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There will be times when you and your dog will be stuck inside. Whether it be a rainy day or you are sick, these days will be bound to happen. When they do, it’s good to have some options to entertain your dog indoors so that he doesn’t become bored. For dogs that are used to being on the go a lot, this is a huge adjustment. Finding easy indoor activities for dogs can help to keep them thinking and fill their need for mental stimulation all from the safety of inside your home.
1. Give Your Dog A Snuffle Mat
Snuffle mats are a great way to entertain a dog. You simply hide your dog’s kibble or treats in the snuffle mat and then he searches through the mat to eat it. These mats help your dog develop his search and find skills. To purchase a snuffle mat on Amazon, click HERE.
2. Give Your Dog A Treat Dispensing Ball
It’s a lot of fun for your dog to use a treat dispensing ball. Your dog has to roll the ball and as he does, the treats or kibble, will fall out for him to eat. If your dog inhales his food and you are looking for a way to slow him down, this is also a great option.
Click HERE for more information or to purchase on Amazon.
3. Teach Your Dog A New Trick
It’s fun to teach your dog new things, they love it too. If you aren’t sure how to teach your dog new tricks or want to teach your dog some unique tricks, this dog tricks and training workbook is excellent. It even comes with a DVD as well. The tricks range from easy to hard so no matter what level you are at with your training, there is something for everyone. Once you have taught your dog enough tricks, you can apply for a trick dog title (more about this in #19 of our indoor activities for dogs list).
Click HERE to check out The Dog Tricks and Training Workbook on Amazon.
4. Hide Treats For Your Dog To Find
Your dog will love this game. Hide treats around your living room or around a part of your house. Then tell your dog to “find it”. You may have to help him find the first few but once he realizes that there are treats hidden all around, he will have fun finding and eating them. Make sure that you use smelly treats so that he can sniff them out. You can check out my favorite treats for this game on Amazon, HERE.
5. Give Your Dog A Stuffed Kong
My dog loves kongs. Our rainy day activities often involved a stuffed kong. I use organic peanut butter in my dog’s kong. If you use peanut butter be careful not to use a brand that has artificial sweeteners as some of them can be toxic to dogs. The brand I use contains only organic dry roasted peanuts and sea salt. You can check it out HERE.
Your dog will love to lay around and lick the treat out of the kong. You can freeze it to make the peanut butter or whatever other treat you put inside, last longer.
6. Make Your Dog Work For His Food
Keep your dog working and he will be happier! My dog doesn’t get his food until he does something for me. It can be as simple as a sit stay or a more complex trick but he knows that when it’s meal time he will be asked to work for it.
If you are training your dog for a new trick or task, you can use part of his meal to train him. My dog loves working for his food. This will also slow down a dog who typically inhales their food.
7. Play A Game Of Hide And Seek
I think that I love this game just as much as my dog does, it’s one of my favorite indoor activities for dogs. We play this one a lot. When he is busy doing something I sneak off and hide. I then call his name and he goes looking for me. It’s a lot of fun to watch him search the house to see where I am hiding. When he finds me he gets rewarded with verbal praise as well as a treat.
Once your dog gets used to playing this game you can find some really good hiding spots to keep him searching. If he starts to lose interest call his name until he finds you. If you have children, they will enjoy this indoor dog game as well.
8. Play A Game Of Fetch
If you have a hallway or a space large enough, you can have a game of fetch with your dog. Toss a ball or his favorite frisbee or tug toy. Please keep safety in mind though. If you have slippery floors this is not a good activity for your dog.
9. Play A Game Of Tug
Most dogs love to tug. Use a tug toy and have a good game of tug with your dog. When you play this game you must have rules so that it doesn’t get out of hand. You are always the one to end the game of tug and your dog must release the tug toy to you when you give him the release command.
10. Give Your Dog A Puzzle Toy
Puzzle toys provide lots of mental stimulation while your dog figures out how to get the treats. It’s fun to watch them figure out the puzzle, you can really see them working. They work by hiding treats or kibble in the various comparments and your dog has to work to get them out so that he can eat them. Interactive dogs toys and puzzles make great indoor activities for dogs.
Click on the photo to check out this awesome puzzle toy on Amazon.
11. Teach Your Dog Scent Work
Dogs use their nose on a daily basis so why not put that nose to work! This is a fun game for your dog and can become useful to you once he knows how to do it. You can even train your dog to find items around your house. How cool is that!
12. Set Up An Obstacle Course For Your Dog
This can be a lot of fun. Once again pay close attention to your flooring, if it is slippery make sure that your dog doesn’t have to jump. You can use things around your home to create an obstacle course for your dog. Be creative and make it fun. You can even hide treats throughout the obstacle course to make it even better for your dog. Once he has gone through the obstacle course a few times you can switch it up and change things around so he can go through a new course. This is great for mental stimulation as well as physical exercise. If you have kids, they may enjoy the obstacle course too!
13. Set Up Indoor Agility Courses
If you have a space in your home where you can set up an indoor agility course, you can have a lot of fun and so will your dog. You can use things that you already have in your home to make a course or you can buy some lightweight and easy to use agility equipment that you can use indoors. Always use care and make sure that the flooring in the space that you use is not slippery so that your dog doesn’t injure himself.
To check out this easy to use agility kit on Amazon, click HERE.
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14. Rotate Your Dog’s Toys
Rotating your dog’s toys is a great way to keep his toys interesting to him. Having at least 3 or 4 rotations of dog toys will help to keep your dog from getting bored of his toys. Rotate his toys weekly to keep him interested. Of course, if he has an absolute favorite toy, you can let him keep that one during the rotations.
15. Teach Your Dog To Use A Treadmill
When you can’t get outside for your dog to run, a treadmill can be a good alternative. Once you train your dog to walk on the treadmill it can be a good way to drain his energy on those days that you just can’t get outside. To check out our favorite treadmill on Amazon, click HERE.
16. Give Your Dog A Job
Mental stimulation is important for dogs. You can train your dog to help you around the house. You can train him to bring you your slippers, help gather up the laundry or pick up his toys. Your dog will enjoy having a job and it will help you at the same time.
17. Daily Obedience Lessons
Having daily obedience lessons will help you have a well trained member of your family. Keep the sessions short, 15 minutes at a time to prevent your dog from losing interest. Always end your training sessions on a positive note with something that your dog can be successful with and always keep training fun and upbeat. This leaves him looking forward to his next training session.
18. Bake Some Dog Treats
Your dog will not object to this activity! Bake some dog treats, you can use them for training and also for the snuffle mat. There are so many great dog treat recipes to choose from, my dog loves this Apple Carrot Dog Treat Recipe.
19. Put A Title On Your Dog
If you are looking for fun indoor activities for dogs, this is a great option! You don’t have to leave your home to put a title on your dog with Do More With Your Dogs. You can train and video your dog doing tricks for a Do More With Your Dog trick dog title and then email them or post them in a facebook group of a trick dog evaluator. These titles are available for any purebred or mixed breed dog. For more information, check out the Do More With Your Dog website, click HERE.
20. DIY A New Toy For Your Dog
This can be a fun project for both you and your dog. There are so many DIY toys that you can make for your dog and often times you have the supplies that you need at home already. My favorite DIY dog toy is a rope toy. I cut up old fleece blankets in to 2 inch wide strips and then braid them tightly. Then knot the ends multiple times. Your dog will love this toy.
21. Blow Bubbles For Your Dog To Chase
Blowing bubbles for your dog can be a lot of fun. He will enjoy trying to catch the bubbles as they float through the room. This is an activity you can do indoors or outdoors with your dog. If you blow bubbles indoors for your dog, be cautious that the floor doesn’t become slippery.
22. Watch Your Favorite Dog Movie Together
There’s nothing better than curling up on the couch with your dog to watch a movie. So turn on Netflix or dig out your favorite dog movie DVD and enjoy the time with your dog. My favorite dog movies are the Air Bud movies!
23. Groom Your Dog
Not every dog requires a lot of grooming but they can all benefit from nail trimming, a bath and a brushing. Spend some time with your dog giving him a spa day. He will look and feel so much better afterwards.
24. Give Your Dog A Chew Toy
Dogs love to chew. Giving them something appropriate to chew on will save your belongings. My dog’s favorite chew toy is the petstages chew toys. This dogwood chew toy is made with real wood but is safer as it doesn’t splinter as your dog chews on it. My dog has had this toy for 2 years now and it is still in very good shape. Check it out on on Amazon HERE.
25. Do Core Strengthening Exercises
Core strengthening is important for everyone, even your dog! There are lots of fun exercises that you can teach your dog that will strenthen his core muscles. Fitpaws has a variety of equipment that you can use to exercise your dog, including the mini fitbones and full sized fitbones pictured below. This is a great way to keep your dog fit and is one of my dog’s favorite indoor activities for dogs. To check out the Fitpaws collection on Amazon, click HERE.
So, if you are looking at how to keep your dog entertained indoors, check out these indoor activities for dogs. Your dog will love it.
