8 Ways to Burn off That Puppy Energy When Stuck Inside!
Bad weather is no fun, especially if it’s keeping you indoors more than you would like. But, if you own a high-energy puppy, being stuck indoors can soon become a nightmare as you try to keep your cute bundle of fur from destroying your home out of boredom. If you are fresh out of ideas, here is a list of things you can do inside that will physically wear out your puppy, stimulate their mind and keep you sane!
1. Indoor Agility
Setting up a small indoor agility course is easy and teaches your puppy body awareness while expelling energy. You don’t have to spend money on equipment, just use things around the house. Examples of things you can use:
· Chairs with broom poles placed on the leg bars or seats (depending on your dog’s height) for jumps
· Chairs with broom poles placed on the leg bars or seats (depending on your dog’s height) for jumps
· A mat for a “pause” area
· Cones or boxes set up for weave poles
· Blankets over the spaces between furniture to make tunnels
2. Hide-n-seek
Chances are, you had plenty of fun on rainy days when you were a kid playing this game and now you can play it with your puppy. BONUS! This game is AWESOME for teaching your puppy to come because it makes the recall fun and exciting for them! It uses both physical and mental energy so your puppy will tire with this game as well. Put him in a stay while you run and hide, then call him to you. Your pup has to find you! Be sure to have a reward for him when he finds you, such as praise and attention. If your puppy does not have a stay yet, distract him by spreading a few pieces off kibble on the floor while you run and hide. Start out in easy places until your puppy learns the game. Have several people hiding and take turns calling him to make it more fun.
3. Training
Using their brain tires your puppy out, so doing some training can help get rid of energy too. Rainy days are great for brushing up on your training or teaching your puppy new behaviors or tricks.
4. Scent Work
Another fun game is scent work. Like hide-n-seek, scent work uses both physical and mental energy. You can use your puppy’s meals for this game, making meal time last longer, which is another bonus. Just hide the kibble around a room for your puppy to sniff out. You will have to start easy, hiding treats behind object or underneath something they can easily tip over after sniffing out the food. You can gradually build up to harder places, like under the bed or in a drawer. You can also use toys and have your dog sniff out the toy, but this is more advanced and will require more work to train.
5. Give Him a Job
Another thing you can do is teach your puppy to help out with a chore or two around the house to keep the boredom at bay. For example, teach him to put away his toys or to pick up your clothes and put them in the laundry basket. It will make doing household chores more fun for you and keep your puppy occupied.
6. Activity Toys
Activity toys are good if you don’t have time to do something with your puppy right then, but you need to occupy him. They lengthen meal time and provide mental stimulation as your pup works out the puzzle to get their reward (their meal).
7. Take an Online Training Class
Fresh out of ideas for training? There are now classes you can take online! Not only will it expend physical and mental energy, but your puppy will be learning new behaviors at the same time. You won’t have to leave your house and you can do the work whenever it’s convenient for you.
8. Indoor Rally Course
Like agility, rally obedience can easily be done inside your house. All you need to do is mark out a path using cones (if you have them), books, pieces of paper, etc. And then you can make yourself some signs based on real rally behaviors or just make it up as you go along! If you have never done rally, the basics are easy! Each station gives you and your dog a command to follow. For example, sit in heel position or sit/stay while you walk once around your dog. You can make up your own or look up rally signs online.
Many of the items on this list expend both mental and physical energy. These are the best types of activities for your young puppy because they not only wearing him out, but they help develop his thinking brain and strengthening your bond as you work together. This makes all of these perfect choices to chase away those bad weather blues.