Indoor games and activities that beat winter boredom

Does rainy and dreary weather keep you and your dog inside ? Or did you even catch a cold/the flu during the holiday gatherings and are now stuck inside with a dog that’s bursting with energy?
Here are some ideas to keep your dog entertained when the conditions for outdoor activities are less than favorable.

• Stuffing a Kong or similar toy with a mix of natural peanut butter, yoghurt and apple sauce or finely grounded canned dog food and freezing that. The bigger the toy, the more stuffing it can hold
  
• Hiding your dog’s favorite treat/training food around the house and make your dog sniff them out. Start off with easy placements such as around coffee/dining tables, ledges of cabinet doors, window sills and baseboards, preferably in nose height or on the ground. Once your dog gets good at that, then you can proceed to more difficult placements like in between couch cushions, above your dog’s head and harder to reach areas
  
• Grab a towel and roll up some treats or kibble in it and teach your dog that unrolling the towel with the nose will dispense the food
  
• A muffin pan with tennis balls in the cups, hide treats under the tennis balls
  
• A snuffle mat (available on Amazon)
  
• Clicker or marker word training can be utilized for teaching new tricks like “sit pretty”, picking up items off the floor, balancing a treat or toy on their head or 100 things to do with a cardboard box
  
• Strengthening exercises like balancing on a Bosu ball or balance disk or wobble board, teaching proper techniques for down to stand to sit
  
• Nosework
  
• Off leash heeling
  
• Out of sight Stay exercises