Dogs

10 Indoor Activities for You and Your Dog

indoor activities for your dog
Written by Arlene S. Lane

Indoor activities for dogs are a must for your dog. You can spend quality time while keeping him busy for longer. Dogs are literary fun. Whether they are outside or inside the home, just owning them is a fun thing. This isn’t just because I love dogs but this is more about what most dog owner has to say. They love to walk outside; play games and they can be trained for doing fun stuff. However, not every time human or dog will want to go out for a walk simply because he or she may not want to or there isn’t the right time such as bad weather.

But dogs may not understand this which is why you should engage them in some indoor activities for your dog. Unlike cats, dogs are more outdoor animals and when you are unable to take them outside, you will need to make sure they are still having fun while being inside the house.

Importance Of Indoor Activities for Your Dog

Indoor activities for your dog are a crucial part of its healthy daily routine. They provide mental stimulation, environmental enrichment, and physical exercise. Regular indoor activities can help prevent boredom, curb destructive behaviors, and encourage positive behaviors. There are plenty of fun things to do with your dogs at home including teaching new commands, providing interactive toys, and playing games such as hide-and-seek. They also provide your pup with an opportunity to bond with you and explore their environment in a safe and controlled manner.

You don’t have to be an extrovert to own a dog. There are plenty of fun things to do with your dog while being inside. Don’t worry, if you have crate-train your dog then it is highly unlikely that your dog will break anything while playing inside. Here are some fun things to do with your dogs at home. You will be surprised to read out about these best indoor activities for your dog. In this article, we tried to mention the maximum indoor activities for your dog. if you have any other indoor activities for dogs in your mind feel free to share them with us.

1- Play’ Tug Of War

indoor activities for your dog-Tug Of War

Tug of war is a fun game for dogs. You can play with your dog not only for fun but it will also to strengthen its jaw as well. It is really a great game to bond with our dog when you cannot go outside. You can also take the help of this game by redirecting their behavior if they have started to bite. Don’t just shout at them, instead give them something appropriate to chew like a rope. Not only this will be helpful in redirecting their behavior to their chew toy but they will have something where they can bite on. This could be the best indoor activity for dogs.

You can use a rope and play tug of war with your dog. This is one of those dog activities at home that can be helpful in making your bonding strong. Just make sure that your dog wouldn’t pick the rope without your permission. He should wait for it. You can hold the rope in your hand and make your dog grab it but don’t let it grab it as soon as possible. Hide it behind your back for some fun. Keep doing that until he learns to follow the command. You can give them a treat if they did right.

2- Hide And Seek With Treat

indoor activities for your dog

One of the fun dog friendly indoor activities is playing hide and seek. This can be played effectively when there are two people in the house. It would be much easier to teach the dogs how to play. To play the game, one person can hold the treat that your dog can see, and then that person will hide somewhere easy to find. While the other person will stay with the dog. The person holding the treat will call the name of the dog and the dog can then find the person. If he is succeeded then you can reward him.

This is among those indoor activities for dogs that can also get harder. Add more family members to the game. You can also learn how to play with a dog inside. You just need to make sure that you don’t encourage behaviors like scratching doors or jumping over things. Also, don’t make it too hard if you don’t know the abilities of your dog. After all, you just want to spend time with your dog inside of the house so make it simple and fun for both of you.

3- Engaging Them WIth Puzzle Toys

indoor activities for your dog

Dogs may act dumb sometime but they aren’t as dumb as they show. Among the various fun things to do with your dogs at home, puzzle toys are the most practical thing to do. They can be extremely intelligent and they can have the potential to be a great learner. One of the best indoor activities for puppies to enhance their intelligence is to play with some puzzle toys.

Or you can learn how to play with a dog inside by stimulating their minds. Engage them in some puzzle activities and games. Play games such as placing a treat beneath the cup and then changing its place to let the guess where the treat is or you can get them a puzzle treat dispenser. This will entertain them for a little while.

4- Get Them Help Around With You

indoor activities for your dog

If you don’t know how to play with a dog inside then don’t worry. This is something you may haven’t heard about but this is true. Several dogs are basically helping dogs by nature and one of the best things to do with your dogs when you cannot go outside is to get them to work with you. Yes, this is possible. You can make them walk around with you while working around the home. Though you cannot get them to pay bills or cut the grass you can use them to find things or get something to open. In this way, they can spend more time with you.

5- Training and Practice

indoor activities for your dog

Dogs have the potential to learn a lot. If you want to train your dog for something and for a long while you haven’t tried it then the right time is when you cannot go outside with your dog. Though you can run through training sessions at any time when you cannot take your dog outside use this opportunity to teach him the basic commands or some advanced ones that may not require heavy practice. This could be the best indoor activity for dogs.

Even if your dog is obedient and understands most of the commands then having such practices will be fun things to do with your dog. You can get out of your comfort zone and teach them advanced tricks such as rollover, play dead, or balancing a treat on its nose. Teach them the names of their toys, then send them to get them. The sky is the limit.

6- Search and Sniff

indoor activities for your dog

Everyone loves a treat and so do the dogs. You give them something to do and if they did successfully you can give them a treat. There are several ways to organize these dog activities at home. Such as in a tin, you can add different types of tennis balls and put the treat under it. Hide it somewhere and command your dog to start searching for the tin.

This is one of those dog friendly indoor activities that your dog will never get bored of. Make sure to hide the treat box or tin wherever you have placed it is hidden in a safe place that is easy to find and nothing can be damaged while searching it. Also, the dog shouldn’t be injured while searching for the treat.

7- Netflix and Chill

indoor activities for your dog

This is perhaps one of the best indoor activities for your dog especially when you don’t have any plan to call your friends just your dog with you. Snuggle up with your dog on your favorite couch, get some treats for your dogs, and snacks for yourself and you are good to go for a Netflix and chill time with your furry buddy. You can get cozy under a fleece blanket (depending on the weather) for some quality indoor time with your dog.

8- Couch Play

If you want some fun things to do with your dog then you can simply place a toy box of dog toys near your couch and let your dog play with them without disturbing you fun things to do with your dog. This is one of the best dog activities at home and is pretty smart for the owner.

9- Basic Grooming

If you own a dog then grooming it is its basic requirement of keeping it clean. If you want to make sure that your pet grooming experience will be greater then consider presenting him with plenty of treats. This can be one of the best dog friendly indoor activities. Some dogs will love a certain part of grooming such as when they are being brushed.

If you believe that your dog shreds a lot then the help of some basic grooming with the appropriate tools can be helpful in cutting down the excessive hairs around the house. Even your puppies would love this. Such indoor activities for puppies will make them look clean. You will also get to spend quality time with them as well.

If your dog sheds a lot then regular grooming is crucial. With some quality dog grooming accessories, you can keep the excess hairs away around the house. When done in a gentle manner, grooming ​can be a soothing and enjoyable bonding experience for you and your dog. Just make sure to use gentle hands while grooming and this would be a soothing experience for your dog. You cannot only make it look great but bond with it in the most appropriate way possible.

10- Get Him on A Trade Mill

With a trade mill, you can get your dog to have some fun indoor activities. You don’t have to go outside and inside the house. You can get him or her to on the trade mill so they can have the same walking or running experience on the trade mill.

Though you will have to use some treats first and use the leash to get them on the trade mill. You can even get them to train for the treadmill to use it without you. Though it requires extensive training and it would take your bonding to next level.

Conclusion

Doggies are great companions. They can make you feel at home when you aren’t at your home. When you don’t want to go outside with your dog for any reason, you can do several things to do with your dog without leaving your house. In this article, we tried to mention the maximum indoor activities for your dog. if you have any other dog activities at home ideas in your mind feel free to share them with us. Try these dog friendly indoor activities and they sure will strengthen the bonding between your dog and you. Learn more about indoor activities for puppies and dog care at our dog care blog.

 

About the author

Arlene S. Lane

Arlene S. Lane is a veterinary technician and hospital manager with over 12 years of experience. Arlene has been contributed expert content to The Pet's Rise for over 10 years.
Arlene has worked in veterinary medicine since 2017. Arlene's veterinary experience ranges from routine wellness care and preventive medicine to emergency and specialty care, where she has performed duties ranging from specialized nursing to clinical administration.

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