5 Ways to Entertain Your Dog When You’re Sick. It’s inevitable: the dreaded seasonal cold. The seasons change always seems to bring some sniffles or sore throats. Even for well-behaved dogs a shift in day-to-day activities (especially when the weather is nice) can be hard to adjust to for a dog or puppy.
Here are some ideas to keep your dog busy when you are under the weather or lack the energy to leave your couch. Dogs are smart and energetic, so using a variety of brain enrichment games can tire dogs out nearly as effectively as exercise. Check out some of our favorites for when you need to entertain a stir-crazy pup from the comfort of your home.
Ways To Entertain Your Dog:
Puzzles
Many dogs LOVE puzzles (I mean can you blame them?). You can either buy puzzles or make them yourself at home. Dog puzzles have everything ranging from drawers and levers to lids and launchers. These are great because you can hide treats or UnKibble in the puzzle, and then sit and relax while they solve it. The puzzles can vary in difficulty too, so your dog can work up to different puzzle levels. It’s helpful to have toys on hand in case you’re under the weather. Puzzles get the adrenaline up and enrich the mind as dogs work on them, so it’s engaging and tiring.
Some puzzles even require your dog to run to the other side of a room, like this automatic treat dispenser!
Make a frozen lick-bowl
Sniffing and licking will tire your dog out too. Try freezing some treats in a bowl of water (you can use a collapsible water bowl or another freezer-safe bowl) and then offer the bowl to your dog as a treat. This will keep your dog occupied for a while and by the time they’re finished, they’ll be zonked! Dog-safe bones are also a great option. Bones will keep your dog occupied and also help tire them out.
Scavenger hunts
This is an especially easy one! I like to put treats or UnKibble in hiding spots around the house. This is a bit more challenging for a dog who’s easily distracted and uses more energy. This doesn’t require much effort from you and it will keep the dog entertained for quite a while. Ask your dog to sit and stay, show them the treats so they know what to look for, and then after you finish hiding them, release your dog to find the treats.
Asking your dog for help
This is a favorite because it benefits both your dog and you! You can actually train your dog to help with tasks. For example, if your dog tears up a bed as a puppy, train them to clean it up. Soon, it can progress to picking things up and throwing them in the trash. Though this one takes more time to train, it’s a helpful exercise. It keeps them busy, gets them excited to help out, and is great when you can’t move around too much.
Skills practice
Another great way to entertain your dog is doing some skills practice. Though training will require a little more effort from you, it’s the perfect excuse to work with your pup and brush up on training skills. Dogs always feel wiped out after these sessions. You can practice any skills or tricks your dog already knows, or try something new. Some of our classics are commands from a distance, stay, go around, go through, come front, and high five. She gets a lot of focus work and satisfaction out of these sessions and it’s a great way to strengthen the bond between you and your pup (and you can do the cues sitting down or even laying down!).
Entertain Your Dog: Find a dog-loving friend
This is a must. Ask friends to take your dog out if you’re not well enough to go on walks. Find a friend to play with your dog or take them to the park. This isn’t an activity, but it’s a helpful way to get your dog outside. Most importantly, don’t be afraid to ask. Many people will jump at the opportunity to hang out with an adorable dog for the day.
Whether you’re sick or hurt, these are all good tricks to have up your sleeve for entertaining your pup. The variety keeps it interesting for your dog and allows you to exert as much or little effort as you can.
