5 Indoor Activities To Do With Your Dog

You don't need to journey far from home to enjoy spending time with your fur-friend. Whether it's a cold, rainy day and you're rugged up in your winter warmers, or maybe you need some additional stimulation for your four-legged friend after a day of activities and they just won't seem to settle, there are plenty of indoor activities to encourage bonding and play with your canine.

1. Bubble Play

Now, this is definitely not your average everyday interaction with your dog, but that is exactly the point! A bit of variety in stimulation is important for your pet, and besides, everyone loves bubbles. You could opt for your traditional bubbles in a bottle to enjoy some bubble play yourself, or if you have the means, you could invest in an automatic bubble maker. Make sure to use a dog friendly bubble solution and enjoy the physical and mental stimulation this play provides!

2. Teach Your Dog a New Trick

No matter the age or skill level of your pup, teaching them new tricks can be an exciting experience for both of you. Your dog absolutely won't argue the point of receiving a treat for following command, and for you, maybe their is something you have been meaning to teach them for a while that you haven't quite gotten around to. In addition to being rewarding for both of you, learning a new skill is mentally stimulating for your companion, burns off any additional energy they might be holding onto, and even averts unwanted behaviours.

3. Hide-and-Seek

A great way to encourage physical and mental stimulation without too much effort on your part, is a fun game of Hide-and-Seek with your mate. Understanding the basic commands "sit/stay", "come", and "find" are the basic requirements of the game. If your friend is yet to learn these commands, this could be a good time to head back to activity #2, and teach them a new command, that way they are confident and ready to play Hide-and-Seek the next time you're spending time together indoors.

4. The "Cup Game"

The "Cup Game" is a super simple and effective way to introduce and improve a few of your dog's skills. This game introduces scent work - where your dog uses their nose to find the treat. You can start this game out with a treat underneath a single cup to introduce your dog to the basic rules of the game. Once they are confident with flipping the cup and finding their well earnt treat, you can increase this to three cups (or more if your fur-friend needs an extra challenge) and shuffle the cups around to apply more of a challenge. Ensure lots of praise, as this is just as good as the reward for them.

5. Play Tug-Of-War

Contrary to popular belief, tug-of-war does not cause aggression in dogs. Tugging mimics a dogs natural behaviour after they finish the hunt, however it is beneficial to practice this natural instinctual behaviour to prevent undesired behaviours like chewing, or destruction of household items. Ensure to match your tug intensity to their size and body, it isn't about the intensity of the game, rather about the partnership between you and your dog. Ensure to practice "drop it" often to ensure no unwanted behaviours are encouraged in other aspects of your dogs life. Otherwise, tug away and enjoy the process!