Now that summer is gone and Fall is here, the days are getting shorter and the weather is cooler. This means longer walks or more time at the dog park for some of us but also means there will be some rainy days and muddy parks. So what to do when it’s too wet to go play outside? What to do as your dog gives you that “I’m bored!” look? There’s a few games you play inside that won’t knock every picture off the wall or break your favorite lamp.
Here are 5 games you play inside that will keep your pup happy:
1: Hide and Seek: Take one of your pet’s fav treats and hide with it. This normally takes two people. One to distract your dog and the other to hide. When the person is hidden, have them call out “Come!” or other commands. As your dog goes from room to room or look around for the hidee, give some verbal commands to help her out. When she finds the hidee, she gets the treat and a ton of praise. You can play this game a few times and your dog will find it fun and rewarding.
2: Trick training: Go through all the commands your dog knows and teach a new one. Have you dog sit, sit up, and stand several times in a row. If your dog knows how to roll over, turn this and sitting, laying down, sitting up, etc into a routine. Teach your dog to shake hands or crawl. All these tricks can help them exercise their body, improve their balance, and stimulate their mind. Try mixing up the order of the tricks.
3: Tug of War: If your dog is good at tugging and knows what toys are ok to play that game with, a light game of tug of war can be good. It can work her shoulder muscles and be fun. Just be careful to not let it become too tough and rough.
4: Treat Balls: These toys are sold in pet stores and are made to give your dog a mental workout. Place some treats inside the toy and let your dog roll, push, prod, and tug to get the treats out of the toy.
5: Have a treadmill, go for a walk: You’ve seen this on tv many times and it does work! The first few times your dog may be unsure of what’s going on. Start slow and coax and praise your dog for walking on the treadmill. Pretty soon you can get her up to a jog and keep her fit and trim.
Our Dog LOVES hide and seek! Telling her “FIND DADDY!” is a real thrill! She knows there’s
big time praise and a toy or treat in it for her.
I like the treadmill idea…I think I might try to get one at a yard sale first though before I spend big money.
As far as an outing that will keep you out of the weather, there are a lot of places that are Dog friendly as long as they are well behaved…Nearby, we have a Lowes Home store that does not mind at all if people shop with their fur friends..It’s good training and socializing for them too! And the people at our local store are really nice to the Dogs! They are not just ‘tolerant’ of them.
HAPPY PLAY TIME!