Indoor Games for Dogs: 8 Ways to Beat Wet-Weather Boredom

When rain, strong winds or dark evenings make a long walk less appealing, a few well-chosen indoor games can give your dog something useful to do. Scent work, short training sessions and controlled play can all provide mental stimulation without turning the sitting room into an obstacle course.

Indoor activities should complement suitable daily exercise rather than automatically replace it. Adapt each game to your dog’s age, health, confidence and usual activity level, and ask your vet for advice if illness, injury or reduced mobility limits exercise.

Set up the room before you start

Choose a clear area with secure footing and remove breakable objects, trailing cables and anything your dog could swallow. Keep sessions short, supervise toys and food activities, and stop while your dog is still enjoying the game. Excitable dogs may benefit from calmer scent-based tasks before energetic tug or fetch.

• Use toys that suit your dog’s size and chewing strength.
• Remove damaged toys and loose pieces promptly.
• Count food rewards as part of your dog’s daily allowance.
• Let your dog work at a comfortable pace rather than repeatedly pointing out the answer.
• Stop if your dog becomes worried, frustrated or over-excited.

Our dog toys and training aids include options for fetch, play, food-based enrichment and reward-led training. Always check the individual product information before choosing one.

1. Play “find it” with food

Ask your dog to wait outside the room, or have another person hold them, while you place a few pieces of their usual food or small treats in easy-to-find positions. Release your dog with a cue such as “find it” and let their nose do the work.

Begin with food in plain sight. As your dog understands the game, place pieces beside furniture legs, along the edge of a rug or beneath the loose folds of a towel. Avoid hiding food where your dog might damage furniture, climb unsafely or ingest household materials.

2. Make a rolled-towel scent puzzle

Lay a towel flat, scatter a small amount of dry food over it and roll it loosely. Your dog can then unroll the towel with their nose and paws. Keep the first attempt simple and supervise throughout, particularly if your dog likes to tear or swallow fabric.

For dogs that enjoy food puzzles, you can also explore suitable interactive dog toys. Choose the right size and level of difficulty, and introduce any new toy gently so that working it out remains rewarding rather than frustrating.

3. Hide a favourite toy

Let your dog watch you place a favourite toy partly behind a cushion or chair, then ask them to find it. Reward success with praise or a brief game. Gradually make the hiding place less obvious, but keep the toy somewhere safe and reachable.

This is a useful option for dogs that are less interested in food. It can also turn the toy itself into a valuable reward for other training, including recall practice.

4. Try a short training circuit

A five-minute training session can be more useful than drilling one cue until everyone loses interest. Pick three or four familiar behaviours and move between them:

• hand touch;
• sit or down;
• go to a mat;
• leave an item;
• wait briefly;
• come when called across the room.

Reward the behaviour you want and make the task easier if your dog starts guessing or disengaging. Our dog-training tips explain how consistency, timing and short sessions help dogs learn.

5. Practise room-to-room recall

Two people can stand in different rooms and take turns calling the dog once, rewarding each successful arrival. Start only a few metres apart before increasing the distance. If you are training alone, ask your dog to wait, walk a short distance away and then call them.

Keep the route clear and avoid encouraging fast turns on slippery floors. Indoor recall is a foundation exercise, not proof that a dog is ready to be off lead around wildlife or traffic. For more challenging recall work, see our guide to improving recall in dogs with a high prey drive.

6. Use a controlled game of tug

Tug can provide an enjoyable burst of interactive play when it has clear start and finish cues. Invite your dog to take the toy, keep the movement low and side to side, and pause regularly. Teach a release cue by stopping movement and exchanging the toy for a treat or another reward.

Do not jerk the dog upwards or swing them by the toy. Choose a tug toy long enough to keep hands away from teeth, and avoid vigorous play if your vet has advised restrictions because of dental, neck, back or joint problems.

7. Roll or fetch a toy along a clear hallway

If you have a carpeted hallway or another non-slip route, gently roll a suitable toy along the floor for your dog to follow and retrieve. Rolling is often safer indoors than throwing because it reduces jumping and helps you control the distance.

Use only a clear route away from stairs, glass doors and tight corners. A dog that races, skids or struggles to stop will be better suited to a scent game or calm training exercise.

8. Rotate toys and finish with a settle

Dogs can lose interest when every toy is available all the time. Keep a small selection in use and rotate suitable toys periodically, rather than presenting a large pile at once. Dogs Trust recommends toy rotation as one way to help maintain interest in play.

After an active game, help your dog wind down on their bed or mat with a calm activity. This might be a supervised chew, a food-dispensing toy or a few rewards delivered for relaxed behaviour. Browse our dog treats for training and chewing options, remembering to choose an appropriate size and include treats within the daily food allowance.

How long should an indoor game last?

There is no single correct length. For many dogs, three to ten minutes of focused activity is plenty before a break. Puppies, older dogs and dogs new to puzzle activities may need even shorter sessions. Watch the individual dog rather than the clock: relaxed concentration is useful, while frantic grabbing, barking, walking away or repeated failure usually means the activity should be simplified or stopped.

Simple indoor enrichment without unnecessary clutter

You do not need a different gadget for every rainy day. A towel, a favourite toy, part of the dog’s normal meal and a few minutes of attentive training can create plenty of variety. Alternate sniffing, thinking, gentle movement and rest, and keep the activities that your own dog finds enjoyable.

For further ideas, see the practical enrichment guidance from Dogs Trust and the PDSA guide to dog exercise and play.