Home activities on rainy days｜Burn your dog's energy with indoor activities

Taking walks, exploring and socializing outdoors are the instinctive needs of dogs. However, when it comes to thunderstorms and rainy days or sweltering days with 30 degrees Celsius, even if you can hurly-burly around the building, your dog's psychological needs are still not met. Dogs will be bored if they stay at home for a long time. To help them burn their energy, try these suggestions from PET-A-HOOD:

1. Learn new tricks

Have you already learned basic commands like Sit and High Five? Usually fter puppyhood, many owners don't update their dogs' skill set anymore. In fact, dogs are capable of learning new things at any stage! While staying at home on a rainy day, pet owners can refer to online tutorials to teach their dogs new moves and even recognize the names of toys. Learning not only stimulates the dog's mind and burns their energy, but also builds a closer relationship with the pet owner!

If you want your dog to be more engaged, rewarding them with quality and tasty snacks is a sure-fire way! Local brand Eat Chi Ban uses high quality animal protein ingredients to make air-dried snacks that are crunchy, tasty and healthy!

Air Dried Duck Breast is rich in high-quality protein and vitamin B, promoting pet muscle growth, strengthening the immune system, and maintaining healthy skin and fur. (Special DEALS for PET-A-HOOD members: HK$68)

2. Do desensitization and relaxation exercise

In this noisy and busy city, many dogs inevitably have "behavioral problems" such as barking, chewing and humming due to anxiety or over-excitement. To reduce these behaviors, pet owners should start with daily interaction and practice with their dogs in their spare time to reduce their sensitivity to specific things and encourage relaxation. For example, if your dog is sensitive to the doorbell ringing, you can record the doorbell ringing in advance, sit next to your dog and play the sound as if it is natural, and reward your dog immediately if they don't bark. Patience and repetition will not only help your dog regulate its nervousness, but also burn off energy, making it a great activity for a rainy day at home!

Still can't find a way to help your dog? Consult a professional dog trainer as soon as possible! Dogniversity uses humane, scientific and effective methods to teach dogs proper behavior and make them more adaptable to living in human society.

The founder of Dogniversity, is CPDT-KA® certified by the Council for the Certification of Professional Dog Trainers (CPDT) and focuses on promoting positive dog training.

3. Play sniffing game

Did you know that dogs can smell 40 times better than humans? A dog's olfactory ability is 40 times greater than a human's, so if dogs were superheroes, their noses would be their strongest weapon! Encouraging dogs to concentrate on sniffing and exploring with their noses help stabilize their heartbeat and blood pressure. Some studies even found that 10-minute sniffing does similar effect to an-hour walking, helping dogs stress-relieved and satisfied. If you want your dog to relax at home on a rainy day, try these sniffing games with snacks:

Easy version:

Hide snacks in different corners.

No tools are needed to let your dog explore every part of the house.

DIY version:

Make your own sniffing mat out of old clothes to hide snacks.

Some pet owners even use laundry bags to create a sniffing zone for their dogs to search out snacks.

Toy version:

Buy attractively designed snack hiding toys.

Woof² presents the Hong Kong style milk tea designed 2-in-1 hide-and-seek toy with a large pocket at the top to hide snacks and a milk tea saucer that can be detached and used as a frisbee. (Special DEALS for PET-A-HOOD members: HK$168)

Dangers are everywhere during rainy season for dogs, and even more so in extreme weather, so it's best to avoid going outside. With a little patience and creativity, dogs can also enjoy indoor as long as they are accompanied by their pet owners!