
- BGG rank
- BGG #6,182
- BGG rating
- 6.0
Blink
- 2–3 players
- 10 min
- Complexity 1.1/5
- 1995

2001
Rules assistance for The Dog's Meow
Plain-language explanations of turns, card effects and disputed situations, with official source references and saved question history.
For 2 players

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Answers come from the official rulebook, with the page to check.
The Dog's Meow is a board game released in 2001 for 2–6 players, 10 minutes per game, and ages 6 and up. It was designed by Reinhard Staupe.
In The Dog's Meow – originally published as Anderland ("change country") – everything is different: Chocolate tastes like strawberry and barking dogs sound like cats. If one wants to look up, you have to look down, and everything red is suddenly blue! Cross-thinking and a quick mind are called for in the fantasy world of the different thinkers. Whoever adjusts most quickly to this "backward world" has the best chance of winning this thinking game. In game terms, you lay out a central card that shows the words "up", "down", "left" and "right" in the appropriate places, then lay out one picture card on each side of that central card. You then flip over task cards one by one, and if a task card says "left" you look for the card on the right of the central card; if the task card asks for the name of what lies there, you instead give the sound it makes. The first person to do so wins the card, and whoever collects the most task cards wins the game. An expert version adds color to the mix, with both a red and a blue central card, and four picture cards around each of those and player needing to look to red whenever the task card calls for blue.
The Dog's Meow supports 2–6 players according to the catalogue. This range comes from the publisher’s listed player count, so the game can be set up for any group size within it. Some setups, rules and scoring details may still vary by player count, so check your edition’s rulebook for the exact configuration.
The listed playing time for The Dog's Meow is 10 minutes. This is the publisher’s estimate for a full game. The actual duration depends on the group, the player count and familiarity with the rules: first sessions usually run longer, while experienced groups often finish faster. Setup and teaching time are not included in this estimate.
The catalogue lists The Dog's Meow for ages 6 and up. This is the publisher’s recommendation and reflects reading demands, rule complexity and small components rather than theme alone. Younger players can often join with help from an adult, so check the age guidance on your edition and consider your group’s experience with board games.
The Dog's Meow has a complexity rating of 1.0 out of 5 from BoardGameGeek players, which makes it a light game. The rating reflects how much rules knowledge, planning and decision-making a typical game demands. Expect a longer first teach for heavier games, and use a preparation guide before game night.
The Dog's Meow belongs to these categories: Card Game, Humor, and Children's Game. Categories describe the theme, setting and style of a game rather than its rules. Filter the catalogue by the same category to find similar games when you enjoyed The Dog's Meow and want something comparable for your next game night.
The credited designers of The Dog's Meow are: Reinhard Staupe. These credits come from the published game data and name the people responsible for the game’s design, not its illustrators or publishers. Designer pages on MeepleRules collect other titles by the same designers, which helps when you enjoy a game and want to find similar ones.
The catalogue lists The Dog's Meow as a base game. It can be played on its own with the components in the box and does not require any other title. Expansions, if any exist, add new content or rules on top of it and are listed separately in the catalogue with a link back to this base game.