What happens when it’s raining or snowing heavily and you can’t go outside? Do you sit down looking bored? What about your pets? They need some fun too. I suggest instead that you switch to just indoor games. Fortunately, there are many great indoor games to play with a dog. Check out the top 10 rainy day games to play with a dog below;
Table of Contents
1. Hide & Seek
Hide & seek is one of the easiest games to play with dogs inside. To begin, you have to first get your dogs’ attention. You should use one of your dog’s favorite toys as a quick attention grabber.
Once his eyes are set on the toy, and he wants it, move away from there. Your dog might attempt to follow you immediately, so you should have someone else hold him back.
Hide somewhere and call out for your dog to come to look for you. Celebrate him if he succeeds.
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2. Stairway Dash
If you have a stairway in your house, you and your dog can engage in a friendly dash game if it’s raining.
Take your pet to the stairway and run up and down for some minutes. To engage your dog alone, you can use a toy, like a ball.
Keep it at the bottom/top of the stairway and let him fetch.
3. Shell Game (or Cup Game)
Here’s an interesting game to spike your dog’s curiosity. Get about 3 or 4 identical cups and let your dog watch you hide a treat under one of the cups. Then, shuffle the cup positions.
Let your dog wander and attempt to figure out which cup hides the treat. If he gets it right, let him have the treat.
4. Find The Treats
Also known as Treasure Hunt, this is a game to improve your pets’ hunting instincts, most especially smell.
Get treats that have a very strong scent. Make your pet attracted to them and hide them in various parts of the room. Let him find the treats.
5. Tug Of War
While some will argue that tug of war can lead to aggression, it’s still a great indoor game. All you need is a tug toy for dogs, and so long as you’re in control, you’ll have no aggression problems.
You can get your dog to release the tug at any time by presenting a treat. It’s ideal for rewarding your dog with treats after each round to keep him relaxed.
6. Food Dispenser
Dog food dispensers are great for plays. However, what you’ll need an interactive dog food dispenser and one that’s transparent so your dog can see what’s inside,
Fill the dispenser with your dog’s favorite treats and set it to slow feed. As your dog wants to have more treats, he will struggle with the dispenser to get the remaining treats out. It’s an ideal mental game.
7. Stuffed Kongs
If you have a Kong at home, bring it out, fill it with food for your pet to have fun with on rainy days. As he attempts to get the food out, he’s engaging in play.
If you’re just introducing your dog to using a Kong, you should make it easy for him by using small pieces of food.
8. Obstacle Course
An obstacle course is a game where you get your dog to run across or jump over obstacles inside the house. Usually, this is an outdoor game, but you can do the setup indoors in a spacy room on a rainy day.
You can purchase an obstacle training course kit or do the setup using household stuff like chairs, tablets, clothes, etc.
9. Puzzles
Puzzles are ideal rainy day games to play with a dog that’s bored. Dog behaviorists recommended them as they help improve dogs’ natural curiosity.
Simply purchase an interactive puzzle game and set it before your dog. You can even leave him at it while you’re out of the house or doing something.
However, check to ensure the production material is safe.
10. Bubbles Chase
Bubbles are one of the things that excite dogs. When they see them, they chase and attempt to bite them. You can turn this natural behavior into a very fun game using a bubble blaster.
What’s important, however, is to ensure that the bubble ingredients are not toxic. If your pet succeeds in biting them, it will ingest it, no matter how small.
According to Pedigree, playing helps improve physical health, mental health, social skills, and bonding in dogs. For this reason, it’s recommended that dogs play at least twice daily for about 15 minutes.
See some more games to play in this video below.
Now you know some great games you can play with your dog, pick one and get going right now.
Conclusion
There you go; 10 rainy day games to play with a dog. These are great indoor games to play with a dog that neither you nor your dog will find difficult or boring.
My dog loves tug of war. Try all of these and find out which ones your dog loves. Share this post on rainy day games for dogs with all your friends.
