Indoor Activities for Pets
Still too cold to let your pet enjoy quality time outdoors? While we wait for the weather to warm up this spring, you can keep your furry friend occupied with some indoor pet activities. These activities are fantastic for pet health–both physical and mental, and provide great bonding opportunities for you. Check out some of these indoor pet activity ideas:
Treat Hide and Seek
Start by hiding a few treats when your pet is in the room with you and watching you. Hide the treats in areas that are not fully visible to your pet, but are safe for your pet to sniff around and access. Encourage your pet to find all of the treats and praise them for a job well done. After doing this for a few days, you can start hiding the treats when your pet is not looking at you. Then, bring your pet into the room and tell them to find the treats. This will be a more challenging form of the game that will encourage your pet to use their sense of smell to find the hidden treats.
Indoor Digging
Does your pet like to dig in the backyard? If so, you can create a similar experience as one of your indoor pet activities. Grab a few blankets and rile them up into a pile. Put some of your pet’s favorite toys or some treats in various hiding spots throughout the blanket pile. Then, let your pet go for it! They will start digging through the blankets to find their toys or treats, which is an engaging activity that can also help them get some physical exercise.
Obstacle Course
If your pet is on the adventurous side, you can create an indoor obstacle course that is beneficial for pet health, both physical and mental health alike. Find items around the house that you can use to create safe, yet challenging obstacles for your pet to jump over, walk around, or even travel through. You can use large boxes or tall chairs as tunnels and place small items on the ground for your pet to jump or walk over.
Puzzle Toys
There are many different types of puzzle toys that are perfect for indoor pet activities. These typically involve hiding treats in small compartments, encouraging pets to solve various solutions to gain access to the treats. You can find puzzle toys online or in pet stores or big-box stores. Depending on how crafty you are and what types of items you can find around your home, you may even be able to create your own puzzle toy to help your pet stay occupied and entertained at home.
Activities can help your pet maintain good physical and mental health, but it’s also important to schedule regular veterinarian visits. The team here at The Whole Pet Vet Hospital and Wellness Center is happy to help you keep pet health a top priority in your household. Call us today at (408) 402-3071 to learn more about our pet health services in Los Gatos, California.