Dog Enrichment for a Rainy Day!
The weather in Seattle can SUCK. Yes, our summers are incredibly perfect (most years at least) but fall is here and the weather has turned. On my walk with Rufus yesterday it started out windy (need scarf) then rainy (umbrella up, then blown out) then sunshine (sunglasses on). I do feel strongly that our dogs should get at least one walk every day BUT, being realistic here, some days it’s just too crappy to get that good walk in. When that day happens here are a few simple ideas to enrich your dog’s world while avoiding the muck…
- Feed meals from food puzzle toys such as KONGS (may be frozen for advanced dogs), buster cubes, wobblers, snuffle mat, egg cartons, etc. See more ideas for Creative Feeding here.
- Find It Games – Hide treats/food in a variety of items such as cardboard boxes, blankets, bins and bags and have dog find treats and/or meal.
- Scatter feeding – toss food in kennel or outdoor yard and have dog search floor/ground for meal. No yard? No problem, pick a room and scatter!
- If you have a little space, play fetch, tug or flirt pole inside. For more tips on game playing go here.
- Teach your dog some simple tricks that don’t take up much space like: spin, bow, roll over, and crawl.
- Teach your dog to target (“touch”). There are a plethora of fun indoor targeting tricks to teach!
- Take your dog on a field trip to somewhere he has never been. If you are looking for an indoor spot try a hardware store, coffee shop, or brewery that allows dogs. Don’t mind the muck, check out a SniffSpot. Be sure to let him sniff all the good, new stuff!
- Check out our Pinterest board on games and enrichment for many more ideas!
Easy right? And tomorrow, go out for a nice long walk!
