5 Easy Ideas for Making Indoor Play Super Fun

Training outside and long walks in the open air are all well and good, but sometimes it simply isn’t possible. However, being stuck indoors with a dog can quickly leave both you and your dog with cabin fever, feeling bored and stressed out.

However, believe it or not, there are some advantages to being indoors…

• Whatever the weather is doing, you stay dry and comfortable
• You don’t face the distractions of being outside (we’re looking at you, squirrels) so you and your dog can concentrate on an activity
• If your dog is still working on their recall, you can relax in the knowledge that they are safe
• Like us, dogs are often most content in their own environment, and therefore may be more open to learning something new.

And there are lots of easy things you can do to make indoor play with your dog super-fun and beneficial….

1. Sniff out some treats

What’s your dog’s favourite treat? Ours love our Grain Free 80% Fish Training Treats. Try asking your dog to stay then hiding a few around the room. Then, let them get to work sniffing them out. To make this even more enticing, we like hiding treats inside a Food Bag so our dog can have the double reward of a treat and a game of tug!

2. Hide and seek

This is another great chance to practice the ‘stay’ command. Once your dog is successfully staying, find a place to hide. Take a favourite toy with you (we love toys like the Pocket Bungee – Sheepskin Tug for this because it’s nice and compact). Call their name once and let them find you – then reward with lots of praise and some play time.

3. Have a puppy play date!

Got a friend with a dog? If the weather is bad, chances are they’re stuck indoors too so why not invite them round for a play date? It’s a good chance for your dog to do some socialising and for you to swap training tips.

4. Learn a new trick

Rainy days are the perfect chance to start working on a new trick. We’ve written a whole article dedicated to trick training tips and there’s even one with a step-by-step guide to mastering ‘sitting pretty’. Don’t expect to achieve perfection in just one day – but you can make an excellent start!

5. Tidy up

After a day indoors, your house is bound to be a bit messier than if you’d been outside. But fear not! Get your dog to help with the tidying up, at least of their own toys! Pass them – or better still, get them to pick up – their toys one-by-one. Then, lead them to their toy box and ask them to ‘drop it’. The place will be spotless in no time!