Looking for some easy ways to keep your dog busy and entertained? You’ve come to the right place.

Keeping your dog entertained can be a challenge. And trying to come up with new ways to keep your dog entertained can be more exhausting than actually getting up and doing it.

To help you out the Power Paws Club team put together a list of 10 simple ways to keep your dog busy indoors.

The Benefits of Keeping Your Dog Busy

Bored dogs get into difficulties sometimes. We’re their main source of entertainment, so if we don’t give them things to do they’ll come up with activities of their own — and that’s when we end up with chewed up shoes and curtains or them barking out the window.

By playing with your dog a few times a day you can decrease the likelihood of them developing destructive habits such as excessive barking or chewing.

Simple Ways to Keep Your Dog Busy Indoors

1. Play a Game of Find The Treats

Fun games are one of the easiest ways to tire out your dog. When you
teach your dog some basic  games such as ‘find the treats’ you’re mentally
tiring them out and helping them hone in on some of their natural skills.
Get some treats and have your dog watch as you place them around the
room. Give your dog the cue to “find the treats” and encourage your dog to
go get them, remembering to praise them every time they find one. After
your confident that your dog understands what “find the treats” means you
can making it a bit more difficult. Have them stay in a different room as you
hide the treats, and start hiding them in places they have to sniff out such
as under a couch.

2. Teach Your Dog to Clean Up Their Toys

If your dog’s toys are kept in a container you can teach them to put their
toys away. I know it sounds weird to teach your dog to clean up after
themselves, but it’s actually a lot of fun. Teaching your dog new skills
boosts their confidence, and it’s a good way to give them more mental
stimulation.
If your dog already knows “drop it” have them pick up a toy and give them
their drop it command once they’re standing over the container. Praise
them like crazy, then rinse and repeat. Eventually with consistency you’ll
have a dog that will be able to clean up after himself.

3. Play a Game of Tug of War

Playing a game of tug of war is one of the best ways to engage in
meaningful play with our dogs. It’s a great way to mentally and physically
exercise your dog. And since it doesn’t require a ton of room you can play it
indoors also.
And contrary to what some people say playing tug will not make your
dog aggressive, and letting them win will not make them
dominant. Letting your dog win just makes the game more fun for your
dog, and it will help them to play more. Dogs that play tug with their owners
have been found to be more obedient and have more confidence.

4. Play “Go Find” with your dog

Once your dog knows the names of some of their toys teach them the “go
find it” game. Have your dogs toys in a pile and tell them to “go find” their
favorite toy. As your dog gets better at this game you can make it more
challenging by increasing the number of toys they have have to sift
through.
Keep it fun for them by rewarding them handsomely with a treat or
quick game of tug when they succeed. This game will give your dog a great
mental workout.

5. New Tricks

Does your dog know how to run through your legs. There’s always a new
trick you can teach your dog, and trust me when I say teaching your dog
how to weave through your legs is a lot easier than it sounds.
Does your dog already know a bunch of tricks? One of the best things
about trick training is that there’s always room to improvise and make it
more challenging. Once your dog knows a bunch of tricks you can step it
up a notch and combine their learned behaviors into brand new tricks.

6. Play a Game of Hide & Seek

Hide and seek might not seem all that hard or entertaining to us, but a lot of
dogs get a real kick out of it.
If your dog doesn’t have a good stay command down you can ask a friend
to help by having them distract your dog as you go and hide (or you can
practice your “stay” before you get started.)

7. Play a Game of Fetch

When it comes to playing indoor fetch hallways, stairways, and big living rooms are popular choices.
Be careful with heavy toys around anything that’s fragile or able to be
tipped over, and it’s probably not a good idea to play fetch inside the
kitchen. If you don’t like the idea of playing fetch indoors you could turn it
into a simple game of catch.

8. Create Your Own Indoor Doggie Obstacle Course

Create your own obstacle course inside your home. Have your dog jump
over some towels, move through areas, and then lay down on the floor or
bed. Use your imagination and come up with a set of obstacles for your dog
to follow. Once your dog has learned how to jump over things you then
move onto moving through obstacles. Building on prior tricks will keep your
dog mentally stimulated and encourages focus.

9. Buy a New Dog Toy and Rotate Them

Studies have found that dogs get bored with their old toys. You can either
buy your dog a new toy to get their enthusiasm going or you can rotate
their toys. Instead of giving your dog access to all of their toys all the time
give them a few. If you rotate one of their old toys back into the mix after
awhile they’ll have some of that original enthusiasm back.

10. Teach Your Dog the “Go To” Command

Does your dog know how to go to the couch or to his bed? This trick is
simple to teach and it’s helpful when you’re making dinner or having guests
over. If you tell your dog to go to his spot while you’re making dinner
enough times it will become a habit.

We have created “The Busy Box” a dog gift box that has the essential items for keeping your dog occupied, especially helping you if you are working from home these days. Shop the Busy Box.

Handpicked Dog Gift Boxes

These products are carefully selected by our team of pet experts to help all types of dogs with all types of personalities.