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It’s absolutely freezing outside and/or snowing
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It’s a sweltering hot summer’s day
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It’s pouring down with rain
Yes, these 3 scenarios are a dog owners nightmare! You are thinking, “Oh my goodness, how on earth am I meant to exercise and entertain my dog without going crazy?”
Raise your hands if you have ever thought this!
Come on, put your hands up, because we all have.

ENRICHMENT TOYS
Amos has to take the time to figure out how to get the treats out of his toys and he absolutely loves it.
This is a collection of all of my enrichment toys, and I use at least 2 – 3 every single day.

We also make use of household items, which are more cost-effective:
- Toilet rolls
- Egg cartons
- Milk bottles
- Cardboard boxes
- Etc.
Mental stimulation is a great way to distract your dog from boredom behavior such as barking, chewing, escaping, and digging.
Be sure to follow our adventures on Instagram and watch our story daily as we feature at least 2 – 3 of these enrichment toys per day.
Feel free to contact us with any questions about them!
SNUFFLE MAT
A snuffle mat is a tool that you can use to provide your dog with mental stimulation and the absolute best nose work for your dog. You sprinkle treats or dry food onto the mat and your dog has to use their brain and nose to sniff around and find the treats.
These are great for calming your dog and work well for “indoor days.” We often use them after we come in from our afternoon exercise and dinner.
I would always supervise the use of the mat for the first few times to ensure that your dog is using it appropriately and not chewing it. If they do, redirect and help them learn what they are supposed to do.
If you don’t have one of these, you have got to try one as it is one of our favorite things to use.
FIND IT
Our version of indoor hide and seek, and Amos absolutely loves this game.
So the game goes like this:
- I place Amos on his mat and ask him to wait
- I then go and hide a treat in a room
- I return to Amos and say “find it”
- Amos goes off and uses his nose to go and find the treat
- Gets super excited when he finds it and we praise heavily
- REPEAT
Amos absolutely loves this game, and you will be amazed at how tired this actually makes your dog. I get great delight in trying to find the hardest spot, but Amos always proves that really I could find a better spot!
TRICKS AND TRAINING
These days are the best to work on consolidating your tricks or learning some new tricks. I absolutely love tricks training, and Amos loves learning new tricks and trying to please me. We are absolutely loving the app “Puppr” by @thesupercollies and have found it really useful. We also watch every video by @zakgeorge for his training tips and tricks. Even if you search #dogtricks on Instagram you will find so many awesome people doing great stuff.
Learning tricks really makes Amos think and use his brain, and I also have a lot of fun teaching Amos the tricks.
This would even be a great time to go over the basics but also perhaps do some impulse control work either at the front door or even with your dog’s toys.
We also play indoor frisbee, close range, and combine some tricks with it.
So more focusing on these tricks with little catches:
- Spins
- Figure 8’s
- Come around
- Sit and stay
- Leave it
It makes Amos so happy.
So there you have it, my top 4 things to do on a cold winter’s day, rainy day, or a hot summer’s day. We sure hope that you find this list useful! To find out more about us check out our Blog.
So what else do you like to do with your dogs? What indoor activities are your favorite?

My name is Mel and I am the proud dog mum of Amos Pearce. We live in Brisbane, Australia and just love adventuring though life together. Growing up, I used to hate dogs but after being diagnosed with Rheumatoid Arthritis, I started to see dogs in a different way. Now I like to think of myself as the ultimate Dog Mum and I love it! I honestly can’t imagine life without Amos. Amos is a rescue from RSPCA Queensland and a proud RSPCA Furbassador. Together we share our most precious moments with you all as part of one big awesome life journey. Our little family rocks!
7 comments
I’ve been patiently waiting for this post to go live, mainly because I’m always looking for ways to stimulate Nash when we’re inside, especially with it being winter now. I’ve given Nash a milk carton before, but what do you do with the rest of those items (boxes, TP rolls, etc.)? I love these ideas!! We’re going to try “Find It” today!
I hope it helps! How was find it!? It’s honestly the funnest game !!
Let’s just say Nash could use some practice! LOL!
Oh boy, this is perfect timing! We’ve had so many cold days lately. Thanks for the tips!
My pleasure! sure hope you are loving the tips!
Such great suggestions! I can’t wait to try a snuffle mat! I think my boys will love it!
thanks friends! amos loves his snuffle mat so very much!!!