Just because the fluffies enjoy plenty of outside time in this weather, doesn’t mean that I do. I am a summer loving girl and count down the days until the warm weather returns again. Unfortunately, Montana likes to keep the warm months to a minimum.
If there’s too much snow, too much wind, or the cold just doesn’t agree with your dog, here’s some indoor activities for dogs to keep them stimulated in the winter.
Training
Pyrs aren’t trick dogs, but that doesn’t mean we can’t work on training. Rather than focusing on adorable tricks, we spend a lot of time on impulse control. Training requires a lot of mental attention which can be more exhausting than physical activity. Rubicon Days and ZoePhee are great examples of bonding with your dog through trick training.
Interactive Toys
Do you have a puzzle toy or treat dispenser? The fluffies love when I add some treats to their Kong Wobbler
or IQ Treat Ball
. Mauja will knock the ball around to get the treats and Atka will follow behind to gobble up the treats she misses. Teamwork. Adding peanut butter, yogurt, wet food, or your dog’s favorite treat to a Kong Genius
and popping it in the freezer is also a great time-consuming activity.
Agility
Have a little extra space in your living room? Many agility pieces can be easily broken down and stored when not in use. Look into a basic agility kit
or head to your local hardware store to create your own!
Hide and Seek
Does your dog need to brush up on his recall? Why not make it a fun game! Put your dog in a sit/stay while you hide somewhere in your house (keep in mind your dog’s skill level). Call your dog and praise lavishly when he finds you!
Find It
This is another fun game that we used to play with Kaeto all the time. Hide a strong smelling treat and encourage your dog to use his nose to find it. Kaeto loved searching for hot dogs!
Go on an Outing
I like to take the fluffies to stores that allow pets in the winter. It gets them out of the house and we can work on training and improve socialization. Make a stop at Starbucks for a puppuccino as an added treat!
Cuddle
There’s nothing better than some cuddle time with your favorite pooch. Curl up on the couch and take a nap after all your indoor fun!
How do you keep your dog entertained during the winter months?
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Great post! We always go to da longest hallway in our house and play ball toss – it’s fun and you can hear us scamper, scamper, scamper!
I love the sound of dogs scampering as they play 🙂 Great idea!
Cookie loves the Find It game. And her training games. And a few other games we play. None of that can measure up to a good romp outside, as we found the few days when it was too icy or too cold to go out.
I agree with you there!
Cuddling has to be my favorite!
Mine too <3
Sherman loves playing find it and he is super good at it! We have some work to do in the interactive game department though 🙂
Atka’s not the best at those either. He just steals the treats that Mauja works so hard to get 😉
Fabulous ideas. I love coming up with different games to play both indoors and out.
ღ husky hugz ღ frum our pack at Love is being owned by a husky!
I just need to find some winter gear that actually keeps me warm and I’ll be up for the outside games. The last time I bundled up to play outside with the pups, we got locked out of our house. It was Christmas Eve…
We will work on training and interactive toys.
Thanks for the tips.
Training is always mentally exhausting!
I hate the wet weather! Cold makes me run faster and longer because I don’t have to worry about the heat. However my pets don’t prefer the cold, so inside we play! I love to play with a laser pointer! Or a ball! Or a sqeaky toy!
Maybe you should come hang out with Mauja and Atka and I’ll stay in the warmth with your pets 😉
Magical-Dawg loves indoor fetch. Soft toys though, so he doesn’t damage with rebound antics!
BOL that’s a good call!
We love hide and seek, find it, and cuddle!! Excellent ideas!!
Cuddling is the fluffies’ favorite 🙂
We are lucky that next month it will start to be spring here. Meanwhile thanks for your suggestions.
Aww, I’m jealous. I’m itching for spring!
The Find It game is Haley’s favorite. I find it fascinating to watch her too. She starts out using her nose, then she switches to looking around with her eyes and as a last resort (if I’ve been particularly clever in finding hiding spaces), she uses her brain to remember where she’s found treats hidden in the past. Great tips to keep things fun in the winter!
I absolutely love watching a dog’s mind work. It’s always so fascinating.
These are such great tips!!! I am a huge fan of cuddle time!! 😀
Who isn’t?! 😉
Those are some of our favorite indoor activities! As much as we have fun doing them, though, I can’t help but think: Bring on spring! 🙂
I’m right with ya!
Adorable video! I just started to play Find the Treat with my dogs indoors. They loved it. They also love their puzzle toy. We live in a sunshine state so although we are rarely stuck indoors, I still really like indoor games now & then.
So jealous! I hope to live there one of these days.
Those are great indoor activities for dogs. Mine love playing with their toys
Awesome ideas. Hide is a fun game at or house.
My dog Valentino definitely needs recall training! Thanks for the hide and seek game idea for help with that.
We also love hide and seek – these are great tips for indoor fun
Go for a puppuccino – now you’re speaking my language! I love the idea of heading out for some pet friendly shopping.
Thanks so much for the mention! I’m already tired of these cold, dark nights and we have months to go…it’s always good to have some ideas on hand for indoor fun. In addition to trick training, we play fetch, tug and have spa days with nail trims, paw conditioning and dry shampoos!
Love the new layout, Kelsie.
Our go to’s are Hide and Seek and Find It. Hide and Seek tires him out physically with all of the running up and down the stairs, and Find It is great amental stimulation game for him.
Great ideas – never played “find it” before – we’ve got multiple days of snow coming, so I’ve got plenty of time to try all of these 🙂
We don’t get super cold here, but we get a lot of rainy days. We play tug-o-war and fetch. Of course, cuddling is always a winner!
Love these ideas! Here’s another one…have a photo shoot with one of my Wag & Grin banners and reward your dog for sitting and staying! Fun for humans and K-9s! https://www.etsy.com/shop/WagandGrin
These are great ideas! I’ve been eyeing the Kong Genius toys lately but haven’t actually purchased any. Are they as durable as regular Kong stuff? And I LOVE the agility starter kit! This past weekend I was just telling my husband that I want to start at-home agility with Buster.
They are just as durable! The Kong Genius toys are made of the same material as the normal Kongs. I wouldn’t say they are particularly “difficult” for Mauja to use, but it definitely slows her down and work a bit harder.