When the weather turns wet and gloomy, your dog’s daily walk might be off the table, but that doesn’t mean their exercise and playtime has to be. As dogs need both physical exercise and mental engagement (and lots of it), being stuck indoors can quickly cause them to become bored or even develop destructive behaviour. Thankfully, there are plenty of fun and effective indoor games you can play to keep your dog happy and healthy, no matter the weather, their energy levels, or age.
Why Indoor Play is Important for Dogs
Getting exercise and mental stimulation is incredibly important for any dog. If they’re unable to get both of these outside due to bad weather, it can be helpful to substitute this with indoor play, even if you have limited space.
Spending time playing with your dog inside the house supports their physical health, while also helping them maintain a healthy weight, build muscle and keep them mentally stimulated. Indoor activities also offer a great opportunity to strengthen your bond, build trust, and reinforce good behaviour.
Regular activity can help your dog have better long-term health too, which can potentially reduce the risk of obesity-related conditions or behavioural issues that might require costly treatment.
As trips to the vet can be expensive, especially when it’s unexpected for an illness or accident, it’s a good idea to have pet insurance in place to help cover the cost of emergency treatment. Insurers such as Petgevity can cover many pre-existing health conditions too, meaning peace of mind if your dog needs regular trips for an ongoing issue.
The Five Best Indoor Games to Play with Your Dog
Let’s take a look at some of the best ways to enjoy indoor play with your beloved pet and the various ways to keep them engaged and mentally stimulated.
#1 – Hide & Seek
Hide and seek isn’t just a childhood classic, it’s also a fantastic way to mentally and physically engage with your dog indoors. This is because it taps into their natural tracking instincts and encourages focus, while also helping reinforce basic commands like ‘stay’ and ‘come’ that you may be trying to teach them.
First, tell your dog to ‘stay’ in one room and then hide toys in other rooms around the house. Under the table, behind curtains and inside boxes make great hiding spots. Alternatively, you can hide yourself! When you’re ready, call for your dog and wait for them to find the toys or you. When they do, make sure to make a fuss and reward them with treats.
As your dog gets better at hide and seek, you can increase the difficulty by choosing trickier hiding spots. It’s a fun way to challenge your dog’s brain and give them a gentle indoor workout, and it never gets old for them, so make sure you’re feeling energetic.
#2 -Tug-of-War
It’s a game that most dogs love to play, and it’s a simple way to burn energy. Tug-of-war gives your dog a healthy outlet for their instincts to grab, pull, and shake, while also building muscle and coordination. Playing tug-of-war with your dog is a great way to bond with them, as per the RSPCA, and can also help your pets bond with each other if you have more than one dog.
It’s best to choose a toy that’s specifically designed for this though, as anything too small or weak can easily break. A rope toy or a ball attached to a rope is a good option. You should set boundaries by using commands such as ‘drop it’ and ‘leave it’ while you’re playing, and make sure to pause the game if your dog gets too excited or mouthy.
Avoid overly aggressive tugging, especially with puppies or dogs with dental issues, as this may cause injury. It’s good to let your dog win on occasion, although as most dogs are very strong and keen to win, you’ll probably end up losing more often than not!
#3 -Treat-Dispensing Toys & Puzzle Games
Treat-dispensing toys and puzzle games are excellent tools for keeping your dog mentally stimulated. These games tap into your dog’s natural problem-solving abilities and can help relieve boredom and anxiety, while also giving your pet a tasty treat.
Toys that can be filled with treats or covered in dog-friendly spreads, such as peanut butter, can keep your dog entertained for a long time, as can puzzle feeders, where your dog needs to slide, lift, or nudge compartments to find hidden treats.
Your dog can also enjoy chasing around rolling treat balls that dispense food as your dog pushes them. Not only will they mentally engage your dog, but they should also tire them out too, meaning they’ve had a good workout.
#4 – Scent Work
Dogs love using their noses, thanks to their strong sense of smell. In fact, their sense of smell is between 1,000 to 10,000 times more sensitive than that of humans (depending on the breed), as per the PDSA. Giving your pet the chance to hunt down treats will excite them and is a great game for dogs of all ages and physical abilities.
You can hide treats around the room and let your dog sniff them out, or create a scent trail by dragging a treat or toy along the floor, then hiding it at the end for your dog to track down.
You could also hide a treat under a suitable cup and shuffle them around with identical cups. Let your pet figure out which cup is hiding their treat, and then reward them with this if they choose correctly. Make sure to keep sessions short (around 5 to 10 minutes) so that you don’t frustrate your pet for too long – you may just need to give them the treat if they take too long.
#5 – Indoor Fetch
With a few adjustments, you can make fetch a fun, indoor game for your dog. It’s a good idea to swap hard toys for lightweight and plush toys to avoid damaging your furniture. You should also clear the room or hallway, so your dog doesn’t accidentally slip or crash into things when they’re chasing after their toy. It’s best to avoid playing on slippery floors for the same reason.
Make sure that the toys you use aren’t small enough that your dog could accidentally swallow them and choke. You also shouldn’t throw toys directly upwards, as per the Blue Cross, as this could cause your dog to leap and land awkwardly.
Plenty of Ideas To Keep Your Dog Busy
Just because it’s raining outside doesn’t mean your dog has to miss out on the fun. With a little creativity and the right indoor games, you can keep your pet physically active and mentally stimulated, while also strengthening your bond with them.
Whether it’s a game of tug-of-war, a stimulating puzzle toy, or some fun scent work, there are plenty of activities that have great benefits for your dog’s health. Now you have no excuse not to keep them active, even when the Great British weather is less than desirable.
