Fun Activities to Do with Your Pet This Winter Season

The winter season can be a bit challenging for pet owners. The days are shorter, quieter, and darker. What's more, the cold gust of wind blowing outside leaves your teeth chattering. In that case, you don't want to torment your pet by taking them outside, but how much can you do with them while staying inside?

Pets need to stay active and play during the day to ensure a good night's sleep. Playing chase, tug of war, and hide and seek with them stimulates their brain and burns energy for an undisturbed night's rest. Many dog owners believe that dogs are diurnal (the opposite of nocturnal). However, that's not true. Dogs and cats are neither diurnal nor nocturnal. They are adaptable animals who set a sleep routine according to their owners.

Here's a list of fun activities to do with your pet this winter season to help them stay fit and active. Follow them and keep your pet happy and entertained.

Play Obstacle Games

Obstacle game is a fun and entertaining game to play with your pets indoors. In a spacious room, make obstacles by placing chairs, low tables, and plastic pipes. Ensure that everything is safe and doesn't have pointed corners. Guide your pet over – or under the obstacles and treat them with their favorite snacks once they finish the course. You can also involve your children in this activity for a win-win situation!

Play Seek A Treat

Another interactive pet game to try this winter season is seek a treat. Hide your pet's favorite treats in different corners of the house. You can also place the treats in hard-to-reach places to see how your pet behaves once they find them. Let your pet go on a snack hunt and find all the yummy treats hidden underneath the sofa or placed over the fireplace mantle.

This game is slightly different than the usual hide and seek. However, it is also beneficial for positive training and improving a pet's – especially dogs – instincts of hunting, tracking, and trail.

Climb Up And Down The Stairs

Use this winter season to teach your pet to climb up and down the stairs. It may be slow and difficult at first, but once they get the hang of it, you'll be a proud pet parent.

If your pet is struggling with paw movement and coordination, you can help them by demonstrating how to do it. Pets are intelligent. So, they'll be quick to catch up with you.

Climbing the stairs is not recommended for a pet with health issues – especially dogs with arthritis or vestibular disease. However, some studies have found that this exercise is a helpful way to improve an active range of motion and muscle strength. According to experts, navigating the stairs help the pets in position and movement coordination.

Play Fetch

Yes! You can also play this game indoors. All you need is a spacious setting, but that's not hard to achieve. Line the couches and tables with the wall, and there you have it. Throw a softball, toy, or snack towards your pet and watch them catch it. You can add more to the game by adding exercises and positive reinforcement training. For example, ask them to move in circles or let them jump to reach the snack.

Positive reinforcement training like hand signals and verbal cues help to teach new tricks, modify behavior, and correct bad habits.

Tug Of War

Pet Tug of War is a great outlet for energy without having to take your pet outside. It is also a popular game among pet owners that ignites your pet's competitive streak. Some people think that the game triggers aggressiveness in dogs. However, that's not the case. By setting ground rules like who starts the game, no touching, and drop it means drop it, you can improve your pet's confidence through this game.

Just make sure you aren't reinforcing any unwanted behavior or pattern by playing the game.

Finding the right stuff for your little friends can be overwhelming. From premium-quality dog food and pet accessories like pet bedding and bowls, we have got you covered. At BYMiT, we offer pet owners products that can last a lifetime. Our chew toys, triangle tugs, and foam discs will keep your pets entertained. We also have spinning toys and cute felt toys seasoned with catnip to keep your cat occupied.

Contact us to learn more about our diverse range of pet products, food, and accessories.