Play is essential to every dog’s life. It's how they bond and communicate with their pack, and it's how they find out what makes them excited. It's both physically and mentally stimulating and keeps our pooches sharp and ready to take on new challenges. According to the ASPCA (American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals), physical and mental stimuli need to be equal to ensure a happy and healthy dog. But what ways to make sure we're providing our playful pups just what they need to stay happy? Check out these rainy day dog games that will keep your dog occupied while strengthening your relationship with them.
1. Hide and Seek - Person Edition
This fun dog game is a classic, and it's perfect for a dreary day. It has them using both their ears and snouts to find their BFF (that's you) around the house.
Have your pooch sit in a separate room, using the stay command. This is a great game to brush up on specific commands. Leaving the room, hide somewhere nearby, and call out to them after 10 seconds. Continue calling until your canine finds you and reward them with lots of praise. They'll love it. And you.
Repeat this game for however long you want in the house. To make it more challenging, hide in various places and call out to them less and less each time, so your dog must rely on smell to find you. You can switch up the environment by playing in a park with many trees or boulders to hide behind.
2. Hide and Seek - Treat Edition
Another take on this classic game is using treats. The sense of smell is essential to dogs; it's how they navigate their world. Playing this game allows them to stretch their nose muscles if you will, and get an extra tasty reward for finding their targets.
Like earlier, sit your dog in a separate room using the stay command. In another room, 'hide' several small treats in undeniable places if they play this for the first time. Return to your dog, let them sniff the hand with the goodies in it and turn them loose to the room you hid the treats. Once they have found the last treat, praise them with lots of pets.
Once your pooch gets the hang of it, they'll search almost any room they enter. Continue doing this with fewer treats and placing them in different, more challenging places (under blankets or in the toy basket).
3. Puppy Puzzles
Another rainy day dog game option is to buy or make your own dog puzzles for your companion to ponder over in the house. These puzzles can range in complexity and size, all depending on the personality of the dog. Here are a few that can be made using items around the house…
Treat in the middle of a knot made by an old sock or t-shirt.
Treats in containers that have been stacked lopsided.
Safe bottles without lids with treats inside.
4. Name Game
This particular game will take a bit longer than most because it involves teaching your dog the names of their toys. (Just like when you teach your dog their name.) Dogs who like to play fetch and retrieve things for you will really go for this one.
Start off by choosing a toy and determine a specific, short, and descriptive name for it; for example, duck for their bird toy or baby for another. Start by playing with this toy exclusively around your dog and refer to it by its name repeatedly. If you play fetch, throw the toy, and encourage them to get the toy by its chosen name. Once your dog has given it back to you, reward them with praise and continue to use the toy's name, so they become familiar with it.
Continue doing this until you can ask your dog to bring you 'baby' or 'duck' and they get the correct toy. After that, you can do the process repeatedly with another toy and impress any guests in the house with this new trick. This game is perfect for harsh weather days because of the length of time it takes to teach your pet how to distinguish different toys from one another.
5. New Tricks
The tried and true way of satisfying your dog’s mental needs is to teach them new tricks. Start by going over already learn commands like sit, lay down, and stay to establish the game you are playing with your pup. Introduce a new command that builds off one of their commands that they already know, such as shake. Your dog is already sitting, and it is an easy transition to give their paw to you.
The tried and true way of satisfying your dog’s mental needs is to teach them new tricks. Start by going over already learn commands like sit, lay down, and stay to establish the game you are playing with your pup. Introduce a new command that builds off one of their commands that they already know, such as shake. Your dog is already sitting and it is an easy transition to give their paw to you.
So, next time it's dreary. Or overcast. Or whatever, really... try out these rainy day dog games. You'll have a blast. Promise.
About the author:
John Woods is the founder of All Things Dogs, a publication built to educate over 40,000,000 dog owners on caring for their dogs.
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