At-Home Enrichment for Your Dog

Need some ideas to keep your dog busy and tire him out while you stay home?

When it comes to raising our dogs, there are times when we can happily and willingly take them out and about for their enrichment and then there are times when you (and maybe your dog) would prefer to stay in. Today is the latter, at my house. But the thing is, sometimes we have many of those days in a row. And that's ok. Do you know why? 
Because your dog's life can still be enriching from the inside of your four walls.

Whether it's snowing, raining, cold, windy, your dog is on bed rest or crate rest, you need to take it easy, you're home with the kids... Should I keep going? There are so many reasons why you might prefer to cure you and your dog's cabin fever from inside your house where it's warm, dry, and safe. And that's OKAY

In this post, I'm going to share 4 tricks, games, or easy enrichment ideas that you can try today.
There's no need for any special tools or equipment!

Full disclosure... these have been pulled from my Canine Carnival Challenge in my Canine Homeschooler Membership, but I didn't think you'd mind

The Hoop Jump

Whether you have a dog who already likes to jump, a dog who needs to learn to follow directions, or a dog who could use some confidence building, this will be an attraction that can be a lot of fun! 

Like the other exercises, it can be a process so please prioritize making it fun and light. In this attraction, you'll see one of my Canine Homeschooler Members with her dog **Lusko** who worked on the Hoop Jump before our Canine Carnival began. He rocked it and I thought he would provide a great example of the process for this one.

You'll notice a few times when he didn't jump and in the video, you'll learn why so you can problem solve it

That's it! This one is pretty straight-forward. Have fun!

>> Don't have a hoop? No worries. You can always create another type of jump. Just start low to the ground to build your dog's confidence before you start to raise it. The same principles will apply! *Hint: Watch your cue* <<

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Hide & Seek Recall

This is a great game to encourage a better recall from your dog and a general sense that playing with you can be a lot of fun. If you have kids at home who can follow direction, this can also be a fun game for them - with precautions in place, of course, as is outlined in the video

Army Crawl

​Teaching your dog to crawl is not only a really adorable party trick but it really helps make the DOWN cue way more enticing for dogs. But again, you'll learn how to get them to crawl only when asked, not to start crawling around when you need a nice DOWN-STAY

Wobble Board

An excellent confidence builder and a MUST for puppies who need some extra socialization to different surfaces. There are lots of options here and this can be a simple or more complicated one, depending on how much you want to get into it. But either way, getting your dog used to a moving surface is a really great exercise for them!

I hope this helps give you a little inspiration for time at home with your dog. 

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These are just a few of my ideas. If you like playing games with your dog, I would encourage you to grab my FREE 5-Day Challenge that works on Attention-Building with your dog. Just another reason to play with your dog, without feeling overwhelmed. When you can have better behavior and a better relationship at the same time, it's a win-win!

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Which one are you going to try first?