Winter blues is a real thing, even for dogs! So, if you’re all out of ideas on what to do with your dog when it’s cold outside, check out these dog winter activities below!
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hiking in the show
With the proper gear, dogs can still explore the outdoors!
Kirby loves the snow and with his booties and coat on, we take him out on trails when the weather isn’t too cold. Unless your dog is used to the cold, you’ll want to keep your winter hikes shorter when it’s cold out.
Of course, always check with your vet about what temperature is too cold for your specific dog breed or size.
Related Post:
snow ball fight
Need I say more?? Have a good ol’ fashioned snowball fight with your dog, where you always win 😉
Kirby is getting great at dodging our snowballs. Most of the time he likes to catch the snow and eat it. It’s his favorite out of all the other dog winter activities.
Indoor Training Classes
Winter is a great time to practice training with your dog. Whether that means you are working with your dog on your own to freshen up those existing commands or enrolling in a training program.
Kirby is trained through Sit Means Sit, which focuses on e-collar training (read this great in depth article about e-collar training here.) We absolutely loved our training experience and Kirby has a much better quality of life because of it!
tracking
Basically, you hide treats or toys in the snow (don’t forget where you hid them so you don’t have rotten treats in your yard when the snow melts) and then let your dog explore the yard until they find the hidden elements.
Kirby did really well with this one. I was expecting him to fail miserably at it. I had him wait on the deck while I scattered two balls and a dental stick treat. Once I was done, I released him and told him to “search / fetch” and he went around like a mad dog, nose down in the snow.
I will say that once your dog finds a toy, they might just want to play with that one and forget about the others. I took the ball Kirby found first and then pointed in the general direction and told him to fetch / search again. He found the other two items shortly after and ate the dental stick.
Only problem is now I think he believes dental sticks grow out of the ground!
make a maze
I saw this one on Pinterest of someone creating a maze in their backyard with a shovel and then letting their dog run through it. You would need probably 6-8 inches of snow on the ground and a smaller dog for them to actually follow it. I haven’t tried it with Kirby yet, but I think he would literally just launch himself into the deep snow anyway.
skijoring
This one looks so cool! If you have a large dog and are a fan of cross country skiing this one would be perfect for you. Skijoring basically combines cross country skiing and dog sledding together. Watch the video below to learn how it’s done!
indoor dog parks
Some cities have indoor dog parks that you can go to. If you go to dog parks frequently, this would be a great option for you.
If you are in Michigan, there is an indoor dog park just outside of Grand Rapids called The Pack. It has a ton of great reviews, with a friendly staff and they serve food and drinks for the humans!
I hope this list of dog winter activities help keep your dog entertained and happy this winter! How do you keep your dog entertained? Let me know in the comments!
