Indoor Activities for Stir-Crazy Pets

by Aimee Amodio | More from this Blogger

16 Jun 2009 12:06 PM

Bad weather can be tough on pets AND owners -- your usual walks or yard time are cut short, sometimes for days on end. How can you keep your pets entertained and yourself sane? Here are a few ideas.

Homemade toys can provide a few minutes (or hours) of entertainment so you can get some peace. I've been stuffing treats into paper towel tubes and then taping the ends shut, so the dogs have to chew or rip them open. Moose figured out that he can tear the tube on the seam and get to his treats quickly; Lally likes to chew the tube (and treats) flat and lick out the crumbs. It gives me a good ten minutes of peace and quiet! Other homemade toys you can make quickly and easily:

• Fill an empty water bottle with something small, like kibbles, so your pet has to roll or shake them out.
• Knot treats into an old towel so your pets can shred it.
• Knot old, holey socks together into a tug toy.

Play hide and seek. Tuck treats under baskets or blankets and let your pets work to find them. This may also work with a squeaky toy -- my dog Lally will "dig" her squeaky ball out of a pile of blankets.

Play hide and seek, version 2.0. Run away from your pet and hide behind a door or corner. If they don't chase you right away, call their name. My brother's dog Lily Biscuits LOVES this game, and covers me in kisses when she finds me.

Use the stairs if you have them. A pet who will chase or fetch a toy up and down stairs gets a better indoor workout than one who plays only on a flat surface. No stairs? If you don't mind your pet jumping on the furniture, you can toss toys or treats up onto the bed or couch for them to retrieve.

The laser pointer is a great way to get pets in motion (except my dog Lally, who is afraid of the red light and goes off to hide).

You don't need a huge space for some fun indoor play -- and pets who aren't bored are pets who aren't destructive.

Learn more about Aimee Amodio

Aimee is a fiction writer... dog lover... music lover...

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