a sitting duck — robbers steal all their shoes, not just one. Players may delay calming a low-shoe scared dog to prioritise other moves, but a heavily-shoed one demands immediate attention. You don't have to be the one who played the firework to exploit this opening.
● Cool Dogs are flexible but paint a target on you. They accept any shoe breed, which makes them easy to complete — but opponents can see that flexibility too.

? Frequently Asked Questions

Can I play a 3-shoe card on a dog that already has 2 shoes?

No. A dog can hold a maximum of 4 shoe value. A dog at 2 shoes can only receive a 1-shoe or 2-shoe card.

Can I rob or firework a completed dog?

Never. Completed dogs (exactly 4 shoes) are permanently untouchable.

What happens when I steal a shoe — does it go in my hand or on my dog?

If you have a dog that can receive the stolen shoe (matching breed, room for the shoe value, not scared), you may place it directly on that dog. If not, it goes into your hand.

Can I steal shoes from a scared dog?

Yes! Scared dogs are especially vulnerable. When you rob a scared dog, you can steal multiple shoes, not just one.

Can I play a shoe on a Cool Dog even if I have a matching breed dog?

Yes. You choose where to place your shoes.

Can I steal an opponent's dog that has no shoes?

Yes! If an opponent has a dog with zero shoes, you can use a Robber to steal it. It moves to your Dog Area, but only if you don't already have that breed.

When do I use a Guard card?

Guards are played reactively — when an opponent plays a Robber targeting one of your dogs, you may immediately reveal a Guard from your hand to block the robbery. Both cards go to the discard pile.

Does calming a scared dog count as my action?

Yes. Calming is your entire turn and you don't draw a card afterward.

Can a Cool Dog have shoes from different breeds?

Absolutely! That's the whole point. A Cool Dog might have shoes from four different breeds — four happy feet!

Why did my hand size change? I started with 3 cards but now I have more or fewer.

You start with 3 cards, and your hand size can grow up to the maximum of 5 over time. Most actions keep your hand size the same: when you Play a Dog, Play a Shoe, Play a Firework, or Buy from the Market, you spend a card and gain a card (net zero). However, certain actions change your hand size — see the next questions for details.

Which actions can decrease my hand size?

Two actions reduce your hand size. Using a Guard costs you one card with no draw, because it's a reactive block on your opponent's turn — your hand shrinks by one. Flushing the Market also costs one net card: you discard 2 cards but only take 1 from the new Market. Note that Calming a scared dog doesn't change your hand size — you don't play a card from your hand and you don't draw one either. You simply spend your turn.

Which actions can increase my hand size?

The Draw action increases your hand by one card (only available if you have fewer than 5 cards). The Robber can also increase your hand size in certain situations: since post-action draws only happen when your hand has fewer than 5 cards, stolen shoes that go into your hand count toward your total. For example, if you have 3 cards and play a Robber (now 2 in hand), steal a shoe into your hand (now 3), and then draw from the Supply (now 4), your hand grew from 3 to 4. If the stolen shoe goes directly onto one of your dogs instead, you'd draw and end up at 3 — no net change.

What exactly happens when I rob a scared dog?

When you rob a scared dog, you steal its shoes one at a time. For each shoe, you choose: place it on one of your matching dogs (if one has room and isn't scared) or keep it in your hand (if you have fewer than 5 cards). You may stop stealing at any point, though strategically you'll usually want to take as many as possible to set your opponent back. Once you're done stealing, you draw 1 card from the Supply if your hand still has fewer than 5 cards. Remember: each shoe you keep in your hand counts toward your limit and may prevent you from drawing afterward.