Remember when we went to coffee shops and breweries and even *outside* and spent most of our time liking memes about how disillusioned we were with the current state of affairs? We now realize how pleasant and idyllic life was, and we’d like our dog-friendly patios back now, okay? Quarantine may not be people-fun, but it sure is making our pups happy. So while we wait and beg the Dogs above for our old lives back, here’s what to do with your dog during quarantine.
- Times are lonely. Teach your dog to say I love you.
- Or to give a hug.
- Or to get you a beer.
- Recycle all those toilet paper tubes into enrichment toys. Fill a tube with treats and squish the ends in. Or line up a whole bunch of rolls in a box with snacks at the bottom.
- Bake some healthy treats. H*ck it, make a cake.
- Foster a dog! Basically every rescue in your area needs help right now.
- Can’t foster? Ask if your rescue needs help transporting puppers or supplies.
- Make a puzzle toy out of a muffin tin.
- DIY an indoor obstacle course. Lead your fren through with a spatula of nutty butter.
- Stream a movie with one of these really good dogs.
- Need to actually get some work done? Try a treat dispensing toy.
- You could dress your dog up like a panda for no reason. Do you really ever need a reason?
- Start a quarantine Instagram account for your pup. “Day 4: The human is still wearing the same pants.” (Use #SidewalkDog to be featured on our Instagram page!)
- Hide a bunch of tiny pieces of treats around your house and have your pup find ‘em all. As your dog’s nose improves, you can hide in increasingly difficult places (yes, your life has come to this).
- Get a Lickimat and fill it with yummos like peanut butter, yogurt, cream cheese, or mashed sweet potatoes. They even make mats with suction cups that you can stick to a sliding door or use to trick somepuppy into taking a bath. You can use a silicone ice cube tray, too.
- Clean out your closet. Then make no sew tuggies out of old jeans.
- Read a dog book together and snuggle.
- Feeling stressed yet? Try doga. This is fine.
- Try scatter feeding. All you gotta do is sprinkle kibble all over the place. Spilling food everywhere will inevitably hurt your soul, but the dog will be happy. And someone around here should be.
- Done all that and it’s only 11 a.m.? Sounds like it’s time for a dog-themed cocktail.
Our ideas for outdoor fun during COVID-19 are coming soon. How are you two passing the time? Woof at us in the comments and don’t forget to tag #SidewalkDog in all your quarantine selfies.
Featured photo: Paolo Nicolello
Sidewalk Dog’s mission is to help dog parents spend more time with their puppers by discovering and sharing activities they can do and places they can go—together! Sniff out our award-winning newsletter and Instagram, then check us out on Facebook and Twitter.