Wondering what to do with your dogs when it rains? Stuck at home with no way to take the dogs out when you’re sick or in isolation? Does your dog want to play even though they’re supposed to be recovering from an operation? Your dog’s daily walk is even more about mental stimulation than physical exercise, so don’t despair. Even stuck within your four walls, there are plenty of creative ways you can entertain (read: tire out) your pooches.
Work Hard for their Dinner
Making mealtimes into worktimes is fun for them and a relief for you because it keeps them entertained for longer. We froze Badger and Mochi’s raw dog food into their new Gnawt-a-Cone Dog Toy (similar to Kongs but cheaper) and it kept them busy for ages. If you’re prepared to hand-feed, you can take ten minutes to practise your dog’s training tricks and commands with dinner.
Play Find the Treat
Scent work is great for mental stimulation and tiring your pooches out. It also has its own built-in reward for your dog! Hide treats around the house or garden and watch them sniff them out. Although dogs are known for their fantastic sense of smell, domesticated doggos get lazy from having their food served up in a bowl every day. A little incentive to practice finding things by smell goes a long way. Sniffing is great also for their mood – it’s calming and releases dopamine (the “feel good” neurochemical).
Tug O' War
It’s a classic for a reason. Check out our super sturdy colourful rope toys, which we can say with confidence are one of the longest-lasting on the market (we have personally tested). If you have two dogs, get them to tug of war with each other, or if you’re too tired you can tie one end to a table leg for solo play. (Safety warning: our dog Mochi is fully capable of dragging a table across a room, proceed with caution as individual results may vary).
Make an Indoor Obstacle Course
You don’t need fancy equipment or an Agility Award-winning pooch! Reuse those Takealot boxes that are piling up, flip a bucket upside down, or hide some treats in a rolled-up towel.
Fun with Destruction Boxes
Instead of chewing up your shoes and bags, make your dog a “destruction box” that they can annihilate with your blessing! Just take an empty tea box or shoebox out of the recycling, fill it with treats to make a satisfying rattle sound, tape it closed and let them rip it up. It’s worth the minor clean-up to see their sheer delight!
Cup Game
Hide a treat under a cup and play the old whirling cup magician game with them. See how quickly they can find the one with the treat. Mochi has mixed feelings about this game (see our TikTok video!)
Couch Snuggles
Once you’ve tired them out sufficiently, remind them of their familial duty to keep you comfy and cuddled on the couch. Mochi has had her Netflix-watching spot figured out for a few years now. At around 8 months Badger finally started snuggling too. We’re the picture of peace until a dog barks on the screen and our two join the cacophony…