How to Entertain Your Dog During a Blizzard

Daily walkies are an important part of any Chihuahua’s life—until the snow gets up past their ears. It’s already hard enough getting them to go potty outside when the temperature drops below 60, walks are pretty much out of the question when there’s a mountain of snow to trek across. If you’re stuck inside, here’s how to entertain your dog during a blizzard.

Stop Feeding in Bowls

Feeding time is one of your dog’s favorite times of day, but it takes mere minutes to eat out of a bowl. You can expand the time it takes for them to eat their food by putting their food in a puzzle. There’s dozens of different puzzles out there, each working for a different kind of food.

Kongs and Slow Feeders work best for moist food, where there are balls and slider puzzles that work for kibble. If you’re already snowed in and don’t have food puzzles handy, you can make one by burritoing their food in an old rag so they have to unroll it to get it out.

Play Hide and Seek

If your dog has a favorite toy or small treat, you can make a game of hide and seek very fun for them. Hide the toy or treat in a closed room they don’t have access to. At first, pick an easy spot like behind a piece of furniture or under the bed but close to the edge.

Let your dog in and tell them it is time to seek! Show your dog the hiding place and get very excited about it. Your pet will quickly learn after a few repetitions that he should be looking for something. At this point, you can make it a little harder.

Once your dog is actively seeking his prize, you can pretty much make it as difficult as you like. As long as it is possible for your chihuahua to reach it, it’s likely they will.

Do some Training

There’s a lot of emphasis on exercising your dog to help limit destructive behavior, but tiring your dog out physically is only half the story. When your dog has to think intensely, such as with training exercises, it can tire them out through mental stimulation.

Spend a few minutes training your dog and see if they’re ready to relax after a few sit–down-stand drills.

Play!

Luckily for us, our dogs can get quite a bit of exercise in the house just running around, chasing toys, and a rousing game of tug. Combining the physical exercise of a romp around the house with the mental stimulation of training can help break up your dog’s day.

Chew toys

Recreational chewing is another big part of doggy life. If your dog likes to chew, a snowy day is the perfect time to sit them down with a bully stick or other enjoyable chew toy. Himalayan Yak Cheese, Bully Sticks, and Pig Ears cut into strips are all super popular with our crowd.

If you don’t have chews at hand, you can also entertain your pet by letting them rip up cardboard or tissues—just make sure you supervise to make sure they’re not ingested.

Lap Time

Most of these ideas are designed to keep your pet from going stir crazy, but staying inside while it is cozy and warm has its perks too. There’s nothing at all wrong with putting your feet up, enjoying a hot cup of cocoa, and binge-watching Netflix while your dog snuggles.

While your pup will probably love all these other things, I’m sure using you as a hot water bottle while you both relax will probably be their most favorite activity of all.

Cold weather is sometimes unpleasant, but it doesn’t have to be. Make use of this indoor time to bond with your beloved pet.

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