In Dog's Life you play Jake the puppy, as he explores the USA in an attempt to foil a fiendish plot. Miss Peaches doesn't like dogs, and sees them as a way of making money, by dog-napping Daisy the pedigree dog.

The dog elements are closely integrated into the game - smells are indicated by lines of coloured smoke, emphasising a dog's acute sense of smell. Locating footprints is also done via this Smellovision mode. Tricks can be learnt, and used to win treats from humans.

Jake must explore vast environments and interact with 15 breeds of dog. The aim is to get them onto his side, which is usually done by either having more bones than them, or winning a subgame against them. These are also dog-based - in one you must dig up bones, while another has you 'marking territory' to annex a full screen.