Stuck at Home With Your Dog: Try These 7 Activities

Looking for ways to tire out your favorite pup and keep them from getting bored when they’re stuck at home this winter? Me too! Under normal circumstances, traveling with my dogs is my favorite way to spend a weekend, especially when we can hit new trails, drive on back roads, and visit dog-friendly restaurant patios.

With travel pending and remote work keeping us tied to a home office, I looked for ways to keep my dogs happy and healthy without venturing too far. Despite the wintry weather and being stuck at home, my dogs still need exercise, interaction and love, and so do yours.

Spending time with my dogs is one of the best ways to get me out of a funk, and no matter how annoyed I am when they constantly drop toys at my feet when I work it out, the truth is I always appreciate their perseverance.

Looking for creative ways to spend time with your dog while you’re stuck at home? Here are some of our favorite ways to adventure together, indoors and out.

Teach your dog new tricks

You probably already know this, but dogs love to learn new tricks, even if they are already well trained. The best way to teach your pup something new is to commit to short 15-minute practice sessions every day.

If your dog hasn’t learned the basics, like sit, stay, lie down, and come, this is a good place to start. After that, the sky is the limit. Teach your puppy to stand on a skateboard, crawl through a tunnel, and jump through a hoop. Not only is lap training a challenging activity when you can’t take your dog for a long walk, but it will make them lifelong learners.

When it comes to trick training, use positive reinforcement techniques to help shape your dog’s behavior. During the early stages of learning a new skill, reward approximation and effort. As your dog begins to understand what is expected, withhold rewards until he does what you tell him to.

Give your dog a day at the spa

Who doesn’t love a day at the spa? Treat your pup to some pampering while you’re stuck at home. Start with a warm bath, a dry towel and a good brushing, followed by a pedicure.

If you are new to nail trimming your dog, start slowly. We teach our dogs to love nail trimming by doing one nail at a time, followed by a tasty treat. I know dog owners who give their dog a Kong stuffed with treats and peanut butter to chew on while he clips. It’s too distracting for my dogs and makes them restless. Instead, I fill a small bowl with treats, sit on the floor, and ask the dogs to lie down next to me. My dogs recognize the nail clipper bowl and as soon as they see it, they sit down and put their paws in my lap.

When you’re done trimming your dog’s nails, apply soothing wax to his pads and elbows. Follow it all up with a dog massage. Your pup has never had it so good.

Go in Sniffari

A sniffing is more than just dog walking; it’s a walk where your dog follows his nose while you follow the end of the leash. It’s fun to make sniffaris in a new place, like a local park or trail, but you can also make them right in your backyard.

The idea here is to let your dog lead the way, so be prepared to veer off course, spend a few minutes at the local pee tree, and visit places you never thought you’d visit.

You obviously need to keep your dog away from anything rude or dangerous, but otherwise it’s fun to let your pup lead the way. We use a 16-30 foot leash for the snifaris, so our dogs have a little more freedom.

Have a dog photoshoot

Admit it. You already love taking photos of your dog, so why not schedule a doggie photoshoot? It’s the perfect activity after those spa treatments when your dog is at his best. Dress your dog up in a colorful bandana and capture his best side. Selfies work too!

We have black dogs right now and they are notoriously difficult to photograph. Natural outdoor lighting is best if you are trying to capture a dark colored dog. If you don’t have a personal photographer, place your phone or camera on a tripod and use a remote shutter to take the shot.

Make your dog healthy treats

There are plenty of ways to pamper your pet when they’re stuck at home, and since everyone seems to be up a storm these days, why not invest some of that creative energy in your dog’s kitchen? ?

Our puppies love peanut butter. We can’t even open a jar without them running from wherever they are in the house to see if we’re doing anything special to them. We’ve tried a bunch of different recipes, but so far our dog’s favorite recipe is Peanut Butter Granola Crunchies.

Play hide and seek with your dog

Hide and seek is one of our favorite games to play with the puppies on rainy days, and we also do it a lot when we’re stuck at home. We have two variations that we play, and the dogs love them both.

At first I send the dogs to their beds and tell them to stay. I find a place to hide, then I blow the whistle. The dogs come running and when they find me, they shower me with dog kisses and I give them delicious treats. My favorite place to hide is behind the shower curtain. The downside to this build is that it’s pretty easy to run out of hiding places, especially if you live in a small house like me. Also, your dog needs to have a pretty good stay for this to work.

The next one is easier because I lock the dogs in the locker room so they can hide their favorite ball or toy. Once I’ve hidden it, I let them out and ask them, “Where’s your toy?” Flynn will be playing this one all day. Malinda, who is still young, just follows Flynn and gets really excited when he finds the toy.

Playing hide and seek indoors or outdoors gives dogs physical and mental exercise, and is perfect for those days when it’s too cold to exercise outside.

Exercise with your dog

A daily walk with the dog is a must in our house, but since we’ve been stuck at home, we take two or three shorter walks just to get out. Some days we take a quiet walk in the woods. Other days we hit the trails or go on a hike with a steep climb to get our heart pumping. Flynn’s happiest moments are playing fetch, so we’re sure to make it a part of that too. Exercising is so much more fun with a dog or two by your side, and you know what they say: a tired dog is a happy dog.