Sometimes we can only bundle up so much to head outside. There are plenty of days where it might be unsafe to go outdoors for more than potty breaks, but our dogs’ need for mental and physical stimulation doesn’t disappear. The good news is there are many fun and engaging activities you can do with your furry friend indoors!
1) Mental Enrichment: Keeping Your Dog’s Mind Sharp
- Harness the Power of Scentwork: A dog’s sense of smell is incredible, and using it can be super mentally stimulating. There are a couple of ways to play scent games at home:
- Find the Treat: Hide treats around the house and have your dog sniff them out. Start easy and gradually increase the difficulty by hiding treats in trickier locations.
- Find the Toy: Instead of food, perhaps your dog has a favourite ball, rope or stuffed animal. After engaging them in a game of fetch or tug, ask them to Stay (or put them behind a gate or in a crate until you build up to a rock solid stay), and hide the toy out of sight. Then release them (a verbal cue like “Free” works great!) to go find it! Make it really easy until they understand the game, then slowly introduce trickier hides!
- Scent Detection Class: Consider signing up for one of our advanced scent detection classes! It’s a great way to train your dog’s nose and have fun together once you’ve attended Foundation Skills. Then you can practice at home!
- Food Puzzles: Food puzzles are a great boredom buster and provide mental stimulation for your dog. If your dog solves them too quickly, keep things interesting by rotating different puzzles and refreshing them with new treats. DIY your own with an old towel, rolling a bunch of treats inside it. Purchase a snuffle mat or lick mat.
2) Engagement Games: Building a Stronger Bond Through Play
While fetch and tug-of-war are classic favorites, there are many other fun engagement games you can play with your dog indoors:
- Recall Games: With a partner, practice calling your dog back and forth, giving your pup a treat each time. Once they start to run enthusiastically back and forth, make it harder by going out of sight around a corner, then another room, continuing to pay your dog with a small food morsel each time they respond to your cue and come to you. Get your dog running across the house at speed to get some exercise in while you relax, hang out, and dish out treats!
- Hide and Seek: No training partner at home? No problem! Hide from your dog and have them find you! Start easy and gradually increase the difficulty by hiding in different locations.
- Catch Them Looking: Set yourself up with a clicker and some treats tucked out of the way. Click and treat your dog when they look at you. After a few minutes, if you can’t get them to look away, start clicking and treating only for glancing at your face, and away from the treats or your hand! Click and treat your dog every time they glance at your face while you’re walking around and watch their eye contact increase over time
3) Canine Conditioning: Canine conditioning exercises help improve your dog’s fitness, strength, body awareness, and coordination. Here are a few examples you can try at home:
- Balance Games: Balance games using wobble boards or using pillows can help strengthen your dog’s muscles and improve body awareness.
- Target Training: This involves teaching your dog to touch a specific target with their paws. It’s a great way to improve focus and coordination. Teach them to touch a target with their nose to start build a foundation for many other tricks or conditioning exercises
- Spin or Twirl: Teach your dog to follow a target with their nose. A few tight circles or spins between other tricks is a great way to stretch out their bodies
4) Training: Training is a fantastic way to challenge your dog mentally and strengthen your bond. Here are some ideas:
- Basic Obedience: Brush up on your dog’s basic commands like sit, stay, come, and down. You can take our Puppy Start Right class with a young pup, or Foundation Skills class for dogs of any age to learn new techniques. Don’t want to travel? Try a virtual session with us for loads of ideas!
- Advanced Training: If your dog has mastered the basics, consider enrolling in a more advanced class at one of our 5 locations to do some indoor agility, Rally-O or tricks
- Set Training Goals: Set small, achievable training goals and celebrate with your dog when they’re reached! Here are some examples:
- Hold a 30-second down stay while you get a toy from another room.
- Teach your dog a new trick, like rolling over or playing dead.
- Use the 3 D’s of training (Distance, Duration, Distractions) to break down your criteria as you add challenges for each aspect
Remember:
- Mental enrichment can be very effective for tiring out dogs out, sometimes even more so than physical exercise. Many puppy owners tell us their pups are wiped out after our Puppy Start Right classes!
Conclusion
Even when the weather isn’t ideal for outdoor adventures, there are many ways to keep your dog happy and stimulated indoors. By incorporating these activities into your routine, you can strengthen your bond with your furry friend and keep their mind and body active!
Looking for more dog training tips or classes to help your pup thrive? Explore our programs here.