How to organise playtime with a dog at home?

As the weather is getting worse, temperatures are dropping and the day becomes shorter, playing outside with your dogs become more and more unpleasant. During autumn and winter, it’s easy to shorten your daily walks and omit playtime in the forest or at a park. Despite the bad weather, the energy levels of our canine friends stay the same as in the spring or summer. Dogs stripped of their usual amount of physical activity can quickly become frustrated that can even lead to destructive behaviours around the house. How to organise playtime for your dog at home?

Time for a run

Certain dog breeds are highly active and require a significant amount of physical activity to burn through their vast reserves of energy. In a bigger house it’s quite easy to find a place for your dog to run around, but what can you do in a small apartment? Use furniture and treats to your advantage. Using chairs, tables, pillows or stools you can create a makeshift obstacle course for your dog. Hide your dog’s treats between furniture and let your pet look for them. You can even try to encourage your dog to go through the obstacle course by offering him his favourite toy.

„Using chairs, tables, pillows or stools you can create a makeshift obstacle course for your dog”

Intriguing playtime

Treats can be very useful in many ways during playtime. Come and Play toys are designed in a way so you can hide snacks or dry dog food in them. When your dog is playing with the toy he can encounter tasty rewards. It’s a great way to get your dog into playing with a new toy and it also provides your dog with some much needed mental stimulation.

Tug of war

Let playtime become a new challenge for your puppy. Routine and repetition can turn even the most fun activity into a boring task. It’s vital to diversify your playtime routine, especially when your dog doesn’t get the additional stimulation from the outside world. Instead of constantly playing fetch with your dog, try to wrestle a bit. Hold your dog’s toy firmly in your hand and offer it to your puppy, so he can try to take it away from you. Once your dog has the toy try to get it away from him. The best toy for this particular activity would be a rope toy - you can comfortably hold onto both ends of the toy and play tug of war.

It’s vital to diversify your playtime routine, especially when your dog doesn’t get the additional stimulation from the outside world.

Maybe hide and seek?

You can play hide and seek with your dog two ways. In the first scenario, your dog will be looking for his favourite toy. Give your dog a “Stay!” command or ask someone to hold your puppy. Show your dog the toy and pretend your hiding it in a few places around the room. Once you pick a good place, give your dog a “Seek!” command. In the second scenario, your dog will be looking for you. Once again, begin with giving your dog a “Stay!” command and leave the room. Find a good hiding spot and let your dog find you without giving him any hints.