Sometimes you just can’t walk your dog. The weather isn’t always on the dog walkers side, especially if your dog isn’t fond of rain (apparently your dogs’ senses are heightened when it rains), or if they get intimidated by other dogs, runners, don’t like loud noises of motorbikes etc. Or even if you’ve had a hard day at work and just want to stay indoors and avoid civilisation.
Being busy or having situations in life where you can’t commit to the daily dog walking London, doesn’t mean you have to slack on the dog parenting. We’ve got some fun alternative ways you can exercise your beloved pooch and make sure they have a balanced life.
Table of Contents
A dog toy on a rope
Get a stick and tie a string to it. Make sure the string is two to five feet long, depending on how much space you have and the size of your dog. And then tie a dog toy to it.
You drag your DIY dog toy around with you and get your dog to chase it, making sure that they catch it every so often. This is a perfect way to exercise a dog without a lot of space. The toy on a string satisfies a dog’s chase, kill, destroy instincts.
Let the games begin!
Hide and Seek
Who doesn’t love hide-and-seek? Distract your dog in another room with a toy, and then go hide. Call your dog’s name and when he/she finds you, praise them and give them a treat.
Indoor Agility
Construct an obstacle course in your living room and watch the fun begin. Use items in your home to make jumps, make a tunnel by draping blankets over chairs, use kids activity toys if you have some. This is a great way to exercise your dog but also teach it new tricks.
Before you start, simply show your dog how to perform each obstacle individually using treats as rewards. Stick a treat in front of the nose, and lure them through/over the obstacle a few times.
Find the Toy/Treat
A dog’s best weapon is their nose. Get your dog’s favorite toy, show them the toy to get them excited, then whilst they watch, hide the toy a short distance from them. Then tell your dog to go find it!
When they have retrieved the toy, make sure you praise your dog. As they get better with the game you can increase the difficulty.
Dance Off
This is a great way for you and your dog to boost the ‘happy hormones’. Put on your favorite track and start dancing, interacting with your dog, they will become excited and start becoming playful and full of beans. When the track stops, tell them to sit or stop, and then praise them when they do the command. When the music starts again repeat the process.
Research shows that pets increase our feel-good hormones, so if you can’t take your furry friend for a walk, get creative. You both will benefit from it!