The Dog House slot review

Checked by Dasha G.

In The Dog House slot review, I’ll talk you through my experience after several demos of this high-volatility slot. I explain how the 96.51% RTP really pays out on different bets, and rate the Free Spins and bonuses.

Before you play for real money, find out all you need to know about this cute 5×3, 20-payline slot by Pragmatic Play in my honest, first-hand guide below.

82 /100 Expert Rating byElsa F.

General ratings

82 / 100 Expert rating by Elsa F.
80 Payouts rating
81 Stake limits rating
68 Bonus features rating
90 Audiovisuals rating
95 Game layout rating
75 Repeatability rating
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Expert verdict: is The Dog House more bark than bite?

You can’t overlook the game’s charming set up, strong RTP, and fun bonus features, so it’s definitely worth a try. But on some counts, the slot could perhaps do with just a few more tricks and treats.

As with many other high-variance games, you need to be prepared to hang in there during the lean spins in anticipation of the free rounds. When that hits, the prizes can be hefty on a max bet and the Sticky Wilds with multipliers make for exciting gameplay.

There’s an element of randomness which keeps you on the edge of your seat. For example, the number of free spins and the multipliers are randomly generated, contributing to the risk factor we know many players enjoy. Given that you only get one shot at the slot’s most famous bonus feature, though, you’re really hoping for a high number of free spins and early Sticky Wilds to ramp up the action. 

The audiovisuals for The Dog House slot are immersive and optimised, performing smoothly on both desktop and mobile. However, the disproportionately sized cartoonish dogs aren’t for everyone, and the additional game features in the series’ Megaways and Multihold offshoots come with more potential.

  • Solid 96.51% RTP
  • Potential 6,750x win
  • Exciting bonus round gameplay
  • Game theme not for everyone
  • Many low-paying symbols
  • Limited and elusive bonuses

The Dog House demo and real play at Ontario online casinos

The Dog House and other titles in the popular series are no stranger to the top online operators in Canada, since games by Pragmatic Play tend to be casino staples. Because it’s important to test a slot before you play for real money, we made sure that our recommended online casinos offer you the chance to free demo the game before you sign up.

The slot’s RTP can range across different operators, so we also made sure that the three casinos we selected offer the game with the original software RTP of 96.51%.

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The Dog House RTP, volatility, and symbols

The Dog House is a high-volatility slot with a 96.51% RTP. To win, you need to land a minimum of three adjacent symbols on one of the 20 fixed paylines.

All symbols pay from left to right, starting at the left-most reel, and only the highest win per line is awarded. Wins on multiple paylines are added to your total payout.

While the Rottweiler is the highest-paying symbol in the base game, the slot’s Free Spins round can kick up the potential payout to a 6,750x maximum win.

Payout facts

CategoryDetails
RTP96.51%
Maximum win6,750x
Highest-paying symbolRottweiler
VolatilityHigh

The paytable can be viewed by clicking on the info icon at the bottom of your slot. Here’s a breakdown of the standard and special symbols you can find on your reels and their payout per line.

SymbolThree matching symbolsFour matching symbolsFive matching symbols
Q, J, and 100.1x 0.25x1.25x
A and K0.25x0.5x2.5x
Dog bone0.4x1x5x
Dog collar0.6x1.25x7.5x
Daschund1x2x10x
Pug1.25x3x15x
Shih-Tzu1.75x5x25x
Rottweiler2.5x7.5x37.5x

Payouts rating

80/100 Decent RTP for a high-variance slot
  • High-volatility challenge
  • Above-average 96.51% RTP
  • Potential 6,750x win with multipliers
  • Many low-paying symbols
  • Highest-paying symbol only 37.5x
  • Many blank spins

As a volatile slot, you won’t be hitting wins frequently, but I consider this a fair pick for a high-risk, high-reward strategy. Big-win hunters will be pleased to note that the slot’s bonus features can kick up the potential payout to C$675,000 on a max bet.

The RTP is comfortably above the 95% minimum I look out for and still higher than average RTPs for games like Starburst or Book of Dead.

Outside the bonus rounds, the 37.5x win on five Rottweiler symbols is low and the payout range is flooded with low-paying symbols. Over a C$10-bet spent on the first 50 spins, I drew a 10-round blank only to have it interrupted by a C$0.02 win. A string of Qs isn’t really what I wanted to see after a number of dry spells.

I did see more Kennel Wilds and multipliers less than mid-way through, but the wins were nothing to write home about in the absence of the higher-paying canines.

The Dog House bets and paylines

You can play with as little as one C$0.01 coin per line on 20 fixed paylines, so that’s a minimum bet total of C$0.20. The coin denomination goes up to 10, and with a max coin value of C$0.50, you’re looking at a total max bet of C$100.

Just click or tap the section where your credit and bet are listed to switch between credit and coin view. With your paytable open, you can still alternate between coin and credit view, so that all payouts adjust according to the current bet you have set.

Stake facts

CategoryDetails
Minimum betC$0.20
Maximum betC$100
Adjustable paylinesN/A
Bet per lineC$0.01–C$0.50
Buy featureN/A

To adjust your bet, click on the plus and minus signs on either side of the spin icon. This will open up a bet adjustment panel where you can set the amount of coins you want to bet per line and the coin value, with your total bet tallying up at the bottom.

You can also adjust your total bet directly, as well as hit the ‘Bet Max’ button.

Stake limits rating

81/100 Fair max and min bets, but limit your expectations
  • Minimum C$0.20 bet
  • Decent C$100 max bet
  • 20 paylines available
  • Small gains on low bets
  • No Buy feature
  • Limited betting range

Since it’s a fixed-payline slot, your real minimum bet is C$0.20, which is useful for low-key betting strategies. Due to the game’s low hit frequency and low-paying symbols, though, rewards can feel underwhelming, despite the 20 paylines.

Triggering the Free Spins round on a minimum bet can lead to disappointing results, and there’s no Buy feature to compensate.

In wagering terms, the max bet is fair but it feels like the game could do better for high-rollers and provide a wider betting range.

The Dog House Free Spins and bonuses

The slot includes special symbols like the Kennel Wild, multipliers, and the Paw Bonus symbol which triggers the game’s Free Spins feature, complete with Sticky Wilds and multipliers.

Feature facts

CategoryDetails
WildsYes
ScattersYes
Other special symbolsPaw Bonus, Sticky Wilds
Gamble featureN/A
Reel featuresLocked reels with multipliers
Free spinsYes
RespinsN/A
MultipliersYes, up to 9x per line
Other bonus featuresN/A

Kennel Wild

The Kennel Wild substitutes all symbols except for the Paw Bonus to create winning paylines in the base game. It only appears on the middle reels (reels 2, 3, and 4).

Multipliers

All Kennel Wilds are given a random multiplier of 2x or 3x, doubling or tripling the payline prize the wild lands on. If you encounter more than one Kennel Wild on a winning payline, the multipliers of all your Wild symbols will add up, up to a max of 9x per payline.

Paw Bonus

A three-fold hit on this symbol pays 5x your total bet on any position and triggers the game’s Free Spins. The Paw Bonus only turns up on reels 1, 3, and 5.

Free Spins

A random number of free spins is generated when you trigger the feature. A 3×3 grid appears and reveals a number in each cell. These numbers are added up to reveal the total amount of free rounds awarded, which come at a minimum of nine up to a maximum of 27.

Sticky Wilds

Special reels are activated during Free Spins. Any Kennel Wild symbols you land during the feature will ‘stick’ or remain in place for the duration. When the Wild hits, it will reveal a random multiplier which applies for the duration of the round. The Paw Bonus won’t appear during this bonus feature.

Bonus features rating

68/100 Exciting bonuses, low opportunities
  • Free Spins accelerate gameplay
  • Sticky Wilds with multipliers
  • Fun element of randomness
  • As few as nine free spins
  • No jackpot or Gamble feature

While chasing the Free Spins on a max bet spree in demo mode, all I’ll say is that two Rottweilers and Wild multipliers landed me a theoretical C$4,500 which still didn’t help me break even. That’s how elusive the Free Spins feature can be.

The highest number of free spins I got over a number of sessions was 15. I was glad it wasn’t the minimum of nine, but I had still hoped for a higher number, especially since there’s no jackpot or Gamble feature. The randomness kept me on my toes, though.

On one occasion, the bonus round itself barked up four major tasty treats of up to C$5,600 each. You really want to land the Sticky Wilds early to make the most of this feature. With a C$25,500 win in demo mode, I was almost 21% in the green. For perspective, that’s a C$51 takeaway after your losses on a minimum bet.

Slot theme, graphics, and audio

The slot reels display cartoonish dog symbols encased in differently coloured borders as well as dog bones, paws and kennels. The slot machine itself is housed in a wooden dog kennel complete with a canopied roof. Set against a fenced suburban garden, the bright and serene atmosphere is accentuated by gentle ambient sound.

The Free Spins round is reserved for the night time, with the reels now purple, lanterns alight in the bluish background, and glowing bulbs around the kennel.

The Dog House Mobile Screenshot

Animations feature swaying flowers and a fluttering butterfly. Special symbols like the Paw Bonus and Kennel Wild are edged in gold, and winning paylines will give the symbols a swirl, jiggle, or glow. Winning dog symbols will have the pooches coming to life with little ball tricks and yelp sound effects to boot.

CategoryDetails
ThemeCute dogs
GraphicsGood
AnimationsYes
Sound qualityVery good
Mobile compatibilityGood

Audiovisuals rating

90/100 Particularly engaging Free Spins AVs
  • Charming, contrasting bonus round
  • Detailed graphics and animation
  • Gentle, immersive ambient sound
  • Cartoonish style can feel childish
  • Long prize-tally screen

I found myself appreciating the subtle, high-quality, and sometimes comic audiovisual details more and more as the game progressed, even though I find it all a little too cutesy for my tastes. The artfully done nighttime setting and fun soundtrack during the bonus rounds make it feel like the Free Spins rewards are the dogs’ little secret.

While I’m certainly not going to complain about watching big wins pump some life into my balance, you do have to literally sit and watch the coins tally up during the max bet Free Spins round unless you toggle the ‘Skip Screens’ option from the autoplay menu.

Game layout, settings, and mobile performance

All game rules and settings are either on display on desktop or available under the cog and info icons. The paytable is dynamic and includes both the paylines and the slot’s RTP.

The settings menu gives you access to your real-play game history and includes a battery saver mode, which reduces animation speed.

CategoryDetails
Reel layout5×3
AutoplayYes
Turbo modeYes
Ease of useVery easy
Game historyYes

You can choose between 10 and 1,000 automatic spins from the autoplay menu. There’s also the option to select quick or turbo play, and the held-down spacebar shortcut is available. Skipping feature screens gives users more concentrated play.

Playing The Dog House slot on mobile

The game plays just as well on mobile, where the homescreen features optimised icon display. The spin-button lock feature in the settings menu means you can move the button to a position that suits you better. Just hold down your thumb on the spin icon for turbo speed.

While you can turn the sound on and off on mobile, you’ll need to play on desktop to deactivate ambient sound and sound effects independently or adjust the volume. Also, the paytable font size remains the same on mobile.

Game layout rating

95/100 Thoughtful, optimized layout save for legibility
  • Includes game history
  • Dynamic paytable
  • Moveable spin button
  • Illegible paytable text on mobile
  • Distracting prompts display
  • No autoplay balance settings

While the game is just as good for mobile players, especially considering the adjustable spin button, the paytable text is in a small font size against a dark background, which makes for some squinting with no zooming possible.

Access to your game history is rare and nice to have. I also liked how the prize details on your paytable adapt in real time as you adjust your bet.

I personally find the continuous prompts below the slot machine unhelpful, and I miss having the option to stop autoplay according to the state of my balance. And while we’re on the subject of balance, I wouldn’t go anywhere near that 1,000 automatic spins option.

Would I return to The Dog House?

Pragmatic Play’s The Dog House slot is a fairly popular high-volatility game that led to the creation of three more spin-offs in the series. However, the slot has lost some of its sheen and as it’s been overtaken by other titles from the provider’s extensive collection.

This being said, the game enjoys overall positive reviews from players and slot critics, so it’s not surprising that you’ll still find it in casinos worth their salt. Part of the appeal comes from its highly volatile hits and elusive but rewarding bonuses, so it is built with a particular kind of player in mind.

The consensus among fans is that the dry or low-payout spins are eventually redeemed by the slot’s sticky reels and multipliers. On the other hand, less patient players will call out the game’s many teases as it eats away at your balance if you’re not careful.

Repeatability rating

75/100 Worth a try but might not be a keeper
  • Overall appealing game experience
  • Gameplay elevated by bonuses
  • Challenge of elusive free spins
  • Outshined by series spin-offs
  • Can outstrip your budget
  • Slim winnings are frustrating

It’s perhaps unfair to compare this slot with its offshoot, The Dog House Megaways, or even bigger titles by Pragmatic Play like Sweet Bonanza and Big Bass Splash, which seem to outshine The Dog House in terms of popularity.

Although I enjoy many of the game’s high-quality audiovisuals and bonus features, the dry spells can become tiring. Despite the slot’s low minimum bet, I find you do need to be extra vigilant if you’re playing on a budget and on the hunt for a win.

And yet, I understand the appeal of that slippery Paw Bonus. If cute dogs are right up your alley, you might find the theme is enough to have you return when you’re in the mood for a chase.

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