The Dog House is where Pragmatic Play’s whole dog-themed run started, released in spring 2019 (sources disagree on the exact date — more on that below). It’s a straightforward 5×3, 20-payline slot, and next to what came later in the series it looks almost restrained: one grid, fixed lines, no buy button. What still holds up is the wild itself — it carries a 2x or 3x multiplier, and when several land on the same payline those multipliers add together rather than the reel just picking the best one. That’s the mechanic every later Dog House game builds on.
Key facts
| Spec | Detail |
|---|---|
| Provider | Pragmatic Play |
| Release | Disputed — see below |
| Grid | 5 reels × 3 rows, 20 fixed paylines |
| RTP versions | 96.51% default; some casinos instead run a 95.51% version |
| Volatility | Medium (in-game rating) |
| Hit frequency | Base spin roughly 27.55%; bonus round around 1 in 180 spins (third-party estimate, AboutSlots) |
| Max win | 6,750x stake |
| Bet range | 0.20–100 per spin (one source lists a cap nearer 150; unconfirmed) |
| Buy feature | None confirmed in the versions we checked |
| Theme | Suburban back-garden setting — the look later spin-offs like Muttley Crew moved away from |
Sources disagree on when The Dog House actually launched: BigWinBoard names 26 February 2019, SlotCatalog and AboutSlots both say 5 March 2019, and a franchise timeline from win.gg and StopAndStep gives 9 May 2019. Nothing we’ve checked reconciles the three, so we’re treating it as a spring 2019 release rather than picking one date to sound more certain than the sources actually are.
How the base game works
Low-value symbols are the usual 10-to-Ace playing cards; above them sit the dogs. The Doberman is the top payer at 37.5x, then a second tier — Poodle or Chihuahua at 25x, Pug at 15x, Beagle at 10x — though exact naming for that second tier varies a little between the sources we checked. Bones and collars round out the symbol set.
The wild appears only on reels 2, 3 and 4, never on 1 or 5, and each time it lands it carries a random 2x or 3x multiplier. Land wilds across all three middle reels on one payline and their multipliers add together rather than multiply, capping out at 9x on that line. The paw scatter, which appears on reels 1, 3 and 5, is what gets you into free spins.
The paytable screen inside the game lists every symbol shown above, second-tier dogs included, at the bet size you’ve selected.
Free spins in The Dog House
Three paw scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 send you to a 3×3 grid where you pick panels to reveal your free-spins count — anywhere from 9 to 27 spins, decided before the round proper begins.
| Feature | What it does |
|---|---|
| Trigger | Three paw scatters on reels 1, 3 and 5 |
| Spin-count reveal | Pick panels on a 3×3 grid; reveals 9 to 27 free spins |
| Sticky wilds | Any wild that lands during the round stays in place, multiplier included, until the round ends |
| Line multiplier | Multiple wild multipliers on one payline add together, up to 9x |
Once the round starts, every wild that lands stays exactly where it is for the rest of the free spins, multiplier and all — so a 3x wild that lands on spin two is still sitting there, still worth 3x, on the final spin. Our guide to sticky wilds across the series explains how this compares with the raining and random-wild versions used elsewhere in the family. No retrigger is documented for this title, unlike some later spin-offs — once your count is revealed, that’s the round.
Buy feature
There isn’t one, as far as the versions we’ve checked go — we found no confirmed buy option for the original game, so we’re not listing a price that doesn’t exist. Most of the rest of the series does have one; our bonus-buy guide lists prices for every title that does, and it’s worth knowing before you rely on one here that buying a feature elsewhere in the series spends your stake at a much faster rate than ordinary spins — it shortens the wait, not the house edge.
Max win, RTP and volatility
The ceiling is 6,750x stake, and Pragmatic Play has never published how a round gets there. What the paytable does show is the raw material: several 3x wilds pushing their line multiplier up near that 9x cap across a longer free-spins allocation — 27 spins rather than 9. Treat that figure as a rare outlier rather than a target for a normal session; the vast majority of rounds land well short of it.
RTP sits at 96.51% in the default version, with some casinos instead running a 95.51% version — Pragmatic Play ships both, and which one you get depends on the casino, not on you. Check the game’s own info screen before you rely on either number. Volatility is rated medium on the game’s own splash screen, meaning a fairly even spread of small and mid-size hits rather than long dry spells, with the bigger multiplier wins in free spins still rare. See our RTP guide for the full version breakdown, or our max win guide for how 6,750x compares with the rest of the series.
The Dog House vs the rest of the series
Next to The Dog House Megaways, the original feels tighter and simpler: 20 fixed paylines instead of up to 117,649 ways, and no choice of free-spins mode — you get one sticky-wild round, decided by the 3×3 reveal, and that’s it. Megaways also raises the ceiling to 12,305x against this game’s 6,750x.
Against The Big Dog House, the gap is starker still: colossal 3×3 wilds, three wild sizes instead of one, and a 15,000x ceiling more than double the original’s. What the 2019 game has that neither of those does is simplicity — one grid, one wild size, nothing to choose between.
For the bigger picture, our series comparison puts all nine side by side, and the hub is the place to start browsing them.
At a glance: pros and cons
| Pros | Cons |
|---|---|
| Wild multipliers add together for a clear, readable 9x cap per line | No confirmed buy feature, so there’s no way to skip straight to the bonus |
| The 3×3 reveal turns the free-spins trigger into a moment of its own | Lowest max win of the three original-era games in this piece, at 6,750x stake |
| Simple 20-payline structure that’s easy to read at a glance | Even the release date isn’t settled between the sources we checked |
Verdict
7/10. The Dog House doesn’t try to be the biggest game in its own family — it’s the one that explains, in the plainest possible terms, why the family exists: a wild with a multiplier that behaves consistently, and a 3×3 reveal that turns the free-spins trigger into a small moment of its own rather than an instant number. It’s aged into the “starting point” role rather than staying the headline act, and that’s fine.
100 free spins on The Dog House, no deposit. VAVADA currently credits new players with 100 free spins on The Dog House after registration — no deposit and no promo code needed details and conditions are on our offer page. Winnings from the spins carry wagering conditions; read them before you play. Offers change without notice, and availability depends on your country. 18+.
Play The Dog House demo
The demo runs on the same maths model as the real-money game, just with play credit instead of a balance that matters — a sensible way to see the 3×3 reveal and the sticky-wild round before you decide anything else. Try it from our demo hub, or compare it against the newer entries first. If you’d rather play for stakes right away, our guide to where the series is listed is the place to start.
FAQ
When was The Dog House released?
Sources disagree. BigWinBoard gives 26 February 2019, SlotCatalog and AboutSlots both give 5 March 2019, and a separate franchise timeline gives 9 May 2019. We present all three rather than pick one to sound more certain than the record actually is.
What is The Dog House’s RTP?
96.51% in the default version. Some casinos instead run a 95.51% version — Pragmatic Play publishes both, and the info screen in the game itself will tell you which one you’re playing.
What is the max win?
6,750x your stake, reached in the rarest of rounds. It’s a cap, not something a typical session gets anywhere near.
Does The Dog House have a buy feature?
Not that we’ve been able to confirm. None of the sources we checked list a buy option for this title, unlike most of the games that followed it.
Can I play The Dog House for free?
Yes. The demo uses play money and the same maths model as the real game — see our free-play demo to try it without registering anywhere.
How do the wild multipliers work?
The wild lands on reels 2, 3 or 4 with either a 2x or 3x multiplier attached. When more than one lands on the same payline, their multipliers add together, up to a maximum of 9x on that line.
How long do sticky wilds last?
For the rest of the free-spins round. Once a wild lands during the bonus, it stays on the reel with its multiplier intact until the round finishes.
Where to play The Dog House slots — the series is listed at VAVADA and 1WIN. Try the demo first. Availability of Pragmatic Play titles depends on your country and the casino’s licence.
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