Winter Games For Your Bored Dog

For most of us, winter sucks. It's cold, there's not enough daylight and boring. Our pets feel bored too, which could lead to destructive behavior, so how about we try something different for a change, lets play games WITH our dogs. There's so many fun games to do indoors and even outdoors (for those crazy pets and their owners who like the snow). I've put together a list of easy games that are mentally and physically stimulating for your pup and you.

Hide and Seek - If it’s just your dog and you, tell your dog to “sit’ or “wait”. Once you’ve found a good hiding spot say “find” or “come”. He will go racing through the house trying to find you. You can also play with two people. Each time your dog goes to find one person the other person finds a new hiding location. Everytime he finds you reward him. This is definitely one of my favorite games because once my dog finds me she stares at me until I laugh hysterically at her.

Cup Game (shell game) - Place a couple of plastic cups upside down and put one treat under one cup. Let your dogs nose sniff out which cup has the treat under it. Add more cups and move them around once your dog gets the hang of it.

Nose Challenge - Have your dog work for their food by creating an obstacle course in the house that leads to their food. You can also put their food in dog toy puzzles or boxes.

Zig-Zags - After there's a snowfall usually people shovel snow in big piles and some dogs love to jump in and out of them. You can also shovel mountains of snow all over the yard for your pooch to hop in and out of.

Backyard Maze - How exciting would it be to create a maze out of snow for your dog! You can hide smelly treats in hard to find places in the maze (they will probably cheat and dig through the walls).

Treat Hunt - To make sure your dog sees where you hide their treats (until they are experts at the game), put them on a leash and walk them around the house with you while you hide tasty treats around the house. Once they become advanced you can start hiding it under their bed and in small crevices around the house.

I hope this helps your winters to be more exciting! Have fun and stay safe!