The Dog House review
The Dog House is a Pragmatic Play slot released on 9 May 2019 and one of the studio’s most recognisable games. The classic 5×3 layout with 20 paylines looks simple, but behind the cartoon art sits sharp maths built around sticky multiplier Wilds. The studio sums it up in one line: every Wild on reels 2, 3 and 4 carries a multiplier, and in free spins the Wilds stick to stack up wins. The rest is detail, yet that detail decides how each bonus ends.
Twenty lines and dog values
The scene is a sunny suburb, with the reels inside a giant kennel and a dachshund, pug, Shih Tzu and Rottweiler on the paytable. A bone and a collar sit below the dogs, and the 10 to Ace cards fill the bottom. The Wild is drawn as a kennel, and the scatter is a paw marked Bonus. It looks pleasant and plays smoothly, with the kennel itself acting as the frame around the reels.
Line wins are read from the leftmost reel and need at least three of a kind. The 10 to Ace cards pay least; bones, collars and the four dogs pay more, with the Rottweiler at the top.
| Symbol | 3 | 4 | 5 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rottweiler | 2.5x | 7.5x | 37.5x |
| Shih Tzu | 1.75x | 5x | 25x |
| Pug | 1.25x | 3x | 15x |
| Dachshund | 1x | 2x | 10x |
| Collar | 0.6x | 1.25x | 7.5x |
| Bone | 0.4x | 1x | 5x |
| A, K | 0.25x | 0.5x | 2.5x |
| Q, J, 10 | 0.1x | 0.25x | 1.25x |
Coefficients use the total stake rather than one twentieth of it. Three Rottweilers pay 2.5x, dachshunds 1x and the lowest cards 0.1x. Individual combination frequencies are unspecified; the table does not establish that most awards are low triples.
2x and 3x kennels only on reels two to four
The Wild replaces ordinary paying symbols, but not the paw Scatter. It receives a random 2x or 3x; several on one line combine multipliers, but the combination rule is unspecified in the description. A Wild-assisted line still starts with an ordinary symbol on reel one. Regular-play kennels do not persist between spins, expand or move.
At bet one, a Rottweiler on reel one, a 3x kennel on reel two and a Rottweiler on reel three pay 2.5×3 = 7.5. A low triple under the same 3x pays 0.1×3 = 0.3. Five Rottweilers with one kennel substitution pay 37.5×2 = seventy-five or 37.5×3 = 112.5. The 3/2 ratio is 1.5 for one identical combination rather than a guarantee about another random spin.
Three paws and nine to twenty-seven free spins
A paw marked Bonus acts as the scatter. Three of them on reels 1, 3 and 5 trigger the free spins. Before the round, a separate animated machine, a wooden contraption worked by the dogs, randomly sets the number of spins, anywhere from 9 to 27. That threefold range is the first reason bonuses differ so much: a long round gives kennels far more time to settle in.
The count is random without player choice; value weights and extensions are unspecified. Every new feature kennel retains its position and multiplier to the end. Appearing on spin one leaves twenty-six subsequent attempts in a twenty-seven-spin round and eight in a nine-spin round:26/8 = 3.25. These are additional spins rather than guaranteed awards.
For two hypothetical twelve-spin rounds, counting the landing spin, one kennel on spin two is available for eleven spins; three on spins ten, eleven and twelve are available for three, two and one, summing to six. This tracks presence rather than evaluating RTP or ranking random results: positions, symbols and multiplier combinations matter too.
Locked kennels on reels two and three of one line form a triple with any ordinary paying symbol on reel one, but not with a Scatter. Three on reels two to four form four with that eligible start, and a match on reel five makes five. Thus payment on every remaining spin is not unconditional: the paw is not substituted.
RTP,the ceiling and sequels
RTP is 96.51%, volatility high, and hit and feature rates unpublished. Restricting paw positions alone does not establish trigger probability. The RTP explainer is a long-run measure. Stakes are 0.2–100, and the 6,750x ceiling equals 1,350 at 0.2,6,750 at one or 675,000 at one hundred. An exclusive free-spin route and early termination at the ceiling are unestablished.
| Feature | The Dog House | The Dog House Megaways |
|---|---|---|
| Released | May 2019 | August 2020 |
| RTP | 96.51% | 96.55% |
| Grid | 5×3, 20 lines | 6 reels, up to 117,649 ways |
| Wild reels | 2–4 | 2–5 |
| Free spins | 9–27, sticky kennels | 7–20 sticky or 15–30 Raining Wilds |
| Cap | 6,750x | 12,305x |
The Megaways buy costs 100x where allowed.
The Dog House Megaways keeps the yard and breeds, and adds mode choice and a buy. The 2023 The Dog House Multihold plays its feature across four boards with sticky 2x–3x. The comparison of the two kennels covers differences. The original arrived six weeks before Sweet Bonanza.
Wolf Gold uses Money Respin with moons and jackpots; Big Bass Bonanza uses fishermen and a progress meter, with 96.71% RTP,0.20 percentage points higher. Other releases appear in the Pragmatic Play catalogue.
