7 Winter Boredom Busters

We all know that keeping our dogs occupied inside the house during the winter months can become a challenge. Let’s not forget that bored dogs get into trouble and that we humans are their primary source of entertainment. That means if we’re not giving them things to do, they’ll come up with activities of their own!

By playing with your dog a few times each day, you can decrease the likelihood of them developing destructive habits such as excessive barking or chewing.

1. FIND THE TREATS – Nose work games are one of the easiest ways to tire out your dog.

You’re both mentally tiring them out and helping them home in on some of their natural

skills. Grab some treats and have your dog watch as you place them around the room or

sunny garden. Encourage your dog to pick them up, remembering to praise them every time

they find one. You can make it a bit more challenging once they’ve gotten the hang of it.

Have them stay in another room or inside as you hide the treats and start hiding them in

spots they have to sniff out.

2. THE CUP GAME – This is a simple problem-solving game for dogs. To play the cup game with your dog, let your dog watch as you place a treat under one of three cups, bowls or tins. You then shuffle the cups around and encourage them to “find the treat”. This game will help

them work on their problem-solving skills.

3. HIDE-AND-SEEK – Playing a game of hide-and-seek is always a favourite. This game is also an excellent way to practise your dog’s “stay” command. If your dog doesn’t have a good “stay command”, you can always ask a friend to help by having them distract your dog as you go and hide. As they become better at staying while you hide, you’ll no longer need the extra

help.

4. FETCH! – Most of us do have some room inside for a simple game of fetch; hallways,

passages and big living rooms are popular choices. Be careful with large toys around

anything that’s fragile or able to be tipped over, and it’s probably not a good idea to play

fetch inside the kitchen. If you don’t like the idea of playing fetch indoors, you could turn it

into a simple game of catch.

5. TUG-OF-WAR – Playing a game of tug-of-war is one of the best ways to engage in

meaningful play with our dogs. It’s a great way to mentally and physically exercise your dog.

Letting your dog win makes the game more fun for them, and it will encourage them to play

more. Dogs who play tug with their owners have been found to be more obedient and have higher confidence levels.

6. MASTER THE BASICS OF OBEDIENCE TRAINING – Even well-trained dogs need a refresher course now and then to keep them sharp. All dogs should have a reliable sit, down, stay, drop it, and come here, and it can never hurt to brush up on these skills. If in doubt on how to use positive reinforcement training, there are many great training videos on YouTube.

7. HAVE A DOGGIE PLAY DATE – Does your dog have dog friends? Is your dog sociable? Invite other dogs over for some play time. And the upside for you is that you’ll have one tired dog at the end of the day.