Rainy day dog activities: indoor games and brain work
When the weather keeps you in, sniffing and problem-solving can tire a dog out almost as well as a long walk. Every activity here works indoors.
Build a 7-day plan from these →🥣 Foraging
Snuffle mat meal
Dry kibble scattered into a snuffle mat, so your dog sniffs out every piece. Good for fast eaters and rainy days.
Toilet tube treat dispenser
An empty toilet-roll tube with kibble inside and the ends folded shut. Your dog has to tear it open to get the food.
Towel knot treat puzzle
A tea towel rolled around a few treats and tied in a loose knot: a free, five-minute snuffle mat.
🧩 Puzzle
Muffin tin shell game
Treats hidden in a muffin tin under tennis balls. Your dog has to move the balls and use their nose to find the right cups.
Toy in a towel
Your dog's toy wrapped in a towel or blanket, so they have to sniff it out and use their nose and paws to unwrap it.
👃 Scent work
Delivery box search
A few empty delivery boxes spread around a room, some with treats inside. Your dog searches them all by scent.
Find the toy
Hide your dog's favorite toy and send them to sniff it out: a scent game that needs no food at all.
Three-cup shell game
A treat under one of several cups. Your dog learns to point out the right cup with nose or paw, then you start shuffling them.
🎾 Play
🎓 Training game
Cavaletti poles at home
Low poles on the floor for your dog to step over: careful, controlled movement for a day indoors.
Living-room obstacle course
A mini agility course from things you already have: chairs to weave round, a box to go through, books to step over.
Mealtime training session
Turn part of your dog's normal meal into a short training game: each piece of kibble is paid for with a sit, a down or a look.
Nose touch training
Teach your dog to bump your palm with their nose: a quick brain game that is the first step to many tricks.
Teach your dog toy names
Teach your dog to bring a toy by its name, then pick it out of a pile: a brain game you can reward with play instead of food.
🤝 Together time
Calm massage
Slow, gentle strokes from head to tail: a quiet way to bond with your dog at the end of the day.
Hide and seek with you
Your dog waits in one room while you hide, then finds you when you call. No food or equipment needed.
🦴 Chewing & licking
Frozen stuffed toy
A rubber toy stuffed with part of your dog's meal and frozen. It takes much longer to empty and keeps your dog busy and calm.
Lick mat calm-down
Soft food spread thinly over a lick mat. Slow, steady licking helps many dogs settle, for example during fireworks or storms.
How we choose these activities
Every activity is written from published guidance — AKC, ASPCA, Cornell University, International Cat Care, Ohio State's Indoor Pet Initiative, the House Rabbit Society and the Rabbit Welfare Association — and each page links to its sources. The safety note says when to stay with your dog, and "what to watch for" tells you when a game is too hard.