Hy-Vee Recipes and Ideas

There’s no better exercise than a simple strut through the neighborhood. Interacting with others out and about will be good for you both! Once daily is enough for smaller breeds. Large, high-energy dogs should get a couple of strolls in.

Give a tennis ball a toss. For larger dogs, a softball-size ball is best.

Play a little Hide-and-Seek with your pooch. Tuck behind furniture indoors or a tree outside. Let your pup use his sniffer to find you.

Your dog will work for a little pile of peanut butter inside a treat-dispensing toy, like the Chase ‘n Chomp Ribcage with Ball available at Hy-Vee.

Try tossing a favorite toy up the staircase while holding your dog’s collar. Then release! Reward your dog for bringing it back. Steps are a great workout.

Grab a shovel and create a winding or stop-and-start-over snow maze. This is better for smaller dogs who won’t plow through walls.

Place a few treats inside a box, inside another box, and so on. (Cereal boxes are perfect!) Supervise your dog ripping through the boxes in search of a reward to chomp!

If the latest snowfall is packable, make some snow balls. Toss them out into the yard or up in the air, and wait for your dog to give chase. Retriever or not, every dog will dig it!

Put three treats in three different locations in your room. Call your dog in and shout “Treat!” Let her sniff them out! Change locations often.

As long as your doggo has good teeth, tug of war is a great idea! Let him do the tugging. Keep it fair – use one hand!

Teach your pooch a new trick or two. Use low-cal treats to reward her as she perfects it.

Arrange a play date for your pup. Let the two wrestle and run. A fenced-in yard is perfect, as long as your dog isn’t too territorial.

Put a treat under one of three identical opaque cups. Let your pup sniff for it. Or to work the eyes, put the treat under a cup that’s different than the other two.

Toss your dog’s favorite toy across the room a few times, instructing him to “Go get it!” Next, put him in another room, hide the toy, issue the same command, and let the hunt begin!

Grab water for your dog (you too) and some favorite toys, and head to the local park for some wintertime play.

Create openings on each end of a large cardboard box. Lead your dog through, like a tunnel. Eventually, attach more boxes with openings for a longer tunnel.

Prop a pole or broomstick across two piles of books. Use a treat to get your pup to jump. Start low and raise the pole gradually by adding books.

Make a teeter-totter by placing a tennis ball in a sock and stapling it to the center of a large wooden disk (large enough for your dog to stand on). Glue carpet on one side of the disk to protect your dog’s paws. Hold a treat over your head as your dog gets on board and works to stay balanced.

Hold a hula hoop at ground level. Use a treat to coax your dog through the hoop. Keep elevating the hoop, so your dog is eventually jumping.

Roll a treat up in a yoga mat, soft blanket or rug. Let your pooch use her sniffer to nose the roll open and find her reward!