November 26th, 2020 by Amy Varley

With the colder weather coming in, not to mention the earlier dark nights – sometimes the thought of walking the dog is not as appealing as it was in the midst of summer! There might also be other reasons as to why you can’t walk your dog, for example, if your pooch has an injury and has to be on crate rest. For those of us familiar with enrichment for our pooches, we know that sometimes tiring your dog out mentally leaves them even more tired than if they’d been for a trip to the park and back. Here are our top five ways to tire out your dog without having to take them for a walk!

1 – Puzzle toys

To really tire your dog out, you must get their brain going – engaging in something that they find fun. Puzzle toys are a brilliant way to do this. There are a number of puzzle toys available to buy, all with the same goal in mind – to make your dog use their brain to figure out how to get the tasty treats! These toys typically require your pooch to either use their paws or their nose to move the toy or slide a part of it to reveal or release the treats, and not only is it fun for our dogs, but it can be fun for us to watch them try and figure out what to do! You could even use these puzzle toys or a slow feeder to make mealtimes more fun for your dog – and most importantly make their food last longer! This is especially good if your dog likes to inhale their food and can prevent them from being sick from eating too quickly.

2 – Trick training

Trick training is another way to tire your dog out mentally, and also allows you to brush up on their obedience. Having your dog practice tricks that they already know, or teaching them a new one will use their brain and make them think about what you are asking of them. To really get your pooch thinking try calling out quickfire commands – Sit, Stand, Spin, High Five, Rollover! Whatever your dog knows and see how quickly they can respond to you – fun for everyone!

3 – Swimming

Ok, so technically you have to leave the house for this one (unless you are very lucky and have your own private pool), but swimming is one of the best ways to tire out our four-legged friends. Did you know that a swim lasting just five minutes is the equivalent of our dogs walking around five miles?! At this time of year, we’d definitely recommend booking a slot at your local doggy pool, as cold water can often be fatal for our pooches whereas purpose-built dog pools are heated to an optimum temperature. Swimming for dogs not only tires them out quickly but also helps to build strength and is super low impact – meaning there is no pressure put on the dog’s joints – making it perfect for dogs with mobility issues, elderly dogs or dogs recovering from injury (but in this case you should always follow the advice of your vet).

4 – Teach impulse control

You might have taught this to your dog in forms of stay, or leave it – but any form of impulse control is a great skill for our dogs to have and is important to be reinforced in all sorts of situations. Imagine if you were cooking and dropped something that could potentially harm your dog, for example, an onion. Knowing your dog wouldn’t gobble it up by simply telling them to ‘leave it’ would definitely help you to relax! Try getting your dog to lay down and stay put, and when they start getting good at this, throw a load of distractions their way! Squeak their favourite toy, roll a ball on the floor past them, scatter treats around the room – all while your dog has to resist temptation and stay still! This will use their brain and tire them out very quickly – good luck!