Shiba & Friends
# Shetland Sheepdog
# Miniature Pinscher
# Shiba
# Welsh Corgi Puppy
# Toy Poodle
Dachshund & Friends
# Miniature Schnauzer
# Yorkshire Terrier
# Miniature Dachshund
# German Shepherd
# Pug
Chihuahua & Friends
# Cavalier King Charles Spaniel
# Chihuahua
# Shih Tzu
# Labrador Retriever
# Beagle
While each version has 5 dogs you can start with, all 15 dogs are actually unlockable in each version of the game. You can get dogs easier by trading with another version, but you can unlock them all in one game - it's not like Pokémon where the only way to get certain Pokémon was to trade. Due to the clear menu layout, choosing your dog is easy. Simply pick one by petting it on the DS's touch screen, choose its sex and colour and the next thing you know, you're at home with your Nintendog!
To interact with your puppy you use just the DS's touch screen and microphone; the buttons are not used at all. The first thing you need to do is to name your dog via the built-in microphone. By simply tapping the lightbulb icon, which appears whenever your dog can learn a voice command, you literally say the name of your dog into the mic. After repeating the name a couple of times your dog will soon know its name and will react to your voice from there on in. But this is just the start, as you have a whole string of commands and tricks for your dog to learn throughout its life. Once your dog is named, the game then releases you from all restrictions and you're left to do whatever you want, whenever you want. Here you find the touchscreen is used to stroke your dog and generally interact with it - be it petting its head, grabbing its paws or tapping its nose and making it sneeze.
The touch screen is also used to perform gestures for commands. Using the stylus or your finger you can teach the dog to sit by performing a slow downward motion on the screen. When the dog sits, that same lightbulb icon will flash again, allowing you to tie a voice to the command. Praise is very important when learning voice commands, so stroking the dogs when they get things right will let them know they're reacting the right way to what you're asking them to do. Like real puppies, things will take time to learn and they can't learn everything at once so you can only teach them a few things per day.
It's not all hard work though; there're plenty of ways to integrate fun into the learning. The Frisbee, for example, plays a big part in the game. The stylus is used to throw the Frisbee with the trajectory and distance it's thrown at depending on how fast the stylus moves then is let go after dragging the toy across the screen. Initially your Puppy will simply chase it, maybe chew on it for a while. But with practice, they'll learn to catch it in mid-air and bring it back to you quickly. Once you feel your dog is good enough you can enter it into Frisbee competitions to earn money.
Money can be used for a variety of things. You can buy toys such as a tennis ball, a tug-of-war towel and even a skipping rope, all of which you can interact with your dog with. You can buy food and water to feed your dog, or buy shampoo to literally clean them. By using the touchscreen you can scrub them with the shampoo then wash them off with the shower attachment. You can also buy accessories for your dog. Initially you only have access to more traditional things like dog collars and bows, but you can soon dress your dog up with sunglasses, caps and even Mario's hat. When you earn enough cash, you can buy even more puppies to live with yours or buy a new apartment for them to live in.
Walking your dog is simple. You're given a simple overhead map of the streets surrounding your home and you need to mark a route on the map before you start out on your walk. The map shows things like nearby parks and shops as well as special question mark boxes which can lead to finding items or meeting other dogs. Because of this, walking your dog is a vital part of your daily routine, especially as it increases your dog's stamina. By visiting parks you also practice Frisbee throwing and there's even a dog assault course hidden away so you can train your dog to jump fences and run through pipe tunnels.
Graphically, the game is very impressive, arguably the best 3D so far seen on the DS. While the dogs themselves look commendably close to the real thing, it's the animation that what makes this game what it is. The dogs' movement is incredibly lifelike and it's very easy to see the mood of your dog simply from how it's moving. They react accordingly to the different places you pet them and interact with each other just as actual dogs would. For example, if you throw a Frisbee at a group of dogs they will happily fight over it just as real dogs would. Both screens are used throughout, with your dogs swapping from top to bottom whenever you need to use menus or interact with them, so they're always in your view.
There is a Japanese language barrier, so there is quite a lot that you would miss out on by not waiting for the English-language release. Things like dog shows where you're told what commands to perform are unplayable unless you can read Japanese. In addition, Nintendogs as a game seems to grow with you, in the sense that the more you play the more options and items open up for you - much like how Animal Crossing worked. Coupled together, these facts are why this is a preview and not a full review. But once a 'PAL' version is available, along with the promise of a more localized selection of dogs, a PALGN review will be soon to follow.
Nintendogs has certainly got my cash when it comes out in English text form.
i ordered this a few days ago on ebay and i cant wait til it comes! 
but its gonna take a week cus its coming from hong kong 
im getting the shiba and friends version 
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