8 Tips to Keep Your Pet Entertained Indoors During Winter

Does your pet have the Winter Blues?

Winter can be so cold and dark that you want to just curl up in a blanket until spring. Our pets are the same! The winter blues can affect them too.  This year in Kennesaw it’s been an especially wet, dreary and muddy mess. To make sure that your pets have a happy and healthy life, we wanted to share with you our top tips on keeping them entertained in the winter.

1. Hide and Seek

Play a game of Hide and Seek with your pet by hiding treats around the house and getting your pet to find it!  This is often called Nose Work for dogs because it “allows your dog to use their natural desire to hunt. It harnesses a dog’s unique ability to detect scent and determine the source”.

This is a great game to play outside or inside if it’s too cold or rainy out.  Remember if you’re playing inside to be careful not to put the treats too close to anything breakable!

Hide and seek is a great game to keep your pets because it offers them a mental stimulation that they need. Giving your pet mentally stimulating exercises can help improve their cognitive sharpness and slows the aging process!

2. Treadmill

If you have a dog that has eaten a few too many holiday treats (we feel their pain!!) it’s a great time to bring them in to Creekside Pet Hotel for a Treadmill visit.

Our treadmill is designed just for canines that need mental stimulation and maybe have a few pounds to work off. In the coming weeks you can watch Charlie’s Treadmill Journey as he prepares for the dreaded annual vet visit. He wants to be in top shape so his mom doesn’t get a bad report card!

3. Walk

Taking your dog for a long or even short walk in the winter can help both of you with the winter blues!  There are lots of places near Kennesaw that offer walking and hiking trails that you will both enjoy. Your dog will love seeing and hearing the squirrels, birds and maybe even a deer! 

Don’t forget if you can’t bear the cold, but you know that your dog would really enjoy a good walk, we have our nature trails you can sign them up for and we’ll take them for a walk for you.  

4. Treat Toys 

Does your dog have a Kong, Snoop, or some other toy that you can put treats or peanut butter (xylitol free!) in and have them exercise their minds to get the treat out?  This is the perfect indoors toy for your dog to play with.  

Don’t forget that you cat needs toys too. They may tell you that all they want is to be left to rule the roost, but they really do need mental stimulation as well. You can get them a cat teaser toy and get some catnip for it, they’ll love it!

5. Playtime

There’s no reason to feel guilty when you leave for work, school or a day out running errands and you can’t bring your dog with you. Maybe you don’t have enough energy for your best friend at the end of the day.  

That’s why Creekside Pet Hotel has a large indoor playroom and several outside play yards. Your dog can have lots of time playing with their furiends, no matter the weather. 

6. iFetch

 We included an iFetch in our new Canine Wellness and Fitness program.  Do you have a dog that’s never seen a tennis ball it didn’t want to fetch? The iFetch is perfect for them. The iFetch is an automatic ball launcher.  Your dog won’t just fetch the ball, but they’ll learn how to put it back in the launcher to have continuous fun.

 7. New Tricks 

Yes, you CAN teach an old dog new tricks! Just Google some fun dog tricks and spend some quality time teaching them something new. They’ll love it because they get extra treats and get to please you, their most favorite person in the world! 

Teaching your dog new tricks is an interactive play and can help cure the winter blues for both of you. 

8. Downtime 

Yes, we know that sometimes you just want to cuddle and snuggle with your best friend, especially in the winter.  We definitely recommend getting in a good dose every week.  Don’t forget that you are your pet’s best friend and all they really want is time with you.  Take some extra time and cuddle with them and even give them a good massage while you’re at it! 

It’s important to remember that mental exercise is key to curing the winter time blues for you and your pet.  We hope you enjoyed reading about our top 8 tips on keeping your pets entertained in the winter.  Do you have anything that your pet likes to do during the winter season to keep their minds and bodies active?  We’d love to hear them.