Easy Indoor Dog Exercises

Obstacle Course

It might sound like something that takes a huge amount of space and equipment, but it doesn’t have to! Especially for small-to-medium sized dogs.

Make use of chairs, tables, old boxes, bedsheets and many other everyday items. Dogs don’t have to jump over or onto everything—going under or around objects keeps them agile and using their smarts. And that’s the real point: keeping your dog moving, thinking and having fun!

Tug of War 

Sometimes viewed as a sign of bad dog behavior, tug of war can actually be a learning tool with health benefits. Use it to reinforce commands like 'drop' and 'leave it,' while also including some small-scale fetching exercises.

It might be hard not to get caught up in all the excitement, but stay relatively gentle with your pup and avoid roughly yanking their head up and down—stick to a side-to-side motion.

Keep Away

Two humans + one dog = fun exercise time! Find a lengthy space at home, place one person at each end, then use a ball or pup’s favorite toy, and toss it to the other human! 

Instead of really keeping the toy away, which might frustrate or overexcite your dog, give them a chance to come get the ball, or play some quick tug with a toy. Then get it back and start over!  

Hide & Seek with Humans

Who doesn’t love a good game of hide and seek? The novelty doesn’t wear off when we grow up—and most pups get into it just like excited kids.

The hardest part might be getting your pup to sit and stay while you hide. (Another great learning opportunity.) A travel crate with the door slightly ajar might be a great aid to get you started. 

After that, find your ingenious hiding spot, and call their name!

Hide & Seek with Treats

If your pup is a legend at the ‘sit and stay’ then start with that approach again. More likely they’re a bit restless or excitable, so use the crate, fenced off area or even a closed room for a brief time. 

Place a few healthy treats in random hiding spots around your home—under rugs, in other rooms, even underneath upturned bowls or cups—then let pupper at it! Not only does this game get your pup moving, it also provides fantastic mental stimulation.

They could probably play this game forever—but just stay mindful that we’re here to burn energy, not overload on treats.

Puzzle Feeders

Speaking of treats, a feeding routine can be a great opportunity to introduce mental exercises for dogs. When dogs are hungriest they’re usually at their most eager, so they’ll be willing to put in the work!

If you generally use kibble-type food, a puzzle feeder can turn chow time into a challenging game. For wet or dehydrated food, a lick mat can extend feeding times by keeping your pup focused and engaged, and in some cases, help calm anxious pets.

BONUS: For an easy-to-make feeding game grab a muffin tin and as many tennis balls (or other round-ish toys) as there are holes in the muffin tray. Put a treat under each ball and set it on the floor. Your pup may need a helping hand at first to understand how it works, but once they’ve sniffed out a treat, lift the ball so they can reach the treat, then replace the ball. 

The mental stimulation of the game relies on pup remembering where they’ve already found treats and where they haven’t. Once they’ve got the hang of it, don’t make it too easy—let your dog figure it out!