Being stuck indoors doesn’t mean your dog has to be bored or inactive. Whether it’s due to bad weather, apartment living, or a busy schedule, there are countless ways to keep your furry friend mentally stimulated and physically active right from the comfort of your home. With a little creativity and consistency, indoor activities for dogs can become a fun and enriching part of your daily routine. This ultimate guide will walk you through the best things to do with your dogs inside, offering a mix of games, training, sensory play, and calming activities to suit all types of pups.
Why Indoor Enrichment Matters
Dogs are intelligent, social, and energetic animals. Without enough stimulation, they can become bored, anxious, or even destructive. Incorporating a variety of indoor activities for your dog not only burns off energy but also strengthens your bond and enhances your dog’s behavior. Whether you have a large-breed dog in a small space or a senior pup needing gentle stimulation, this guide offers options for keeping dog friendly indoor activities fresh and effective.
1. Start the Day with a Mental Warm-Up
Just like humans, dogs benefit from a gentle start to their day. Use breakfast time as a chance to challenge their brain.
• Snuffle Mats or Treat-Dispensing Toys: Hide kibble in a snuffle mat or puzzle feeder to encourage foraging.
• DIY Muffin Tin Game: Place treats in the cups of a muffin tin and cover each with a tennis ball.
These activities stimulate your dog’s natural instincts and are easy to rotate throughout the week.
2. Build a DIY Obstacle Course
Indoor agility isn’t just for working dogs. You can use items around your home to build a fun obstacle course:
• Stack cushions to jump over
• Create a tunnel with a blanket over two chairs
• Use broomsticks balanced on books for hurdles
Guide your dog through the course with treats or commands. This is one of the best indoor activities for dogs to keep them physically engaged while reinforcing obedience and focus.
3. Play Interactive Games
Simple games can go a long way in burning energy and encouraging problem-solving.
• Hide and Seek: Ask your dog to stay while you hide. Call them and reward them when they find you.
• Tug-of-War: Use a safe tug toy or knotted towel for a high-energy, controlled strength game.
• Find the Toy: Hide your dog’s favorite toy in a different room and let them sniff it out.
These are classic and fun things to do with your dogs indoors, requiring little space but lots of engagement.
4. Teach New Tricks or Practice Commands
Training sessions double as mental workouts. Whether it’s reinforcing basic commands or learning a new trick, training indoors keeps your dog’s brain active and responsive.
• Try “paw,” “spin,” or “go to your bed”
• Use clicker training to shape new behaviors
• Keep sessions short (5–10 minutes) and reward-based
This is a powerful way of keeping dog friendly indoor activities educational and confidence-building.
5. Scent Work & Nose Games
Dogs have incredible noses—and they love using them. Stimulate your pup’s senses with scent-based games:
• Hide treats around the house and encourage your dog to “find it”
• Use scent-based toys or freeze small treats inside rolled-up towels
• For advanced scent work, use essential oils on cotton balls (safely diluted and supervised) to teach scent recognition
These nose-based indoor activities for your dog are especially effective for working breeds or high-energy dogs that need more than physical exercise.
6. Bubble Chasing and Fetch (Soft Toys Only!)
Who says fetch is just for the outdoors? Try rolling or tossing soft toys down a hallway or across a room. You can also blow pet-safe bubbles for your dog to chase. Many dogs absolutely love this visual and physical stimulation. Fetch and bubble play are excellent indoor activities for dogs, especially during those high-energy hours.
7. Create a Sensory Box
Sensory boxes are DIY treasure hunts that stimulate touch, smell, and curiosity.
• Fill a shallow box with safe household items like crumpled paper, toilet paper rolls, and old t-shirts
• Sprinkle treats or favorite toys throughout
• Let your dog dig and explore at their own pace
This creative play idea offers one of the most natural and rewarding indoor activities for your dog—especially for puppies or scent-driven breeds.
8. Incorporate Calming Activities
Not all indoor entertainment needs to be active. Wind down with calming, bonding activities:
• Gentle brushing or doggy massage
• Chewing time with a durable bone or frozen peanut butter Kong
• Cozy snuggle time with calming music or white noise
These activities round out your routine and provide balance alongside high-energy games and training.
9. Rotate Toys Weekly
To prevent boredom, don’t leave all your dog’s toys out at once. Rotate them weekly, reintroducing “forgotten” favorites and keeping playtime exciting. This simple trick is a low-effort way of keeping dog friendly indoor activities new without spending money.
10. Set a Routine
Dogs love predictability. Establishing a basic daily indoor routine helps reduce anxiety and provides structure. Try a rotation like this:
• Morning: Scent games or training
• Afternoon: Tug or fetch
• Evening: Puzzle toy, grooming, and cuddle time
This helps incorporate indoor activities for dogs naturally throughout the day without overwhelming them—or you.
Final Thoughts
With the right combination of mental, physical, and sensory play, your dog can stay healthy and happy—without stepping a paw outside. From obstacle courses to cuddles, the possibilities for things to do with your dogs indoors are endless. The secret is variety, engagement, and a little creativity. Whether you’re keeping a high-energy pup entertained or simply giving your senior dog some fun, this guide to indoor activities for your dog can transform your home into a haven of fun and enrichment. So grab some treats, clear a little space, and let the indoor adventures begin!