Stuck inside? 8 activities to play with your dog
<Click on underlined words for a link to video demo>
1) Hide ‘n’ Seek. This is a fun game and is also a great intro for teaching your dog to “come!” You hide and they enthusiastically “seek”.
Ask your dog to stay or have someone hold your dog while you walk out of the room
Go into a nearby room and hide behind a door, under the bed, behind a curtain
Start off with an easier hiding place and then you can make it a bit more difficult after a few repetitions— that will help your dog better understand the game
Then, happily say your dog’s name followed by “COME!” and wait for them to find you
If they are having trouble, you can repeat it but always say it in a happy, positive tone
Once they find you, give lots of praise and a treat!
Repeat!
As a trainer, I love the motivation that the dog demonstrates in this game when you tell him to “come” but, as a dog owner, I much more love the FUN that this game provides -- for me and my dog! It’s hysterical to hide and watch them try to find you! Don’t take my word for it. Try it yourself. I promise -- you will both have a blast!
2) Build an obstacle course. Remember when you built forts as a child? Be creative.
Put together items like:
Chairs
Broomstick balancing on two chairs to limbo under
Stool to sit on
Empty boxes opened at both ends to crawl through
Hula hoop to jump through
Anything around the house - be creative!
Create obstacles for your dog to go over, under, down, sit, and walk along.
Have treats in your hand and lure your dog through the course, pausing to ask him to sit or down, then walking along the obstacles again.
Throughout the course, reward with lots of praise, encouragement and treats.
3) Play bubbles. Take your dog outside and blow bubbles! Some dogs love to jump up and bite at them. If, however, your dog is worried by the bubbles, put ‘em away and switch to a different game!
4) Provide a food puzzle toy. Instead of giving your dog her regular bowl of dog food, let her play with her food! It’ll be much more rewarding for both of you. When dogs have to work to get their food, it provides great mental enrichment. Here are a few options:
Fill a Kong with canned dog food, put in the freezer, and later give to your dog — a frozen Kong will take her 30+ minutes to eat her breakfast versus gobbling it up in 3 minutes from a bowl
Toss your dog’s kibble onto the grass in the backyard and allow her to forage for her food
5) Find It!
With your dog in the room, toss a few small pieces of hot dog or other treats (the smellier, the better) scattered on the floor
Tell her to “find it!” praising her after she eats each one
After she eats them all, call her out of the room and ask her to sit and stay (or have another family member hold her in a separate room)
Go back into the first room and repeat, scattering treats onto the floor, then call her to you again, saying “find it!”
Once she knows the game - ie, is excitedly looking for the treats - the next time, put a trail of treats leading just slightly under the table or behind the couch so they are just barely out of eyesight and say “find it!”
You can make it easier, or harder, to find the treats so that she has to use her nose to look but is successful, every time, in finding them, even if you have to help her by pointing.
She’ll have the most fun when she has to use her nose to find the treats.
*Note, use their kibble instead of treats or have a combo of both so they get part of their breakfast/dinner in this game instead of a bowl.
6) Fetch. It’s not just for outside play.
While standing at the bottom of the stairs with your dog, throw a ball to the top of the stairs and excitedly tell your dog to “get it!”
Racing up the stairs will be good exercise for your dog; however, allow her to come down the stairs at a slower pace in order to protect her joints- best to do this on carpeted stairs to avoid slipping
Playing with your dog is more fun when you are playing too! For instance, don’t just toss the ball for your dog to fetch, instead, play with your dog, cheering him on and enjoying the game yourself. When you play together with your dog, you will benefit from that time as well.
7) Rotate their toys. Oftentimes, dog owners will tell me that their dog has so many toys, they couldn’t possibly need more. But, dogs get tired of the same ole toys just like children do. You can always buy a new toy, but consider rotating their toys instead! Rather than having all their toys out and available at all times, pull several toys and put them away in the closet for a couple weeks. Then, bring out an old toy once a week or so, and watch your dog get excited considering it like a new toy. You can even add a drop of essential oil on the toy making it more interesting. Vanilla, lavender and clove are an example of essential oils safe to use, in very small amounts, with your dog.
This is a game for two people to play with your dog
Get a pocket full of treats
Stand opposite and facing each other, for instance with each person at the end of a hallway
One person calls your dog to “come!”
When he reaches you, give lots of praise and a treat
The second person then calls the dog to “come!”, also giving praise and a treat as he arrives
Repeat!
Your dog will happily ping pong from one person to the next. You can make it a bit more difficult by having each person in a different room. Be sure to have some good treats -- a tiny piece of cheese is usually a good one!
You’ve probably noticed that dogs seem to live in, what I call, present time. They are not thinking about what they are going to do tomorrow or what might happen to the world next week. They are thinking about what’s happening here and now. We can learn a lot from our dogs. Play with them and be with them. Enjoy the moment with your dog and live in the now, without worrying about tomorrow. You’d be surprised how the benefits multiply — a positive, healthy type of contagion.