As autumn arrives in the Northern hemisphere, and the weather becomes even more unpredictable, it's a good time to look at a few simple games to play with your dog indoors.
Most dogs, young and old, can enjoy a bit of mental and physical stimulation.
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| Great fun for all! |
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| They are never too young to learn through play. |
Fetch
This is a very simple one that most people and dogs know and love to do. It is great for all ages of dog and also for young children and people who have mobility problems of any kind.
Although some dogs aren't so good at letting you have it back on the return!
When playing indoors, due to the chance of breakages, a soft toy is probably a better idea than a ball or frisbee! Such things are best kept for outdoor play.
Tug Of War
It is a myth that this sort of play increases your dog's aggression or can cause dominance issues.
Tug of war is a fun game and you can let your dog win sometimes... they will love you for it and come right back for more.
Due to the nature of the game, a strong toy is needed, such as a rope toy, and one which has sufficient length to keep teeth and fingers well apart. All dogs can catch you inadvertently in the heat of the moment so that reduces the risk of getting accidentally chomped.
But when trying this with a dog for the first time, especially a puppy or one that hasn't had much human interaction, you may need to gently point it out that nipping of any kind is unwanted. Most dogs do understand a firm "No" combined with the withdrawal of play each time that happens, and will soon alter their behaviour to keep the game going.
Hide & Seek
You can play this with either treats/toys or with people.
If your dog doesn't have a reliable "Stay" command, then you may need someone else to hold your dog while you hide the toy/treat or yourself.
With treats or toys, show your dog what it is you want them to find. When introducing this game for the first time, simply throw or place the treat/toy across the room where your pet can see it and then tell them to find it. The treat to eat or a quick game with the toy is their reward for finding it.
When they have got the idea, start to hide the treat/toy in out of sight positions, but easy to find places at first, and gradually build up the difficulty, moving all around the room or house to hide the object to be found.
If your dog isn't that food or toy oriented, they will usually enjoy finding you! So again tell your dog to stay or get someone to hold them, and then go hide. When hidden, simply call your dog and let him come find you. Just finding you, their most beloved of people, and a bit of a cuddle and love will be their much-appreciated reward.
Most dogs love that variation of the game.
Name The Toy
Some dogs are just brilliant at this. Hold a toy and show it to your dog while giving the toy a name and saying it out loud while the dog is looking at the toy. Be consistent with the name. Give that name to the toy whenever you play with it.
Then using the hide and seek principle, ask your dog to find "The Toy" and give them lots of praise if they bring it to you. You can then try to increase the difficulty by placing "The Toy" in amongst others with different names.
Put The Toys Away
This is a variation on the fetch, hide and seek and name the toy games. You can have a toy box for your dog's toys and after a play session, ask them to fetch you their toys to the box and then to drop the toy. If the toy is dropped in to the box, give your dog lots of fuss and praise and move on to the next one. A lot of dogs love this game.
Games With Food
This is a favourite game with most dogs of all ages
When feeding your dog treats or food, instead of using a bowl or your hand, hide it in a Kong toy or a special puzzle box made for dogs. It extends feeding time and stimulates their brains as it gets them to use their scavenging nature.
So, there we have a few ideas to make a dog's indoor time a bit more exciting.
But as we all know, they can still find a great many ways to stimulate themselves!! 😁
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