It’s January, and winter is officially upon us in full force! While we’ve had a couple of cold but sunny days this month, we’ve had some rainy, snowy, and icy days in equal measure. When bad weather is keeping you from heading outdoors, here are some fun, indoor activities you can do with your dog or cat to keep them from going completely bonkers!

Use the treadmill!

Who said the treadmill was for humans only? The treadmill can be a great way to get some energy out of your pup when a walk outdoors is out of the question. While it’s no substitute for the kind of mental stimulation being outdoors brings, it can be a great way to supplement outdoor exercise, or a precursor to controlling leash pulling when you’re outside (a dog that’s already tired is much less likely to pull, after all!). 

If your dog has never seen a treadmill before, make sure to take your time introducing it to him/her. Let your dog explore the treadmill while it’s off, and reward with food and/or affection when your dog is calm around it. When your dog is reliably calm around it, turn the treadmill on (without your dog on it!), so that he/she gets used to the sounds it makes. Then slowly introduce your dog to the idea of walking on the treadmill with a leash. 

Don’t be discouraged if your dog doesn’t take to the treadmill during the first training session! It’s more important to take your time, so that your dog feels 100% safe, confident, and comfortable on it. 

Make sure you adjust the speed of the treadmill according to your dog’s level of physical activity (consult your vet!), and never leave your dog alone on the treadmill – they should always be supervised!

Bonus for cat owners: While all of the above can absolutely work with cats… Did you know that cat exercise wheels exist?

Play simple games to stimulate their minds!

Sniff and Search, or its close cousin, the Shell Game, help to exercise the noses of both dogs and cats, which can help to stimulate them mentally. Compared to humans, who have roughly 6 million olfactory receptors in our noses, cats have about 200 million of these receptors, and  dogs have up to 300 million receptors, so cats and dogs have a highly acute sense of smell, making these games a great way to exercise their minds.

To play Sniff and Search, put your dog in a stay, then hide high value treats behind objects, while being in their line of sight. After you’re satisfied with the amount you’ve hid, let your dog break their stay, and let them sniff out all their treats. As they understand the rules of the game, start slowly working up the difficulty of the game – hide the treats while outside of their line of sight, for example, or start hiding the treats under objects. 

For cats who don’t know how to stay, the Shell Game is a great game to play! Start with two cups, and hide a treat they absolutely love underneath both of them. Slowly shuffle the cups around, then stop and wait for your cat to touch a cup. As soon as they touch one, lift the cup they’ve touched and let them have the reward. After you can get your cat to consistently touch the cups, start putting treats under only one cup – now the real Shell Game begins!

From here, you can add more cups to make the game harder, or increase the speed with which you’re shuffling the cups around, which forces your cat to start using their noses to choose the right cup, and rely less on their sight.

Mental and physical stimulation is an extremely important part of keeping your dog or cat healthy. Contact us for pet visits (we work in all kinds of weather!), and let us know your favourite way to keep your pet happy, indoors or out!