As the seasons change, so does the weather. As we are getting colder, wetter weather, you might be looking for activities to do with your dog when it’s raining. Going out to walk with your dog in the rain can be uncomfortable, and that’s why we’ve put together this list of 8 rainy day activities to do with your dog.
Hide Treats
One of the more fun things you can do is play the hidden treat game. Basically, you remove your dog from the room. Then you go about the room hiding treats. Finally, you encourage your dog to enter the room and find the treats you’ve hidden.
This is a great game to play with your dog as it helps them work on their brain and their nose. Your dog has to logic through finding the hidden treats and they can use their nose to give them clues. For a dog who needs lots of stimulation throughout the day, this is a perfect rainy-day activity.
Hide Yourself
If hiding treats is not something you want to do, why not try hiding yourself? Give your dog a fun game of hide and go seek. The game works best if you have another person who is willing to help you. The second person stays with your dog and commands them to sit and stay. That’s your cue to go and hide. Go into another room and find someplace your dog won’t find. You can hide behind a door or under a blanket. No matter where you are, you’ll certainly have a lot of choices for where to hide. Hide and seek can be played indoors or out, so keep it in mind even in warmer weather.
Work on New Commands
Waiting out the rain takes time. Why not reinvest that time into your and your dog’s relationship? Teaching commands is one of the best ways to grow together. It allows you to gain an understanding of how to work with your dog. It also lets your dog understand you a bit better. And also, learning new things is great for the brain.
Here are some tips if you are looking to teach your dog some new tricks:
- Have plenty of treats on hand to reward good behavior.
- Keep training sessions short, usually between five and fifteen minutes.
- Start with easy skills before moving to more complicated ones.
Tug of War
Tug of war is a fun game for dogs to play, and you don’t need any special equipment to do it. If you don’t already have a chew toy for your dog, you can simply use an old pair of socks. Tie knots at the ends, and you’ve got a great toy for your dog.
Tug of war lets your dog get a lot of their physical energy out. Just make sure you keep an eye on your dog’s behavior. If they start to get a little to “into it,” it might be time to take a break. You can always come back to the game, but it’s much harder to bring back a really wound up dog.
Set a Play Date
While this may be harder in recent times, allowing your dog play with a friend is a wonderful way for them to get out some energy. Invite a friend or family member over for a playdate. Just be sure to hide anything fragile. Dog proofing your home is the best way to make sure nothing bad happens during doggie playtime.
Obstacle Course
Setting up an obstacle course in your home isn’t hard to do, but it can be a great mental and physical workout for your dog. You can have them ducking under tables, weaving between chairs and jumping over pillows in no time. All it takes is learning a few command words and you can be training your dog to run your course in no time.
Get Food Dispensing Toys
If you are not able to give your dog your undivided attention at this exact minute, why not give them a food dispensing toy. There are many different styles of toy, but usually these toys are filled with dry kibble. Then your dog has to figure out the trick to make it dispense food. Sometimes your dog has to knock it over. Sometimes they have to chew it. Either way, a food dispensing toy can give your dog an indoor workout when you can’t get outside.
Cuddle
If all else fails, feel free just to curl up on the couch for a good movie together. Petting a dog is proven to help reduce stress, and it can even put you in a better mood. Who better to feel great with than your own dog? Get your dog and yourself a treat and get ready to spend some relaxing time with one of your best friends.
There are so many rainy-day activities you can do with your dog. Just because you can’t go outside, doesn’t mean the fun has to stop.