Rainy days can be a downer, especially if your dog doesn’t like to get wet, but fret not! In this article, we’ve come up with 10 indoor dog enrichment activities to keep you and your four-legged friend entertained. Turn those gloomy days into opportunities to bond and stimulate your dog’s mind! Here are 10 indoor activities to enjoy with your dog on rainy days:

The Basics

Just because they’re basic doesn’t mean they aren’t fulfilling! Fetch, tug-o-war, and all your classic dog games can be played indoors to achieve mental stimulation and fulfillment in your canine companions. Additionally, you can put your own unique twist on these familiar classics to further enhance your dog’s sensory experience and take full advantage of their canine instincts. \

1. Hide-and-Seek

Playing hide-and-seek with your dog offers numerous benefits in addition to being a simple, easy way top enhance your bond. The game fosters trust and cooperation, provides mental stimulation, and encourages problem-solving as your dog seeks you out. Furthermore, hide-and-seek is an excellent indoor enrichment game to use for practicing and reinforcing obedience commands like “come” and “stay.” The game is straightforward enough for your dog to understand, but it still manages to offer a complex set of mental and physical benefits.

Here’s how to play: Hide behind furniture or in another room, then call your dog to come find you. You can also hide treats or toys for them to discover. That’s it!

2. Tug-of-War

Playing tug-o-war is a great outlet for your dog’s natural instinct to tug and pull, satisfying their need for physical engagement. Also, tug-o-war can help improve your dog’s jaw strength and coordination.

As with any interactive game, tug-o-war strengthens your bond with your dog, and by establishing clear rules and boundaries during play, you can reinforce your dog’s impulse control and work on obedience.

3. Indoor Fetch

Indoor fetch might seem silly if you don’t have a lot of space, but there are plenty of ways to modify the game so that it’s both safe and fulfilling for your dog. For instance, play in the most wide open area of your home and use a soft, foam ball so as not to damage anything. If you’re still not sold on throwing stuff in your home- don’t worry, we get it- you can blow up balloons and toss them up for your dog. Another alternative is to let your dog chase a laser pointer! Essentially, you can easily find a way to let your dog embrace their natural instinct to fetch or chase inside the home.

Here’s how to play: Find a spacious area in your home, like a hallway or living room, to play a modified game of fetch with soft toys, balloons, a laser, or a ball designed for indoor use.

Sensory Enrichment

Indoor dog enrichment can incorporate sensory activities, but sensory enrichment during the rain is actually beneficial for dogs who don’t mind getting wet! The rainfall brings out new scents, textures, and sensory challenges for your dog that aren’t present during sunny weather. Still, this article focuses on indoor dog enrichment, so here are some sensory activities to try indoors.

4. Puzzle Toys

Puzzle toys may seem like a lazy way to enrich your dog’s life, and but who says there’s anything wrong with that? Realistically, we don’t always have the time to devote our full attention to our dogs, especially if we work long hours. Puzzle toys are one of the best hands-off ways to engage your dog’s mind without having to life a finger. There are endless possibilities when it comes to selecting the right puzzle toy, but if you want to start with something simple, a great recommendation would be a large ball that you fill with treats. Your dog will come to realize that, by rolling the ball around long enough, treats appear! There’s a link to a great one of these balls below.

5. Scent Work

Scent work is a fantastic form of indoor dog enrichment because it allows dogs to tap into their natural olfactory abilities and provides mental stimulation, as well as a sense of accomplishment. Dogs find scent work highly rewarding, and it has been shown to boost both their confidence and focus.

Furthermore, scent work is a great way to reinforce obedience commands, can help alleviate stress, and has been shown to reduce anxiety in dogs. Anxious energy is redirected into a mentally stimulating, engaging task that challenges your dog to do what they instinctually need to. The best part about this is that it’s ridiculously simple to arrange for your dog.

Here’s how to do it: Hide treats around your yard, or a designated room for your dog to find, and encourage your dog to follow their nose to find the hidden goodies. That’s it!

BONUS TIP

Take a clean, microfiber rag and roll up some of their strongest smelling treats. You can even tie the rag in a loose knot- you know your dog better than anyone, so make it challenging, but not impossible, based on your dog’s individual abilities. I promise you, the feeling you get when they finally are able to successfully find the treats through unraveling the knot is beyond worth it!

Occupational Enrichment

6. Training Sessions:

Use rainy days as an opportunity for short training sessions to work on obedience commands, new tricks, or behavior reinforcement. If you’re not sure where to start or have very limited knowledge of the proper training techniques, there is one game that’s almost impossible to screw up: “Look at Me!” Of course, you could call it whatever you like, but the idea is that you train your dog to focus on you.

Here’s how it works: Put a leash or collar on your dog and ask them to sit next you and start throwing treats out in front of you, one by one, allowing them to go retrieve them. After a few retrievals, grab hold of the leash and throw a treat- do not allow them to go for the treat until they make eye contact with you. Once they do, immediately release them. Do this as many times as you need to until they start automatically looking at you. Playing this regularly is a fantastic way to focus on your dog’s ability to focus on you., despite distractions or other motivations.

7. DIY Agility Course:

Set up a mini agility course using household items like broomsticks (as jumps), pillows (as obstacles), and blankets (as tunnels). This doesn’t have to cost much. In fact, it doesn’t have to cost anything if you get creative! For example, play a game where you use tape, (duct tape, painter’s tape, basically any kind that isn’t transparent)- and place a piece across a doorway or hallway. Throw a treat over the tape and encourage them to jump over, moving the tape up as bit higher with each attempt.

8. Bubble Play

Playing with bubbles keeps dogs both engaged and physically active. Chasing them encourages exercise and improves their coordination, while the novelty of floating orbs fascinates and engages their minds and instincts to chase, making it an excellent form of enrichment. Furthermore, like all forms of interactive play, blowing bubbles for your dog helps foster the bond between you.

Safety Measures

Not all bubbles are suitable for dogs to play with, as they may be tempted to catch them in their mouths. In order to ensure the safety of your dog while playing with bubbles, invest in bubbles that specify they are “pet-safe.” If you’re more of a DIY type of person, you can find make your own dog-safe bubbles! Find some DIY dog bubble recipes here.

9. Interactive Playtime

Play interactive games like “Simon says” or “Fetch the toy” to stimulate your dog’s mind and enhance your bond. One of the best games to play for a stronger bond is called “Look at Me!” To play, scroll up nin this article to number 6, “Training Sessions.” Here are some of the top interactive games to play inside with your dog:

• Hide and Seek
• Fetch with Balloons
• Indoor Obstacle Course
• Treat Treasure Hunt
• Doggie Dance Party – Music is enjoyable for dogs, too!

Social Enrichment

10. Cuddle Relaxation

Sometimes, rainy days are the perfect excuse for quality cuddle time. Enjoy a cozy nap or watch a movie together on the couch. If your dog does not like snuggling, simply put some treats out near you and invite your dog to lay by you while you slowly dispense them. It feels like cheating, but hey, you both get what you want! Spending quality time with your dog, even if it means just laying around together watching their favorite show, is arguably the most underrated indoor activity you could do together.

These indoor activities will help keep your dog mentally and physically engaged while you wait for the rain to clear. If your dog enjoys the rain, then take advantage of the introduction of new scents and textures it brings and go for a walk in it! Just make sure to equip your dog with the appropriate gear, rain boots, a raincoat, and anything else you may need. This ensures that not only will your dog be able to embrace their environment most comfortably, but they will undoubtedly look extra cute doing it.