Short days, wet pavements and howling wind: winter can make walks shorter and tempers shorter too. If your dog is bouncing off the walls by mid-afternoon, you are not alone. The good news is that mental exercise can be just as tiring as a long walk, and most of it can be done in the living room.
This guide gives you more than ten ways to keep a dog busy indoors in winter, from quick games to scent work and some cheap DIY ideas. Every dog is different, so pick what suits yours, keep sessions short and always supervise.
Before you start
- Clear the space. Move breakables and slippery rugs out of the way, especially for energetic games.
- Keep sessions short. Five to ten minutes of focused play, a few times a day, often works better than one long session.
- Use real food sparingly. If you are using lots of treats, take them out of your dog's daily meals so they do not put on weight.
- Supervise. Do not leave your dog alone with toys, cardboard, fabric or homemade games. Take away anything that is being shredded.
- Stop while it is still fun. If your dog seems tired, frustrated or uninterested, end the game on an easy win.
Scent work games
A dog's nose is their superpower, and using it is a brilliant way to keep them occupied.
1. Scatter feeding
The simplest game of all. Throw a handful of dry food onto a clean floor, or across a snuffle mat, and let your dog hunt for it. It turns a two-minute meal into a proper activity.
2. Snuffle mat
Push treats or kibble deep into the strips of a snuffle mat and let your dog search. Our Dog Snuffle Mat 46 cm suits small, medium and large dogs, and it is a quiet activity for rainy afternoons. Fabric is not food, so watch that your dog is sniffing rather than chewing. We have a full guide to choosing and using snuffle mats.
3. "Find it" around the house
Ask your dog to wait (or have someone hold them gently), then hide a few treats around a room. Start with easy spots on the floor, then try behind a chair leg or on a low step. Release your dog with a cheerful "find it!" and celebrate when they succeed.
4. Hide and seek
Once your dog has the idea, hide yourself instead. Pop behind a door, call their name and reward them with praise and a treat when they find you. It also helps recall.
5. Muffin tin game
Put a treat in a few cups of a muffin tin and cover each cup with a tennis ball or a scrunched sock too big to swallow. Your dog has to work out how to move the covers. Supervise closely and use items that cannot be chewed up or swallowed.
Play with you
6. Tug
Tug is a great way to burn energy and strengthen your bond when played with rules. Start and stop the game on cue, keep it gentle and let your dog "win" sometimes. A toy like our Carrot Tassel Tug Toy is easy to grip for both of you. Always keep hold of the toy yourself so it does not get swallowed afterwards.
7. Indoor fetch
Use a hallway or a large room with no breakables, and roll rather than throw. Soft toys such as the Squeaky Crocodile or the smaller Squeaky Sausage are good for gentle indoor retrieves. On stairs or slippery floors, skip fast fetch, as it is easy for dogs to slip.
8. Roll and chase
Roll a ball along the floor and let your dog chase it. A pair of Gel Balls means one is always ready to go. Keep to a clear space and take care on hard flooring.
9. Trick training
Teach something new: "spin", "paw", "touch" (nose to your hand), "go to bed" or "take a bow". Use tiny treats and keep sessions upbeat. Learning is mentally tiring, and a few minutes of it can calm a restless dog.
10. Mini obstacle course
Use items from around the house: a broom handle resting safely on two stacks of books for a low jump (keep it very low and avoid for puppies and older dogs), a row of cushions to weave around, a blanket tunnel to crawl under. Guide your dog through with a treat. Safety first: nothing high, nothing unstable.
11. Soft toy swap
Rotate toys. Keep a few out and put the rest away, then swap them every few days. A toy that has been "new" again is often more exciting. Something like the Soft Squeaky Animal Toy can be a treat on a duller day. Our enrichment collection has more to choose from.
DIY ideas
12. Towel roll
Lay an old towel flat, scatter some treats along it, and roll it up loosely. Your dog has to nose and paw it open to get to the goodies.
13. Cardboard box dig
Put a few treats in a cardboard box with some scrunched-up paper and let your dog dig. This is strictly a supervised game: if your dog starts eating the cardboard, stop, remove the box and offer a different activity.
14. Paper bag surprise
Place a toy or a few treats inside a plain paper bag (no handles, no print inside) and fold the top over. Your dog can sniff out and open it, but make sure they do not swallow bits of paper.
15. Muddy-paws clean-up game
Teach your dog to wait on a towel or mat by the door after walks. It is not strictly a game, but turning wiping paws into a training moment makes the wet-weather routine calmer. A self-cleaning grooming tool like our Self-Cleaning Pet Grooming Brush can help with winter coat care, and the Dog Bath Brush with Shampoo Dispenser makes after-walk baths easier.
Make the most of the walks you do take
Short winter walks can still be rich. Let your dog sniff, stop to explore and take a slow route. A "sniffari", where your dog leads the nose-work, can be more tiring than a fast march.
A small Silicone Walk Treat Pouch keeps training treats close at hand, and if your dog feels the cold, a coat may help. We have a fleece-lined herringbone coat and a padded winter coat in XS only in our winter wear collection. Not every dog needs one, so consider your dog's size, coat and comfort. If you are worried about how your dog copes with the cold, ask your vet.
Create a cosy place to rest
Games work best when balanced with proper downtime. After play, your dog needs somewhere comfortable to settle. A supportive bed in a draught-free spot works wonders, and our beds and comfort collection includes the washable donut bed and the round pet bed. A fleece blanket adds an extra snug layer.
A sample winter day
- Morning: Walk with plenty of sniffing, then breakfast scattered on a snuffle mat.
- Midday: Five minutes of trick training, then a rest.
- Afternoon: A "find it" game around the house, or a gentle game of tug.
- Evening: A towel roll or another food game, followed by quiet time in bed.
Looking for something to put under the tree? Take a peek at our Christmas gifts for dogs guide.
Watch your dog, not the clock
Every dog has their own energy levels, age and abilities. Puppies and senior dogs need gentler, shorter games, and dogs with health conditions may need different advice, which your vet can give. Above all, enjoy it. A few minutes of focused attention from you is often the best enrichment of all.