The most wonderful time of the year is quickly approaching; seeing a park bench filled with feather-like cushions is a sign that winter has come.
While it is the perfect time to snuggle up near the fireplace and stay indoors with your fur babies, keeping your winter days bright and active is still possible with some fun winter games.
If you think that snowy weather is a gloomy weather for activities, think again. Exercising your fur baby is as important as feeding them good treats, and trust me, there are perfect winter games that they can play either indoors or outdoors.
Games are a great way to spend quality time with your dogs while also keeping them healthy by exercising their mental and physical health. Some dogs may not be fond of the chilly weather, and going outdoors in the snow is a no-no.
But exercising can be done indoors too. While winter is the most magical of seasons, spending it with your fur buddy is beyond words. The possibilities are endless when you are with your favorite four-legged companion, so check out the best indoor and outdoor games you and your dog can try during the winter season.
Indoor Winter Games
1. Which Cup Game
If your dog loves eating treats, the guessing game Which Cup is perfect for satisfying their curious mind and craving belly. While this is a classic game for paw parents, this is an excellent game to mentally stimulate your fur baby while keeping things fun and exciting. This game is simple to do, and everything you need can be found within your home.
All you need are three containers or cups; you can use disposable cups or sturdy containers to play this game. Well, taking out your dog’s favorite treat is the most important thing to have to play this game successfully. The goal of Which Cup is finding the right cup; in this way, you practice your dog’s mind and treat them simultaneously.
In playing this game, you line the containers up in front of your fur baby, then you simply show them the treat and then placing it under a cup. Once the treat is under one cup, you rearrange them a couple of times before letting your fur baby guess which container has the treat.
Your fur baby will either be pawing or sniffing the cup they choose and if they guessed correctly, they get the treat; if not, well, they can always try again. As your pooch get better at this game, you can make it more complicated by adding more containers and rearranging them in patterns.
2. Clean Up The House Activity
We all want a comfortable environment once in a while, and Clean Up The House is the perfect game for a spotless and organized home. This indoor exercise will train your dog to be more responsible with their toys and declutter things in your house. Teaching this trick can be simple but still bring a lot of patience, especially if your pup is stubborn.
Start by teaching your dog the skill of picking up a toy or object from the floor, then walking them over to a place where they can put it down like a basket or toy box. Once they get the hang of it, place the items around the house and tell them the “clean up the house” phrase.
Of course, giving them treats for a job well done is encouraging to these fidos. Repeat this until it becomes a reflex once you tell them to clean up. This is a win-win for you and your fur baby, you get a clean house, and they get a new skill.
Outdoor Winter Games
1. Snowball Fetch
Dogs who love chasing tennis balls or frisbees will definitely enjoy a good game of snowball fetch. Remember that this is not a snowball fight, so take it easy on your fur baby. If you’re outdoor with your fur baby, taking advantage of the snow to make a fun activity is a great idea. Take a bunch of snow and turn them into a stockpile of snowballs.
Playing this game is as easy as playing the normal way of fetch, so start throwing these snowballs to your fur babies and let them get comfortable. If you worry that they will eat these snowballs, worry not, because it’s totally okay and pretty refreshing to them.
If your pup seems happy catching these snowballs, make a short run to encourage them more. Playing snowball fetch is a good exercise and bonding time for you and your fur baby, so seize the day and enjoy the play.
2. Find It Game
Dog’s noses are incredible; that’s a fact. Their sense of smell is topnotch, so challenging their hunting ability is a good practice and exercise for your fur babies. Grab your dog’s favorite treat when you take them outside. Let them sniff the treat first; in this way, they know what to find, then hide them beneath the snow around your yard.
Make sure to fully cover each hole you made to hide treats so that your dog won’t get a tip where they are hidden. Also, don’t forget where you buried them; you wouldn’t want to leave your dog’s favorite treat in the snow.
Playing this game helps your dog work on their smelling skills while also getting a reward for successfully hunting their treats. If you’re running out of treats, using your dogs’ toys can be helpful too. Just make sure to rub them for a while in your hands so your dog can still pick up the scent.
3. Hill Roll
If you live in an area where you have access to a high-place-like area or a hill, hill roll game is the perfect outdoor activity for your pooch. Make sure you do a lot of cardio workouts because this game will tire you and your fur baby.
Once you’re on the top of the hill, make some medium-sized snowballs. These snowballs are the key for this activity because your fur baby will chase these once they roll down the hill.
This is a great game for running, jumping, and pouncing for your dog. You roll out the snowballs from the top of the hill and let your dog chase and pounce on them. This is definitely a workout for you and your fur baby but what’s important is you let them enjoy and be active at the same time.
Leave a Reply