How to Have Fun with Your Dog Indoors
Gather all the toys and treats you’ll need., Create an indoor obstacle course., Run up and down the stairs., Play fetch., Hide treats around the house., Play hide and go seek., Play tag with your dog., Teach your dog new skills.
Step-by-Step Guide
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Step 1: Gather all the toys and treats you’ll need.
Many of the games you’ll play with your dog will require toys, like ropes, chew toys, or balls.
Make sure you are prepared with a variety of toys your dog likes to play with.
In addition, you will want to have treats available to reward your dog for good behavior, especially if you’re engaging your dog in training activities. -
Step 2: Create an indoor obstacle course.
Making an obstacle course for your dog indoors is a good way to work both its brain and body.
Your dog will love maneuvering through the course and you’ll likely have a lot of fun setting it up and helping your dog through it.
Try some of the following ideas to create an indoor obstacle course for your dog:
Arrange four or five chairs in a zigzag pattern that your dog must navigate.
You can also line your chairs up in two straight lines and place a blanket over them to make a tunnel for your dog to run through.
You can create jumps for your dog by placing a broomstick over a couple buckets or by simply holding up a hula hoop for it to jump through.You can also use couch cushions to create tunnels or mazes for your dog to navigate., Getting your dog to run up and down the stairs is also a fun activity that will allow it to get lots of exercise on a rainy day.
You can motivate your dog to run up and down the stairs by doing so yourself—your dog will likely follow you.
You can also throw a toy up and down the stairs and encourage your dog to go after it., Though your space might be limited, you can probably still find enough space to play fetch with your dog indoors.
If you have a hallway in your house, this is a great place to play.
You can also move the furniture in your living room aside to create an open runway space where you and your pet can play fetch.
If there is another person in the house, have them sit at the opposite end of the hallway or room and play keep away with the toy when it is thrown to them.
This will make the game all the more entertaining and enjoyable for your dog.
Use a soft toy, like a stuffed animal or plush ball, when playing fetch in the house.
This will help keep you and your dog from breaking things if you accidentally hit them with the toy.
Also, pay attention to where you are throwing the toy.
Try to keep it in an open area, away from tables, sculptures, TV stands, and anything else that could be knocked over or broken., Setting up ways for your dog to scavenge is also a fun indoor activity.
To do so, hide some treats all over the house.
You can hide them behind doors and underneath tables and rugs.
Encourage your dog to sniff them out.You can also vary this game by hiding a treat under an opaque box or container.
Set up three or four of these containers and place a treat or toy under only one.
Encourage your dog to sniff each container.
When your dog stops at the one with the prize, lift it up and enthusiastically praise your dog for finding the right one, then allow your dog to eat the treat or play with the toy as a reward., If your dog knows the command “find it,” this can be a great game for indoors.
To play, show your dog an object (usually one of its toys), then put your dog somewhere it can’t see you, like a bathroom, and go hide the toy.
When you let your dog out, tell it to “find it.” Your dog will love using its skills to search for the hidden toy.
If your dog is having trouble locating the toy, use verbal clues to let it know when it is on the right track.
For example, say “Good!” when your dog is getting close to the hiding spot.
You can say something like “Uh-oh!” when it is heading in the wrong direction.
You can also give your dog physical clues if it is having trouble.
Try pointing it in the right direction or walking in the direction the toy is hidden.
Get creative with your hiding spots because dogs will often check places they’ve found toys hidden previously.
When your dog finds the hidden toy, praise it enthusiastically, making a very big deal that it has located the item., Playing this game with your dog requires two people and is great for both exercising your dog and working on its mental recall.
To play, each person needs a pocket full of treats.
Start the game with both people in the same room, a good distance away from each other.
One of you should call the dog, giving it a treat when it comes to that person.
Next, the other person calls the dog, giving it a treat when it comes.
Continue doing this, but keep moving further away from each other.
You can even increase the difficulty and move to separate rooms when your dog becomes really good at this game.
Once your dog gets the hang of the game and is excited about it, give it a treat only every other time or every third time it comes to you.
You can reward it with praise, a belly rub, or a quick game of tug of war instead.
Increase the excitement in this game by adding in a chase.
When your dog comes to you, start running away and make your dog catch you for its reward., You can also use indoor time to teach your dog new skills, like spinning, rolling over, heeling, staying on command, and various other tricks and commands.
You may think this sounds more like work than fun, but learning new skills can be fun for your dog.
As long as you present it to your dog in an excited and positive manner, your dog will think it’s a fun activity. -
Step 3: Run up and down the stairs.
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Step 4: Play fetch.
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Step 5: Hide treats around the house.
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Step 6: Play hide and go seek.
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Step 7: Play tag with your dog.
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Step 8: Teach your dog new skills.
Detailed Guide
Many of the games you’ll play with your dog will require toys, like ropes, chew toys, or balls.
Make sure you are prepared with a variety of toys your dog likes to play with.
In addition, you will want to have treats available to reward your dog for good behavior, especially if you’re engaging your dog in training activities.
Making an obstacle course for your dog indoors is a good way to work both its brain and body.
Your dog will love maneuvering through the course and you’ll likely have a lot of fun setting it up and helping your dog through it.
Try some of the following ideas to create an indoor obstacle course for your dog:
Arrange four or five chairs in a zigzag pattern that your dog must navigate.
You can also line your chairs up in two straight lines and place a blanket over them to make a tunnel for your dog to run through.
You can create jumps for your dog by placing a broomstick over a couple buckets or by simply holding up a hula hoop for it to jump through.You can also use couch cushions to create tunnels or mazes for your dog to navigate., Getting your dog to run up and down the stairs is also a fun activity that will allow it to get lots of exercise on a rainy day.
You can motivate your dog to run up and down the stairs by doing so yourself—your dog will likely follow you.
You can also throw a toy up and down the stairs and encourage your dog to go after it., Though your space might be limited, you can probably still find enough space to play fetch with your dog indoors.
If you have a hallway in your house, this is a great place to play.
You can also move the furniture in your living room aside to create an open runway space where you and your pet can play fetch.
If there is another person in the house, have them sit at the opposite end of the hallway or room and play keep away with the toy when it is thrown to them.
This will make the game all the more entertaining and enjoyable for your dog.
Use a soft toy, like a stuffed animal or plush ball, when playing fetch in the house.
This will help keep you and your dog from breaking things if you accidentally hit them with the toy.
Also, pay attention to where you are throwing the toy.
Try to keep it in an open area, away from tables, sculptures, TV stands, and anything else that could be knocked over or broken., Setting up ways for your dog to scavenge is also a fun indoor activity.
To do so, hide some treats all over the house.
You can hide them behind doors and underneath tables and rugs.
Encourage your dog to sniff them out.You can also vary this game by hiding a treat under an opaque box or container.
Set up three or four of these containers and place a treat or toy under only one.
Encourage your dog to sniff each container.
When your dog stops at the one with the prize, lift it up and enthusiastically praise your dog for finding the right one, then allow your dog to eat the treat or play with the toy as a reward., If your dog knows the command “find it,” this can be a great game for indoors.
To play, show your dog an object (usually one of its toys), then put your dog somewhere it can’t see you, like a bathroom, and go hide the toy.
When you let your dog out, tell it to “find it.” Your dog will love using its skills to search for the hidden toy.
If your dog is having trouble locating the toy, use verbal clues to let it know when it is on the right track.
For example, say “Good!” when your dog is getting close to the hiding spot.
You can say something like “Uh-oh!” when it is heading in the wrong direction.
You can also give your dog physical clues if it is having trouble.
Try pointing it in the right direction or walking in the direction the toy is hidden.
Get creative with your hiding spots because dogs will often check places they’ve found toys hidden previously.
When your dog finds the hidden toy, praise it enthusiastically, making a very big deal that it has located the item., Playing this game with your dog requires two people and is great for both exercising your dog and working on its mental recall.
To play, each person needs a pocket full of treats.
Start the game with both people in the same room, a good distance away from each other.
One of you should call the dog, giving it a treat when it comes to that person.
Next, the other person calls the dog, giving it a treat when it comes.
Continue doing this, but keep moving further away from each other.
You can even increase the difficulty and move to separate rooms when your dog becomes really good at this game.
Once your dog gets the hang of the game and is excited about it, give it a treat only every other time or every third time it comes to you.
You can reward it with praise, a belly rub, or a quick game of tug of war instead.
Increase the excitement in this game by adding in a chase.
When your dog comes to you, start running away and make your dog catch you for its reward., You can also use indoor time to teach your dog new skills, like spinning, rolling over, heeling, staying on command, and various other tricks and commands.
You may think this sounds more like work than fun, but learning new skills can be fun for your dog.
As long as you present it to your dog in an excited and positive manner, your dog will think it’s a fun activity.
About the Author
Alexis Butler
A passionate writer with expertise in practical skills topics. Loves sharing practical knowledge.
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