How to Give Your Dog Indoor Exercise

The good old game of tug-of-way never fails to give dogs a good time. This classic game releases the excess energy bottled up in your dog without having to go outside. It’s essential to monitor this game and play it correctly with your dog to avoid the development of aggression in your dog. 

Tug-of-war can make a dog overly competitive or dominant. Remember to divert your dog’s attention with treats when he gets stimulated and too invested in the game. Pulling your dog’s neck upwards can injure your dog, so it’s best to shake the rope horizontally. 

Tug-of-war may not be the best for dogs with resource-guarding tendencies and for puppies with developing jaws. Ensure your dog has a strong “leave it” or “give” command just in case you need to stop the game midway. 

Treats are one of the highlights of your dog’s day, and you can use them to exercise them mentally. Some treat puzzle toys make your dog work for his treats, providing exercise and a reward treat. Snuffle mats are oversized mats with designs that allow you to hide treats and dry food for your dog to find.
 
Snuffle mats make use of dogs’ smelling senses, making eating treats even more joyful for your pup. The PawSafe foraging snuffle mat is a fun way to keep your dog entertained and mentally stimulated. With this snuffle mat, your dogs get to look for their food like they would have in the wild.

Food puzzles require dogs to use their cognitive abilities to access their treats. These puzzles also slow your dog’s treat consumption giving them the name work-to-eat toys. Don’t forget to track your dog’s treat intake, which shouldn’t exceed 10% of the total caloric requirements. 

Hide & Seek is a classic game that burns your dog’s calories and uses energy.  To play this game, take your dog to a room and tell them to sit. After hiding, call out their name and let your dog find you. A few rounds of hiding will tire out your dog, and the mission to exercise will be a success. 

You can also play hide & seek with treats. Hold a treat in one hand, then make both your hands into a fist. Let your dog smell both fists and reward them with a treat when they sniff out the correct hand, and try again if they fail. Similarly, you can shuffle around 3 cups with one containing a treat. If your pup chooses the right cup, reward them with the treat in it. 

You can easily set up an obstacle game for your dog at home with items you already have. You can use chairs, tables, and old boxes in a space in your house and set them up as obstacles. Your dog does over the small items, on top of others, and around them.

What matters in this game is to get your dog to move around. By the time your dog is done with the obstacles, they’ll be more than willing to take a nap. Ensure the objects you use to set up the obstacle course are unlikely to fall apart to avoid injuring your dog and are stable if your dog climbs on them.

Brain games keep your dog mentally stimulated. Dogs are intelligent creatures, so their brains need to solve challenges to remain healthy and active. You can find various puzzles online or in pet shops, which vary in difficulty. Most puzzles require dogs to use their brains to figure out how to get treats. 

Learning how to keep your dog entertained while you’re at work is essential, and puzzles do this wonderfully. Treat-dispensing puzzles keep dogs busy for hours, and they simultaneously give their brains a workout. Toy stuffing makes treat time more engaging, and you stuff toys with treats like peanut butter. Your pup will be engrossed trying to lick all the peanut butter off the toy. 

Dogs have a high drive to please, so a training session will grab and work their attention. Your dog has to concentrate during training to piece together the various commands. Additionally, the treats following successfully performing a trick motivate your dog to continue with the training sessions.

Keep the training sessions short to prevent overstretching your dog’s concentration span. Dogs can get frustrated when the training sessions go on and on. Some excellent commands to burn energy include “spin” and “roll over,” but don’t overdo them to prevent your dog from getting dizzy. 

Keep away involves two people and your pooch. This game needs some space, and you throw a toy or another item at each other and let the dog try to get it. You can occasionally allow your dog to catch the ball to keep them interested in the game, then go on with the regular keep away game. 

You can play fetch with your pup to exhaust that extra energy if you’re with your dog alone. Throw your pup’s favorite toy to a reachable place in the house and let your dog retrieve it. A couple of repetitions will knock your dog right out due to exhaustion, and your dog receives a necessary dose of physical activity. 

You can play fetch in a flight of stairs if you want to make the game more intense. Incorporating stairs to fetch will tire your dog even more. Consult your vet during one of the visits to ensure that running on stairs is safe for your dog’s joints, depending on the age and breed. Don’t overdo staircase workouts because we don’t want to overwork those dog joints.