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Elena (author) and her Golden Retriever, Bailey.

This community article was contributed by Elena, with fun snippets and features of activities she does with her dog indoors.

It's raining and your pup is getting restless, cooped up indoors. But staying in doesn't have to be boring. Why not spend some quality time together and try out some of these mentally and physically challenging at-home activities?

1. Learn a new trick

How many tricks does your dog know? For starters, every dog should know these basic commands: sit, drop it, stay, off, down, come, and leave it. But once they've mastered the basics, it's time to move on to the trickier stuff! Constant and consistent training is a great way to keep your dog's mind engaged, and foster a stronger bond between owner and dog.

Here's a checklist of more advanced tricks to teach your dog - see how many your dog already knows!

Give paw (& other paw)
Spin (& spin the other way)
Play dead
Roll over
Fetch (slippers, remote control, leash etc.)
Bow
Hug
Kiss
Bark (loudly, quietly)
Sit pretty - Make sure your dog has no bone/joint issues before attempting this! Note that this posture puts a fair bit of weight on their back/hind legs, so it's not meant to be held for long.
Stand on hind legs
Walk backwards
Cover eyes
Close the door
Wave hello/goodbye

2. Balancing exercises

Space is often a constraint for home workouts in Singapore, so balancing exercises is one great way to expend your pup's energy at home. You can make them as easy or as challenging as you'd like, based on your dog's age and fitness level.

Balancing on exercise discs

Have your pup stand on the discs, and guide them to shift their weight slowly from side to side by moving a treat in front of them. For greater weight shifts, you can also have your dog lift one front paw at a time. This is a great way to strengthen their leg muscles, and to improve their balance and motor control.

Balancing on the bed/ground

Cover the bed/ground with a large towel/blanket. Place various objects underneath (eg. books, soft toys, cushions) to create an uneven surface. Hide a few treats around and let your dog walk around to sniff them out. Walking on the uneven surface will provide a good workout for the core and leg muscles.

3. Obstacle course

Did you ever build blanket forts and obstacle courses as a kid? Turns out, dogs love them as much as children do! Not only is it fun, it also helps build confidence and agility. Let out your inner child & design a wild indoor obstacle course for your dog. Make a tunnel with a row of dining chairs and some blankets, or arrange them to create a mini maze. Use your laundry basket, suitcases, coffee table and storage boxes as different obstacles for weaving around, crawling under, or climbing over. Don't forget to hide a few treats in your obstacle course to make it much more rewarding for your dog!

4. Hide and seek with treat-dispensing toys

Did you know that a dog's sense of smell is 10,000 to 100,000 times better than a human's? Hide-and-seek with treats is a good way to challenge and stimulate your dog's sense of smell. Take some stinky treats (fish, mussels, dehydrated organ meat etc.) and hide them around the house for your dog to find. Double the difficulty by putting the treats into hollow toys like Kong toys, or snuffle mats, before hiding them.

5. Recall training

A strong recall is so important. In situations where your dog is in danger (eg. with oncoming traffic, an aggressive animal, toxic food/chemicals), you'll want a 100% reliable recall. Since the only areas that allow dogs to roam freely are designated dog runs, there aren't a lot of places where you can safely train off-leash recall. It's a good idea to train and enforce recall at home, before letting them run loose.

One way to do this is with a partner. Take turns to play with the dog using their favourite toy or providing another form of distraction, and have the other person call the dog. When the dog comes to you, immediately reward with a high-value treat. Do this repeatedly, and try to call your dog away when they are at peak excitement level. Try increasing the recall distance, until you're able to recall your dog from out of sight, in another room. With constant training, you should be able to achieve 100% recall, even without treats.

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xo
Nellie

BELLY UP Community: Fun Activities To Do At Home With Your Dog This Rainy Season