A dog’s daily needs include physical exercise and mental enrichment. While most of us rely on walks and time spent outdoors to meet these needs, inclement weather and unexpected events call for creative solutions at home. The good news is that there are many opportunities to prevent boredom with interactive dog toys. Even a high-energy dog in a small apartment can be kept busy with the right toys, tools, and knowledge.
We enlisted three experts to come up with the best solutions for giving a dog mental and physical stimulation indoors: Stacey Campbell, a professional dog trainer and co-owner of Golden Gate Dog Sports; Shura Kelly, a professional dog trainer and owner of Bark to Basics dog daycare; and Chrissy Joy, a celebrity dog trainer. To round out their advice, we’ve also included picks from contributor Shoshi Parks, who is a professional dog trainer, and our own editors and journalists’ favorites.
The best dog toys for indoor exercise
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This small but powerful machine dispenses kibble or treats when you use settings on the device or a remote control. It’s great for building confidence and practicing skills in a small space. A handy instruction manual also provides exercises for improving problem behaviors such as jumping on guests and barking at the doorbell.
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This lure pole taps into a puppy’s natural instincts as they chase, chase, jump, and grab a dangling toy. Best of all, this dog chasing toy can be used in a relatively small space like a driveway, garage, or even indoors — ideally in a room with a carpeted or nonslip floor.
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This durable rubber puzzle toy is made for tossing, rolling, chewing, and treating. It has three interconnected sections that can be filled with food or treats. Sections can be connected for longer play and more advanced problem solving. Or you can give your dog individual sections for shorter interactions.
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Ball pits aren’t just for people. You can fill a sturdy storage box with these plastic balls. Then toss out some toys or treats and let your pup dig for buried treasure.
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Stimulate your dog physically and mentally with this ball with six plush chipmunks hidden inside. With a ribbed texture, the ball wobbles as a dog works to pull the critters from one of the six holes. For bigger rewards, hide some treats inside too.
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We love rolling and wobbling food dispenser toys that encourage a dog to manipulate his food with his paw or nose. Petsafe’s battery-operated Kibble Chase starts with this premise, then turbocharges it with a battery-operated barrel that rolls randomly, crashes into walls and furniture, and drops kibble or treats as it runs.
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When the outdoors isn’t welcoming — and even when it isn’t — Kelly uses foraging snuffle mats to give her dogs mental stimulation. I also like snuffle mats, especially for dogs who don’t have the ability or motivation to get through a more complicated puzzle toy.
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One of our favorite games is sniff-and-seek, which involves placing these cones in a random pattern and hiding treats under half of them for the dog to root for. Cones can also be used to teach different tricks and behaviors and for laying out the footprint of a fun race course.
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Playing with your dog is one of the most important things you can do at home, and Campbell says it’s great for bonding. In addition to playing tug with this heavy-duty rope toy, you can use it to entice your dog to pounce and chase, which will help unlock the joy of play.
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One of the original food-giving puzzle toys, Kong is a favorite for beating boredom. Kong toys can be filled with any type of treat or kibble mixed with creamy peanut butter, cottage cheese, or wet dog food. For dogs new to this toy, use a larger size and pack it loosely.
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Dogs who love soft toys will be delighted to retrieve the squishy squirrels hidden inside a plush log. Unlike many rolling and bobbing puzzle toys, this is a quieter toy (besides the squeaky squirrels). It is also gentle on hardwood floors.
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Dogs who love to chase balls will be amazed at the unpredictable spin pattern of this one. The toy’s ball-within-a-ball design makes it fiddly, keeping pups on their toes. For extra enrichment, spread peanut butter or another sticky treat on the inside of the ball.
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Joy recommends the Kong Wobbler, which takes food-based play to the next level. The dog can pinch this toy with its muzzle and let it release treats or kibble from a hole in the side. One of our editor’s dogs happily eats his entire meal from the Wobbler.
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Zogoflex is a uniquely shaped container for delicious foods. The sturdy toy wobbles and rolls as dogs search for the food inside. Made of a soft, bouncy plastic composite, it’s also a great toy for indoor fetch.
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This rip-and-reveal toy is ripe for problem solving and destruction. Dogs who separate from their toys will find some surprises inside, while leaving no mess in their wake. The cute cactus exterior of the three-layered toy hides a fabric-wrapped rubber vibrating ball inside.
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Engage small dogs with a food puzzle toy that’s just their size. This game features small tubes that spin on a plastic rod. Fill the tubes with treats and let your pup use their nose and paws to release their rewards through the small holes at the end of each tube.
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If your dog is more motivated by plushies than rope toys, we recommend this pack of three long-tailed critters for playing tug. The empty toys won’t leave a mess, and their internal squeakers will keep dogs interested.
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Chasing remote control cars is a favorite activity of Kelly’s pack. While this car is not specifically a dog toy for chasing, it is an exciting toy to use with tracking.
FAQs
How can I exercise my dog indoors?
When it comes to stimulating indoor exercise for dogs, Kelly says creativity is key. But learning what kind of toys your puppy enjoys can take time. They may prefer chew balls, ropes to pull, or something to chase. The important thing is to find one of the best dog toys that will stimulate your puppy.
How can I keep my dog active while working from home?
One of Joy’s favorite ways to keep her pups busy during the day is to use one of the best dog puzzle toys. These toys encourage mental stimulation and problem solving, which is a great way to bond with a dog.
Handling is important for any type of play, but Joy says it’s especially important with puzzle toys made of hard plastic. Heavy chewers can break off pieces of plastic and eat them, so be sure to keep an eye on them during this activity.
Do dogs get bored sitting all day?
Yes. Exercise and mental stimulation are important for your dog’s well-being and their relationship with you. “Play is great for building relationships and creating motivation, [but] playing takes practice,” Campbell said.
Both Campbell and Joy say that trial and error will likely be involved when you teach your dog how to play with you. Since dogs don’t naturally know how to play with their humans, teaching them to do so using the best dog training treats and positive reinforcement methods can help alleviate boredom.
What toy do dogs like best?
Dog toys are not one-size-fits-all, but most puppies enjoy food-based toys. Puzzle toys that provide treats often make puppies happier than regular plushies or chews.
But Joy says to be careful when filling food-based toys with treats. “Just don’t fill it all with treats because, with that, we get issues of obesity and caloric overload,” he said. Instead, Joy recommends modifying food-based activities by keeping a portion of dog treats inside instead of high-calorie snacks.
What are the best dog toys for dogs that chew everything?
The best dog toys for aggressive chewers are made of durable, long-lasting materials like natural rubber. We also recommend buying toys that are difficult to break into small pieces, which pose many risks to your dog’s safety. Our experts generally like toys that are firm but not so firm that you can’t indent them with your fingernail.
