Physical and mental exercise is so important for your dog’s health, so when it’s not possible to go outside, turn to this list of inside games for dogs.

Give your dog exercise indoors

If you have a long hallway or basement you can play fetch indoors. It’s as easy as grabbing a tennis ball or favorite toy and have fun! This is one of my go-to rainy day dog activities when it’s raining or too cold outside to go for our regular long walks. Our dogs love <a href="https://amzn.to/32XuQOU">this rubber ball </a>, it’s easy to grab and it bounces to make it fun to chase! This is a great way to give your dog the physical exercise indoors .

Play a game of fetch inside

Training is the best indoor activities for dogs in winter or rainy days. Indoor dog training is simple, all you need is your dog and maybe a few treats. Whether your dog is an ace on basic commands or is still learning, even 5 minutes of practicing your sit, down and stays can be mentally challenging. Have you ever heard of the saying, “use it or lose it”? Make this fun by using treats or toys. Add some playtime between commands, whatever it takes to keep your dog engaged and having fun.

Work on basic obedience

Use your dog’s nose to play this game and it will mentally tire him out quicker than you think. Start simple by hiding a few treats around a small area, give the command “search” or “find the treats”. Give a lot of excited praise once she finds each treat. Once you feel your dog has an understanding of the command “search”, then start expanding the area where you hid the treats, making it more difficult as your dog gets better at the find the treats game.

Search or find the treats

Get three or more cups, boxes or containers that you can hide a treat under. Set the cups upside down, placing treats under only one of the cups. If your dog has never played this game, you can start out by showing her where the treats are and covering them up. Once she gets the hang of the game, make it more difficult by not letting her see which cup the treats are under.

The cup game

Playing tug of war with your dog is the perfect indoor dog activity. Tug can be a great bonding experience; plus is both mentally and physically challenging. The goal is just to have fun. There is a great article from Puppy Leaks about the <a href="https://www.puppyleaks.com/tug-war/">art of playing tug with your dog </a>.

Tug of war

If you have a muffin/cupcake pan and a few tennis balls then this is super simple to set up. Place treats or kibble in about half of the cups, then place tennis balls in each cup. Next, let your dog find the treats by moving the balls with their paw or nose. This dog game is so much fun to play, even your kids can play it with the dog.

Homemade muffin tin game

Hide and seek may be a great children’s game, but is also a lot of fun for your dog! If you have kids, you can kill two birds with one stone with this one! Have your children hide and the dog find them. If you don’t have another human to play with, then your dog will need a good sit/stay command. Have your dog stay and go hide, yell out your release word and wait for your dog to find you.

Doggy hide and seek

Puzzle games are a fun way to play with dogs indoors. You can place your dog’s daily kibble inside the puzzle, so you won’t risk overfeeding him.

Puzzle games for dogs

Yes, you can teach any age dog a new trick! My favorite trick commands are the “sit pretty”, “middle” and “spin”. But you can teach your dog any trick you desire, how about “roll over” or “play dead”? Here is a list of some fun tricks to teach your dog:

Teach your dog tricks

We take agility classes with our dog, Ginger. But there are many of these things you can do on your own, using everyday household items. Using chairs, broomstick, boxes, hula-hoop, pillows, be creative and use what you have.

Indoor obstacle course

This is a great way to teach a dog impulse control by playing a game. I learned this one from <a href="https://susangarrettdogagility.com/2018/06/why-choice-is-the-critical-key-to-a-great-dog/">Susan Garrett </a>. Start by holding treats in a closed hand, not allowing the dog to have any until he backs away. Once he backs away, open your hand and if he stays back, offer him a treat. If he charges back to you, close your hand. This “game” can help with a lot of unwanted behaviors, while still making it fun for you and the dog.

It's your choice game

11 Fun Enrichment Games to Play with Your Dog Inside

Most of us think about sit, stay, and down as the basic training commands to teach our dog. But in my opinion place training for dogs should be at the top of your list of training.

Place should be in your basic training commands

The PLACE command is simply training your dog to go to a specific place, such as a dog bed, mat, raised platform or a place board. Some people will say “go to your bed”. Keep in mind that a simple “go lay down” is not the same as a PLACE.

What is the place command?

The place command can be useful in so many situations. You can have your dog go to his place anytime you need to keep him out of trouble. Here are just a few examples:<ul><li>Front Door Greetings : It’s great for when the doorbell rings and your dog rushes the door. Train your dog the place command to have him wait patiently on his bed. You can then open the door and greet your guest without your dog creating chaos.</li><li>Resource Guarding: We also use it for our “<a href="https://www.rescuedogs101.com/food-aggressive-resource-guarding-dogs/">resource aggressive </a>” dog, Ginger. We put her in her “place” during dinner time, or anytime someone is eating a snack on the couch.</li><li>Jumping: If you have issues with your dog jumping on people, use a <a href="https://amzn.to/2WxbBIx">dog training mat </a>to place your dog. This will help your dog calm down and keep your friends safe from being jumped on.</li><li>Children: If you have young kids and want to keep them safe from an overly excited dog. Or maybe keep the dog safe from a nose poking, tail pulling toddler! <a href="https://www.rescuedogs101.com/family-dogs-bite-kids/">Read Why Family Dogs Bite. </a></li></ul>

When to use the place command

<ol><li>Put your dog on a leash.</li><li>Standing only a few feet away from his dog bed or mat, say “PLACE” and guide your dog on to the mat.</li><li>Once he has all four feet on the mat, say “GOOD” and give him a high-valued treat. Treats are not necessary but can add motivation if your dog doesn’t want to go on to the mat.</li><li>Your dog does not need to sit or lay down… he just needs to have all four paws on the dog mat. He can do anything he wants as long as he stays on that space. If the dog gets up before you release him, say NO and then simply guide your dog back the mat. Do NOT repeat the command. </li><li>Start this command with no distractions , leaving him by only a foot, for a few seconds. Gradually extend the time and distance. You can add distractions after he fully understands the command and can stay in the PLACE for at least 2 minutes at a time.</li><li>Practice and repeat until your dog can remain in his place. Do not expect him to stay for more than 10 seconds in the beginning, slowly extend the time as you practice.</li><li>Slowly add distractions , such as people walking by, toys, and the doorbell.</li><li>Continue to extend the time your dog is in his place. Don’t feel bad for him, this should be a relaxing time for the dog.</li></ol>

How to Teach Your Dog the Place Command

Here is a great video from SolidK9 Dog Training showing the Place Command in Action:

Video example

Life-Changing Dog Training - The Place Command

All you need is 3-5 minutes each day to train your dog . Yes, I said 3-5 minutes. Dog training doesn’t need to take 30 minutes each day. In fact, you will see better results training in short spurts vs. long training sessions. Taking your everyday activities and turn them into learning experiences for your dog, that’s training.

Use everyday opportunities to train in quick sessions

Level 3: Feed your dogs entire meal in a training session. Practice basic commands, including SIT, STAY and COME by using your dog’s kibble. Take it a step further and add different trick commands. Don’t worry, you aren’t going to feed your dog one kibble at a time! After each successful command, give her a handful of food. This session should only last a few minutes.

Use meal times for training

Level 3: If your dog is a puller, instead of walking around the block, occasionally turn around and go in the opposite direction. Do this sporadically so your dog does not expect it. This will help your dog keep his attention on you and will slowly teach him pulling is not going to get him anywhere.

Keep your dog on its toes during walks

Level 3: Put a leash on your dog and walk around the living room, working on the HEEL command. Your dog should learn how to walk next to you, on your left side. If he pulls, then turn and walk the opposite direction. Another way to stop pulling is to walk and turn into the front of your dog, you will need to keep him on a short but loose leash.

Use commercial breaks to train your dog

This is overall the most important tip ever. Be consistent with everything you do for your dog . If you let him get away with not listening to your commands when you are “too busy”, then all the training is out the window.

11 Fun Enrichment Games to Play with Your Dog Inside

Life-Changing Dog Training - The Place Command

5 Quick Ways to Train Your Dog in 3 Minutes a Day

Catherine Krasavin