![\"A](\"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/02\/dog-playing-with-toy-on-floor-021424.jpg\")
\nFrigid winter weather. Torrential spring rain. Blazing summer days. Severe fall storms. No matter the season, there are going to be times throughout the year when your outdoor-loving dog is stuck indoors. After longingly staring out the window for a while, your canine companion is probably going to get bored. And that\u2019s not good because a bored dog can quickly become a naughty dog. Especially if they\u2019re a young pup or you\u2019re not home.<\/p>\n
So how can you keep your dog entertained indoors on the days that they can\u2019t go outdoors? With plenty of physical and mental stimulation. In the sections below, we\u2019ve listed some fun things to do with your dog at home, as well as some ways to mentally stimulate your dog \u2014 and keep boredom away.<\/p>\n
Dogs need physical exercise to stay healthy and at an ideal weight, but they also need to exercise their brain. Indoor entertainment can be a great opportunity to give their brain a workout and can also help with separation anxiety.<\/p>\n
Before we get into the indoor activities, a quick word about treats. A lot of brain games and indoor activities require a reward. If you regularly use dog treats as the reward, it may cause your dog to pack on the pounds. So instead of giving your dog the whole treat, break it into smaller pieces. They\u2019ll still be rewarded but they won\u2019t be consuming as many extra calories. Remember that treats should provide no more than 10 percent of your dog\u2019s daily calories.<\/p>\n
You could also use low-calorie treats. Healthy snack choices for dogs<\/a> include carrots, celery, bananas and blueberries, along with many more fruits and vegetables. Freezing treats is also an option. Puree fruits and vegetables and freeze them inside your dog\u2019s toys and puzzles. But don\u2019t feed too many fruits and veggies because it could upset their digestive system. And you don\u2019t want that to happen while you\u2019re indoors!<\/p>\n Another food to use as a reward is your dog\u2019s kibble. Measure out their daily kibble ration and then use some of it in a treat dispensing toy. That way they\u2019re not consuming extra calories on top of their recommended daily calorie intake. Make them work for their dinner!<\/p>\n If you have a long hallway, a basement or stairs, indoor fetch with a soft toy or ball is a fun activity to play. Keep in mind that playing on carpet will give your dog better traction and stop them sliding everywhere. And make sure you don\u2019t play near any breakable family heirlooms!<\/p>\n Another option is to use household items to build your own canine obstacle or agility course in your living room, basement or even the whole house. For example, make a hurdle with a broomstick, use cardboard boxes and blankets to make tunnels, and put plastic cups three feet apart to make a slalom course. You may have to teach your dog how to do the course at first and use plenty of positive reinforcement, but they\u2019ll soon get the hang of it. If they really enjoy the obstacle course, you could try competitive agility<\/a>. Guiding your dog through agility courses gets you exercising, too!<\/p>\n Puzzle toys help with mental stimulation and they keep your dog busy for a while. In this situation \u201ca while\u201d depends on your dog\u2019s problem-solving skills \u2014 it might be hours for some dogs and minutes for others. If your dog is on the smarter end of the scale, there are food dispensing toys and puzzles that require two steps to be completed before they dispense the treat.<\/p>\n Speaking of toys, make sure you\u2019re rotating them every week or so. It\u2019s boring playing with the same toys all of the time, so switch it up for them. You should also look for toys that your dog doesn\u2019t play with. There\u2019s no point having them in the rotation if they\u2019re never used, so replace them with new versions of your dog\u2019s favorite toys. That way they\u2019ve always got a few toys available that they love to play with.<\/p>\n A scavenger hunt with treats or toys can give your dog\u2019s nose a workout and is a great way to keep a working dog entertained. Keep your dog out of sight and hide treats (smelly ones work best) or their favorite toys around the room. Put a couple in plain sight and point them out so your dog understands the game. Once they get the idea, encourage them to look for hidden goodies. Make sure you mix up the hiding places each time because smart dogs will always go to where they previously found the treasure.<\/p>\n Hide-and-seek is a great indoor game to play if multiple family members are home but can also be played with just the two of you. Ask your dog to \u201cstay\u201d and have everyone hide in places around your home that your dog can easily get to. If your dog isn\u2019t great at \u201cstay,\u201d have one person stay with your dog in a different room while everyone else hides. Once everyone is in place, call your dog to find you.<\/p>\n Chase the red dot is another favorite game. It\u2019s not just cats who love to chase the red dot \u2014 most dogs love to chase the laser all over the house, too. You could even combine it with the obstacle course.<\/p>\n A short training session each day can help keep your dog\u2019s mind active. Dog training indoors is often easier because your dog is typically less distracted than when you do training sessions outdoors. You can have your dog practice their basic obedience commands or you could teach your dog some new tricks.<\/p>\n Exercising your dog indoors can also relieve boredom and burn off some pent-up energy. Try doing a few quick laps of your house or apartment while your dog walks beside you. If you have them, stairs are a great cardio workout for both of you and they engage different muscles than walking. However, you shouldn\u2019t exercise on the stairs if your dog has joint or balance issues.<\/p>\n You could also invite a furry friend over for a playdate. It\u2019s good for socialization and gives your dog plenty of opportunities to exercise in a fun way.<\/p>\n Playing games with your dog or giving them a puzzle toy is a great way to keep your dog active in winter<\/a>, entertained in the summer when it\u2019s too hot to play outside<\/a>, and mentally stimulated during all of the other times that you\u2019re stuck indoors. It will help stop you from getting antsy, too!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Frigid winter weather. Torrential spring rain. Blazing summer days. Severe fall storms. No matter the season, there are going to be times throughout the year when your outdoor-loving dog is stuck indoors. After longingly staring out the window for a while, your canine companion is probably going to get bored. And that\u2019s not good because … <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16,"featured_media":22183,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_seopress_robots_primary_cat":"none","_seopress_titles_title":"Fun Indoor Activities for Dogs","_seopress_titles_desc":"Discover new engaging indoor games, puzzles & training tips to keep your dog entertained indoors. Find out how to keep them active & mentally stimulated!","_seopress_robots_index":"","om_disable_all_campaigns":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[2,4],"tags":[59,68,641,58],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=22180"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":22185,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/22180\/revisions\/22185"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/22183"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=22180"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=22180"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.tasteofthewildpetfood.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=22180"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}Indoor Games for Dogs<\/h2>\n
Toys and Food Puzzles Keep Dogs Entertained<\/h2>\n
Stimulate Your Dog\u2019s Sense of Smell<\/h2>\n
Fun Games for Both You and Your Dog<\/h2>\n
Brush Up on Your Dog\u2019s Obedience Training<\/h2>\n
Physical Exercise Is a Good Idea, Too<\/h2>\n
Now You Know How to Entertain Your Dog Indoors<\/h2>\n