Growing up in Massachusetts and spending my entire life in New England I’ve seen all kinds of inclement weather. Snow packed winters, non stop rain, powerful winds etc. Its enough to keep you indoors a lot. Our dogs deal with this weather much the same as us, but its so much more boring for them. If a dog isnt exercised or entertained they will most likely find trouble. Ive scoured the internet, reading articles, watching videos, and even trying things first hand to help with this issue. Below is a list of some great stormy day activities.
- Scent Games have a family member distract your pup or better yet have Fido sit or lay down. Go grab some of their kibble and place it in various places through out your house. Release your dog and have them sniff out all the kibble , some dogs may need help like pointing the food out or at least leading them around. Have fun with this one as it can lead to lots of laughter.
- Stair ball this game is fairly self explanatory. This is really only good for certain stair cases and usually better if they don’t turn a corner. Place your dog in a sit , throw the ball up the stairs and release ! Great for really high energy dogs with lots of excess to burn off
- Hide and seek heres another game that is pretty easy to understand. This works exceptionally well with Velcro dogs who don’t want to leave your side. Have a family member or friend stand with your dog and place the dog in a sit. Find a hiding spot , don’t get to tricky here people this is for fun. Once you’ve found a hiding spot yell out find me and wait for them. Again like with scent games the might need encouragement like saying find me again to cue them onto your location . When they find you praise excitedly and repeat if you wish
- Trick training you don’t have to just do tricks you could run through obedience commands as well but tricks can liven things up for both sides. Teach your dog to pick up items like toys, shut doors and light switches. Try teaching sit pretty , Or roll over , play dead anything that comes to mind really. Training works the brain , which tires dogs out more than physical exercise . Your dog still needs birth to fulfill their needs of course.
- Puzzles, Kongs etc most ideas on this list are free and budget friendly , this one costs money. Chances are you already own kong products or other treat dispensing toys. If that’s the case your in luck , fill them with peanut butter, yogurt or other treats and freeze them. You can also find puzzles as well or even utilize plastic cups to hide a treat and test your dogs I.Q.
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