Does your dog have pent-up energy when they’re stuck inside because of bad weather? A bored dog can easily turn into a destructive dog who is seeking some physical and mental enrichment. Fortunately, there are lots of fun indoor games that can keep your dog mentally and physically active. But what are some fun indoor games for dogs? Let’s discuss some of our favorites below.
Hide and seek
Hide and seek is not just a fun game, it also teaches your puppy to stay in your line of sight.
At first, you should call your puppy from another room while they can still see you. When your puppy comes to you, praise them and give them a treat. After doing this a few times, you can start to hide behind easy to find hiding places or corners. And wait for them to find you.
Indoor fetch
A classic; you can use stairs for an extra challenge if it is safe. For those dogs who shred tennis balls, you can use more durable balls like the Kong rubber dog ball.
Interactive toys and puzzles
You can make mealtimes more engaging through feeding puzzles. Giving your dog some extra work to get their meals or treats. Some feeding puzzles include lifting lids, nudging compartments, or sliding puzzles.
Some dogs love to play with a Wobble treat ball. Which is a dog ball with treats inside that fall out as it rolls around.
Snuffle mats are puzzles where your dog will need to use their nose to find treats or kibble inside the mat.
Tug and wrestling
Playing tug and wrestling is a fun way to burn off some extra energy. However, if your puppy play bites, than this can worsen their behavior.
For puppies who do play bite, you should check out our blog on “Why is my puppy play biting?”, which is written by Beyond the Dogs co-founder, and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage.
Puppy play dates
You can always bring a friend over for your dog. If your puppy needs some help with socialization, we recommend checking out our blogs on “Why puppy socialization matters and where to start” or “what are signs of a dog being poorly socialized”.
Dog Training
Dog training is a great way to have fun and bond with your dog, while also teaching them some useful obedience training skills. Five obedience commands that all dogs should learn are sit, stay, come, heel and down. You could also teach your commands including dog how to do a down stay or how to shake.
Would you like help training your dog?
Would you like help teaching your dog a down stay, high level obedience and manners? Or addressing problem behaviors such as reactivity towards other dogs and people while on leash?
You can contact our Pet Behavior Team for a free consultation, where we can chat with you and provide a personalized recommendation that meets your needs. We recommend you check out our TikTok channel for helpful training tips.
To understand more about how puppies learn, you should check out our blog on “How Puppies Learn”. This blog was written by our co-founder and Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage.
We use scientifically proven training methods, backed by over 20 years of hands-on experience. Beyond the Dog Tampa Bay is led by our co-founders, Dr. Kristyn Echterling-Savage, a Certified Applied Animal Behaviorist (CAAB) and Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA), and Sean Savage, a Certified Dog Behavior Consultant (CDBC) and Certified Professional Dog Trainer-Knowledge Assessed (CPDT-KA).
