Fun things to do with your dog inside

[MissShapesMissStakes]

Today we’ve had a walk for about an hour or so, including a cafe visit. But dpoodle is so bored.

He’s not being naughty but he’s just wandering around looking so bored.

He hates the rain. He usually spends hours mooching about in the garden with the kids but he’s not happy to go out in the rain, though I do drag him to the woods every day which he enjoys once in there. Problem is he gets coated in mud and then needs a bath. I only use water to rinse him off. But two baths a day can’t be good can it?

We’ve played some sniffy games with treats, indoor fetch, tug of war, licky mat, and done a bit of training practice.

If this is going to be autumn I think we will need more ideas for entertainment. He will be getting the rest of his food for the day in a treat ball type thing.

Any other good tried and tested games to keep him busy?

Do you have a dog coat? One of those sort of all-over pullovers, you can get them with legs? Mine wouldn't tolerate it but I think lots of people love them: www.equafleece.co.uk/dogs/all-dog-products

Does he like to chew? Frozen Kong keeps mine amused for some time, marrow bones, etc.

Thanks Squirrels. We have a coat yes. Not with the legs in. He still hates the rain. It’s the only thing he’s a ‘precious poodle’ about .

I could try one with legs though. As at least he might not need a full on bath then. Not sure how he would feel about it.

He’s not a big chewer at all. He’s a big eater though. So I’ve managed to squeeze out his meals and make him work for them. I’ve not done a frozen kong for a while so will get some sorted thanks

I think really he mostly just misses the garden. But he refuses to leave the decking as the grass is so wet.

I'd sit him down and explain to him that, actually, Poodles were bred to retrieve from water. Put his coat on and get outside. Any mud on his coat can be brushed out when it's dried.

I'd also remember he is a dog and not a human.

Thanks Maiden.

Oh I know he’s a dog. I don’t pick up my kids’ poo. So that’s a constant reminder!

He’s happy to go in water. He doesn’t love the rain. We still take him for walks in the rain. He gets filthy as he flings himself all over, including in the streams.
The amount of mud he attracts won’t brush out. It’s a bath job every time. Looks like he’s sitting in a gravy bath every time!

Unless we just have pavement walks. Which I find boring.

It’s just that he doesn’t get his mooching in the garden time at home.

I’m just after other things to pass time when we are inside without the garden. I’m bored of the usual stuff so he probably is too.

We kiss a lot and she shouts at me a LOT

Equafleece are fantastic. Ddog just needs paws wiping. Otherwise it was full on bath.

I used to play what we called the finding game with my Lab X. We had an old leather purse which we taught her to look for and bring back to us. Started by hiding it where she could watch us do so, progressed to putting her in the other room while we hid it in one room and eventually progressed to her sitting on her bed while we went and hid it somewhere in the house. You need to go with them and encourage if they are having trouble finding their object but it certainly used to tire our Ddog out although she loved playing it. Make sure you walk into every room of the house when hiding, as our dog quickly learned to track where you had been and so knew which room to concentrate on.

Hide and seek with a dog toy is great fun!

Brown - that’s a great idea! Thanks I will give it a go.

He doesn’t really have a favourite toy - unless I count DH. I could hide him though!

Things we do when it's raining. BiteyDog hates rain

Hunt out the piles of training treats that I have hidden around the house.

Trick training.

Scentwork.

Bat a ball back and forth hiding under my leg or behind my back when he isn't looking

Hide and seek is good. I either hide lots of small treats around the house for our cocker to sniff out, or DS hides with a squeaky toy.

We also have lots of food dispensing toys - favourites are a Molecuball and a Kong Wobbler, as well as a lickimat. He has a massive tennis ball that he can't pick up but will spend ages booting around the house - he passes it between his back legs like a rugby player in a scrum and then chases it. That is kept in a cupboard so it's exciting when it comes out.

Another recommendation for scent work. Ours loves water but is very 'iffy' with rain, and even though he will drag in it, there's something about rainy weather that makes him more restless and fidegety?
If your dog can sit or lie down and wait whilst you drop treats around, I'd do that, then take your dog out of the room, wait a bit, then go in and 'find it!'
Hide and seek - people and toys
Teach him the names of his toys? Mine has recently learnt to get his duck/dumbball/ball etc and can pick them out from a basket or find them in the house