Mood-boosting Indoor Activities to Enjoy with Your Dog
Hello, and welcome.
Walks during the Winter months can feel less appealing. Cosying up on the sofa might be more tempting than bracing the elements - especially if all your walks now need to take place in the dark.
Dogs, like us, can find the changes in season difficult to cope with. Clock changes means dinner is served at a different time, Winter weather means walks may not be as fun, and a lack of sunlight can leave them feeling low.
If you’ve both fallen out of love with your walks recently, then there’s plenty of ways to bring the fun back inside!
Playing or training with your dog can help them develop social and self-control skill sets. It can boost your connection and actually leave them feeling more tired than an energetic walk.
A study into how cortisol (stress hormone) levels in dogs varies dependent on season and lifestyle, as well as relating to human interactions, found that: “a negative correlation was found between cortisol level and how often the owner played with their dog and also whether the owners used [a] toy/treat when rewarding their dog. Both these results could reflect that friendly and encouraging relationships are related to less stress in the dogs.”
Training also allows you to learn to understand your dog better. What works for them. What they like and don’t like. The subtle body language they display.
Outside of obedience training, you can enjoy plenty of other activities at home, including:
Scentwork (as simple as scattering some treats on your lawn or as complex as hiding lavender-scented items around your home for your dog to find).
Teaching your dog to fetch something useful for you.
Living Room Olympics - using your furniture to teach your dog to run around, jump over, crawl underneath.. just remember to only work within your dog’s physical capabilities.
Play dates! Invite a doggy pal over for some fun!
Chewing or Licking - long lasting natural chews or Lickimats smeared with food give your dog a different way to experience eating. A bonus is that both activities boost feel-good hormones.
Cuddles. While not all dogs enjoy to cuddle up with their humans, many love some one:one time up close with you. Stroking or snuggling with your dog can boost the wonderful “hug” hormone Oxytocin - something we could all benefit from over the Winter months.
What about you? What indoor activities do you and your dog enjoy together?
Until next time, stay cosy!
Caroline