Indoor Activities for Your Dog

DenverDogLover82

DenverDogLover82

Active member
I love spending time outdoors with my dog, but it's been so hot out lately. I fear that my dog will overheat if we stay out for very long. I'm looking for some activities to keep my dog occupied and stimulated indoors.

I love to hide treats around the room for my dog to find. I praise her every time she finds a treat I've hidden.

Sometimes, I give her a stuffed KONG to keep her busy. She really likes that.

What are some of your favorite indoor dog activities?
 
Ice hockey is a favorite around here if you don't mind getting your kitchen floor wet. I just freeze different shapes of ice, dump them out on the floor, and let the dogs and the kids go wild. The dogs will bat at that stuff for ages. It works great on tile, but probably wouldn't be wise on hardwood floors.
 
That's awesome, Pipsqueak! I may have to try that one. I don't mind my kitchen floor getting wet - it's just water. Everything dries so fast here in Colorado anyway. :)
 
Watching documentaries about dogs will keep my pets busy even though we are inside the house. They would bark at the dogs on the screen and even try to smell the screen when they see dog food or meat.
 
Ryan, TV for dogs is a good idea. What documentaries do you watch? I'll search YouTube for some videos of dogs to stream to see if my dog enjoys watching them. Thank you for the idea!
 
@DenverDogLover82 believe it or not there are tons of videos on YouTube that were created with dogs in mind. Some of the videos are meant to stimulate and entertain and some are meant for relaxation. I have three dogs and two of them are enthralled when I let them watch. Just look on YouTube for DogTV or run a similar search and you'll find plenty of videos to choose from. You should definitely try it.

@Ryan I love the documentary idea. Do you find these on Animal Planet, The Discovery Channel, or somewhere else?
 
Keeping dogs busy indoors is not that hard, but I think the challenge normally is in coming up with new ideas. The one trick that I have recently learned is to teach them how to put their toys away. Apart from mental stimulation, such games also help to boost their confidence!
 
If you have the space for it, you could play a little bit of fetch by using either a rolled up pair of socks or a doggie toy of some sort. You don't have to toss or roll the socks/toy too far, just a few feet away from you will do the trick. It seems as though dogs will play fetch for a really long time and not get bored or tired of it. And... it's a workout for one (or both) of your arms.:cool:
 
I also recommend using KONGS for daily feedings or half bowl/half KONG. Most dogs eat in under a minute so I like to put some kibble into a KONG and use a safe filling to cover the hole and freeze. It usually takes a dog some time to get to the inside treats. Also they have many puzzle toys where dogs have to problem solve to get the goodies out.

Great topic and very important to give all dogs a balanced enrichment plan everyday. Most humans forget about mental stimulation and it's my favorite to add to all to all dogs daily routine. Nose work as stated above is also awesome.

Great ideas in this thread and please keep them coming as it would be a great thread for many looking for indoor enrichment...
 
@DenverDogLover82, I don't use a specific channel as I try to search for videos of other people who captured their dogs on camera while they are indoors. I also capture a video of my dogs while they are watching, but I don't upload as its only for our private viewing. I don't like people commenting on things we should be doing with our dogs as they don't actually see us on an everyday basis.

I don't know if you can also do this, but are times when I play hide and seek with my dog. I end up playing this game when I was teaching my dog how to "stay" and then call him to come to me.
 
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