A Pragmatic Classic That Refuses to Get Old
The Dog House launched in March 2019, and seven years later it's still one of the most recognizable slots Pragmatic Play has ever made. It kicked off an entire series — Megaways, Multihold, Dog House Dice — and the original remains the one people keep coming back to.
The layout is 5 reels, 4 rows, 20 fixed paylines. No Cluster Pays, no Pay Anywhere, no cascading reels. This is old-school line-based gameplay, and honestly, that's part of its charm. You know exactly what's happening on every spin.
The standout mechanic is Sticky Wilds with x2 or x3 multipliers, landing exclusively on reels 2, 3, and 4. During free spins they stay locked in place, and the multipliers add up across a winning line. Three x3 Wilds on one line means x9 — not x27, because multipliers add rather than multiply. It's a crucial detail that's often misunderstood.
RTP sits at 96.51%, the max win is x6,750, and bonuses trigger noticeably more often than in modern Pragmatic titles like Gates of Olympus or Sweet Bonanza. If you haven't tried it, hit the demo button above — you'll see why this one has staying power.
Why Dog House Is Still in Everyone's Top 10
What players love
- Sticky Wilds accumulate during bonus — more spins = more Wilds
- x2/x3 multipliers stack together (up to x9 on a single line)
- Bonus comes more often than Gates/Bonanza (~180 spins vs ~250+)
- Simple mechanics — understood in a minute, no tutorial needed
- RTP 96.51% is solid for a classic that's been around since 2019
Honest downsides
- x6,750 cap is modest by today's standards (Megaways does x12,305)
- Casinos often run the 94.50% RTP version — always check
- Wild only appears on reels 2, 3, and 4 — never on the edges
- No bonus buy in the original version
- Multipliers ADD, not multiply (x3+x3+x3=x9, not x27)
Classic 3x5 Grid with 20 Paylines
Standard 5 reels, 3 rows. Stakes from €0.20 to €100. 20 fixed paylines - all always active.
Symbols and Payouts
Payouts for 5 matching symbols (at max bet):
- Doberman: 25x
- Rottweiler: 12.5x
- Pug: 7.5x
- Shih Tzu: 5x
- A, K: 2.5x
- Q, J: 1.5x
- 10, 9: 1x
Wild - dog paw. Replaces all symbols except Scatter. Appears only on reels 2, 3, 4.
Scatter - dog house. 3+ Scatters trigger free spins.
Base Game
Wilds can land with x2 or x3 multipliers even in base game. If a Wild is part of a winning line - multiplier applies. Multiple Wilds multiply together. Try the demo - you'll see how it works.
Sticky Wilds — Why This Works
Base Game Wilds
Even outside the bonus, Wilds on reels 2-4 carry x2 or x3 multipliers. Land one on a winning line and it applies immediately. It's a nice touch, but the base game isn't where The Dog House earns its reputation.
Free Spins — Where the Magic Happens
Trigger free spins with 3+ Scatters. Before the bonus starts, a 3x3 mini-game determines how many spins you receive — anywhere from 9 to 27, with the average landing around 14-16 spins in my experience.
Here's what makes the bonus special: every Wild that lands during free spins becomes sticky. It stays locked in its position for the rest of the round. Each one keeps its x2 or x3 multiplier.
The Wilds accumulate over time. By spin 10-12, you can easily have 6-8 Wilds covering the middle reels, each contributing its multiplier to every winning line that passes through it. This is when the payouts start compounding and the balance jumps.
Retrigger
Land 3 or more Scatters during the bonus and you get additional free spins. There's no limit on retriggers, which means exceptionally long bonuses are theoretically possible — though rare.
No Buy Bonus in the Original
Unlike many modern slots, the original Dog House doesn't offer a bonus buy option. If you want that shortcut, you'll need to play The Dog House Megaways (80x buy) or The Dog House Multihold (75x buy). In the original, you earn your bonuses the old-fashioned way — by waiting and spinning.
96.51% — Solid RTP, But Casinos Often Cut It
At 96.51%, The Dog House has a perfectly respectable return. The problem is that many casinos — especially with older, established hits — quietly switch to reduced RTP versions. This slot has been around since 2019, and it's one of the most common targets for RTP cuts.
How to Check RTP Before Playing
- Open the game at your chosen casino
- Click the "i" (info) or "☰" (menu) button
- Find the "Game Rules" or "Theoretical Return" section
- Make sure RTP is 96.51%
Seeing 94.50%? Leave. Over 2,000 spins at $1, the difference from 96.51% costs roughly $40 extra. That's real money walking out the door.
Despite being labelled "high volatility," Dog House actually feels gentler than Gates of Olympus or Sweet Bonanza. The bonus triggers roughly every 180 spins — about 1.5x more often than those modern Pragmatic heavyweights. You won't hit a single massive x10,000 payout, but you'll see bonuses frequently enough to keep your session alive.
300 Demo Spins: My Observations
I loaded up the demo and ran 300 spins at €1 to see how The Dog House actually plays in practice. Here's what I found — no theory, just results.
First Bonus — Spin ~95
The first bonus landed much sooner than expected. I received 14 free spins from the mini-game. Four Wilds stuck to the middle reels over the course of the round — two x2s and two x3s. Nothing spectacular, but the wins added up steadily. Final result: x340, or €340 on my €1 bet. A solid start.
Second Bonus — Spin ~250
This was the big one. The mini-game awarded 18 spins, and by spin 12, I had 7 Sticky Wilds across reels 2-4. Four of them carried x3 multipliers. When a Doberman line connected through three x3 Wilds, the math worked out to 25x base × x9 (3+3+3) = x225 on a single spin. Over the full bonus, the total came to x1,200.
What I Took Away
Both bonuses triggered within 300 spins — that's significantly more frequent than my typical experience with Gates of Olympus or Sweet Bonanza, where I regularly wait 300+ for a single feature. The trade-off is clear: the x6,750 cap means you'll never see a life-changing screen, but you'll see bonuses often enough to keep your balance moving.
Dog House is ideal for players who prefer frequent medium wins over rare massive ones. If you want that adrenaline-rush potential, look at the Megaways version. If you want consistency and a familiar feel, the original is hard to beat.
x6,750 Potential: Win Calculator
The max win is modest compared to newer releases, but the frequency of bonuses makes up for it. Enter your stake to see what's possible:
Dog House vs the Series and Competitors
How does the original stack up against its own spin-offs and Pragmatic's other top performers?
| Slot | RTP | Volatility | Max Win | Bonus | Feature |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
The Dog House
|
96.51% | x6,750 | 68x | Sticky Wilds x2/x3 | |
Dog House Megaways
|
96.55% | x12,305 | 100x | 117,649 ways | |
Sweet Bonanza
|
96.51% | x21,100 | 100x | Bomb multipliers x100 | |
Gates of Olympus
|
96.50% | x5,000 | 100x | Zeus multipliers x500 |
My Take
I keep coming back to the original Dog House when I want a session that actually gives me bonuses to play with. Megaways has the higher ceiling, but the original triggers features more often and feels less punishing during dry streaks. Sweet Bonanza and Gates of Olympus are different beasts entirely — bigger potential, but you'll stare at dead spins a lot longer. For me, Dog House is the comfort-food slot I load up when I want action, not anticipation.
More Dog House Versions and Similar Slots
The Dog House family keeps growing. Here are the versions worth checking out:
Dog House Megaways
RTP: 96.55%
Dog House Multihold
RTP: 96.51%
Sweet Bonanza
RTP: 96.51%
Gates of Olympus
RTP: 96.50%Common Questions About The Dog House
Is Dog House outdated? Worth playing in 2026?
Absolutely still worth it. The graphics haven't aged brilliantly, but the mechanics hold up perfectly. Bonuses come more frequently than most modern Pragmatic slots (~180 spins vs 250+), and the Sticky Wild system is still one of the most satisfying bonus rounds in the catalogue. Newer doesn't always mean better.
Do multipliers multiply or add?
They ADD. This is the most common misconception about Dog House. Three x3 Wilds on one winning line gives you x9 (3+3+3), not x27 (3×3×3). This is why the max win caps at x6,750 rather than something astronomical. Many review sites get this wrong.
How are free spin counts determined?
After triggering the bonus with 3+ Scatters, a 3x3 mini-game appears. You pick tiles to reveal your total spins — anywhere from 9 to 27. In practice, most bonuses land in the 14-16 range. More spins means more chances for Sticky Wilds to accumulate, which is what you want.
Why don't Wilds appear on reels 1 and 5?
It's a deliberate design choice. Wilds on reels 2, 3, and 4 means they can contribute multipliers to lines that still need matching symbols on the outer reels. If Wilds appeared everywhere, the math would break — either the multipliers would need to be lower, or the max win would need to be capped even more aggressively.
Is there a bonus buy?
Not in the original Dog House. If you want instant access to free spins, try The Dog House Megaways (80x buy) or The Dog House Multihold (75x buy). The original makes you earn your bonuses through regular play.
Which Dog House version should I pick?
It depends on what you're after. The original is best for simplicity and frequent bonuses. Megaways offers the highest win potential (x12,305) with 117,649 ways to win — it's the "go big" option. Multihold gives you multiple game screens running simultaneously for a unique multi-screen experience. Start with the original to learn the mechanics, then branch out.
Player Reviews
Been playing Dog House since late 2020 and it's genuinely the slot I come back to most. Not the flashiest, not the biggest potential — but the bonus frequency is unmatched in my experience. I get features roughly every 150-200 spins, compared to Gates where I've gone 400+ dry.
My best hit was £680 from a £0.80 stake — 22 spins with 8 Sticky Wilds by the end, four of them x3. The Doberman lined up through three of those x3 Wilds and the single spin paid over £160. That's x850 from one bonus round, which felt massive for this slot.
Tried the Megaways version for a month and honestly went back to the original. Megaways has the higher ceiling but it plays rougher — longer dry spells and the bonus somehow feels less satisfying despite the extra ways to win. The original just has a rhythm to it that works.
One warning: CHECK YOUR RTP. I found two casinos running the 94.50% version and only noticed because I checked the game rules. Switched to a site with the full 96.51% and immediately felt the difference. Don't be lazy about this.
Knocked off two points because the x6,750 cap does sting when you see streamers hitting x50,000 on other slots, and the lack of a bonus buy in the original means you're at the mercy of the RNG for feature access. But for consistent, enjoyable sessions? 8/10 every day of the week.