Five Rainy Day Activities For You and Your Dog
Along with warmer weather comes summer rain and storms. Sometimes these storms can last for hours, even days, making you and your dog go stir crazy from sitting inside all day. However, we at Sparky Steps think that just because you can’t take your dog on a walk doesn’t mean that you still can’t have fun or get exercise indoors. Here are some activities for you and your dog to do while it’s raining cat and dogs outside:
Puzzle Toys
Puzzle toys can be great for dogs not only when they have separation anxiety, but also when it’s a rainy day and you’re looking for activities. Puzzle toys are wonderful because they help exercise your dog’s mind and will (hopefully) keep them busy for quite while. Most popular puzzle toys involve some kind of food-related reward at the end, whether that’s a puzzle treat ball or a popular KONG toy. Pro-tip: fill a KONG toy with peanut butter and let it freeze overnight. It will take a while to defrost and give your dog something to do for a long extended period of time. Plus, your dog will have fun trying to get the peanut butter off of the roof of their mouth.
Try Some New Tricks
A rainy day is a perfect time to try to teach your dog new tricks, no matter what age they are. Although this may not be the most physically draining activity, it will stimulate your dog’s mind, which can be tiresome for them and you. Some tricks you may want to try are a pawshake, playing dead, and rolling over. If you have enough space, incorporate a toy into your tricks. For example, you can teach dogs a ton of awesome tricks that involve just a frisbee. They can jump off your back, catch the frisbee, take the frisbee away from you, or even jump through your arms. To learn some of these tricks, check out this YouTube channel.
Indoor Fetch
We’re making fetch happen, even if Mean Girls and the weather tells us not to. Depending on where you live, you can play fetch up and down stairs in your home. If you live in an apartment building, play fetch in the building stairs or down a long hallway. Dogs can run the same amount inside and even get a better workout if they’re running up and down stairs.
Puppy Play Date
Nothing is better than hanging out with your best friends on a rainy day, binge watching your favorite show. Dogs feel the same way! Schedule an in-home playdate with your dog’s best friend and let them entertain each other for hours! If that isn’t possible, you can schedule a playdate with your dog’s favorite dog sitter at Sparky Steps. This is perfect if you have to be away from home or if you don’t want to go out in the rain yourself. Our In-House Dog Sitting services include walks, feeding, belly rugs, and love.
Raincoat
The next time it rains, try out some of the activities above to exhaust of some of your dog’s energy. However, if you’re both brave enough, there’s really nothing cuter than a dog with a raincoat!
Stay dry and have fun!
Written by Kaitlyn Luckow