I've raised a border collie from a puppy in one of the rainiest states in the country. There were a lot of days that we couldn't go outside for longer than a potty break because of thunderstorms. So how did I survive with all of my belongings (mostly) intact? Games! Lots of them! I spent a lot of time researching different indoor games for dogs and when she got bored with those, I would change it up to make them harder and try again. We loved them because it worked as both a mental and physical exercise.
If you are feeling frustrated because your dog needs more exercise or you are just looking for a way to change things up and have some fun with your pup, here is a list of all of the things I've used to entertain my dog while stuck indoors.
1.) The 'Find It' Game
The premise of this game is simple: I'll hide the toy and you go find it. This game is made to give your dog's nose a workout. Put your dog in a sit/stay (use a kennel or a leash if you are still working on their stay command) and show your dog their favorite toy. Set it on the ground about five feet from the dog, look at them and say "Find it!" and make a questioning gesture with your hands. As soon as they pick up their toy, give them lots of praise and play with them with their toy. After a few seconds, take the toy away, put them back in their waiting spot, and repeat the process. Slowly increase the difficulty by making them look around for the toy more each time. After a few games, you might be able to drag the toy through different rooms and make a scent trail for them to follow to find it. Once my dog started getting really quick at this game, I started naming her toys and asking for specific ones. The process is similar, except when you are at the very beginning of training the game, you say "Find your <noun>!" and then work towards adding multiple toys to the game.
2.) Snuffle Mats
This is another nose workout. According to some websites, 15 minutes of "snuffling" is equal to about an hour of walking. While I'm not entirely sure if that's true, it definitely makes for a good boredom buster in our house. You can buy them online or make your own and both are equally effective. They are basically small rugs with strips of fleece that you hide snacks in and they dig around in them and use their noses to find the treats. Some people use these to feed all of their dogs meals in. I mostly use mine for play and try to find healthy alternatives to treats like a diced up apple or cucumber.
3.) Treat Puzzles
These are a great workout for food-motivated dogs. Puzzle toys like this one and this one are great for getting a dogs brain working and keeping them active. Spend a few minutes showing them how these toys work and that they can find treats inside. They'll love searching for treats and you'll enjoy watching them figure out each puzzle. Start with easy puzzles and work up to harder and harder puzzles as your dog gets smarter each time. Make sure you don't pick something too hard at first or they might get discouraged and lose interest. If your dog is brand new to puzzles, a treat ball like this one is a great place to start.
4.) Trick Training
I used to keep a list on my phone of the most random things I could try to teach my dog to do. I would re-teach obedience commands in different languages. I taught her to wave hello, spin in a circle left or right, jumping over my leg or arm, and I even taught her to read once. She loved to learn, and if you have a dog that thrives on attention, this will be a great way to spend quality time with your dog and also burn off some extra energy. For more inspiration, just search "cool dog tricks" and you'll find hundreds of videos. Have fun with it and you'll soon have a bunch of fun new tricks you can show off to your friends!
5.) Treadmill Training
This one is a good mental and physical exercise. The act of training them to use the treadmill will be a good mental exercise for them and then once they are really good at it, you'll be able to work them for long enough that they get a good physical workout from it. I found our treadmill online for cheap. Like really cheap (it's very old). But it works fine for what we need and so far, our dogs are really enjoying it. They make treadmills specifically for dogs but they can be pricey. A human treadmill will likely work well for all but the very largest breeds of dog. Here is an article that breaks down one method for training this skill. I had to use a different method for each of my dogs because they each handle challenges differently. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to reach out and we can come up with a strategy specifically for your pup. With practice and patience, your pup will be happily trotting away on the treadmill in no time!
Hopefully, these activities will help burn some energy when you and your pup are stir crazy and going for a walk just isn't an option. If you have any other activities you like to do with your dog, leave a comment below!
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