8 Indoor Enrichment Activities During Winter

Admin Team

Just like us, our furry friends crave a mix of physical and mental workouts. While outdoor adventures are unbeatable, we know it can be hard to keep up with daily walks as the days get shorter or in poor weather conditions. Luckily there are plenty of indoor tricks to keep your dog active and engaged.

Food Puzzles, Lick Mats or Dispensing Toys

Beat the boredom with mentally stimulating and entertaining items that challenge them to work for their treats. Treat dispensing products provide exercise and can be especially effective for dogs with separation anxiety. Just be mindful of their calorie intake which varies by age, size, lifestyle and breed.

Training Exercises

Enhance your dog's skills and strengthen your bond with regular training exercises. Practising basic obedience commands like sit, down, shake, come and stay keep them sharp and well-behaved. Teach them new tricks like spin for rollover for extra athleticism they can show off to their friends at the dog park!

Playing Hide and Seek

Engage your dog's natural instincts and bring out your inner child with a fun game of hide and seek. Have your dog “stay” and start by hiding in an easy location and call your dog to you. When they find you, praise them enthusiastically. Then ramp up the difficulty by choosing harder hiding places. Give hints if they’re struggling so they don’t get frustrated and lose interest.

Treat Scavenger Hunt

Keep your dog active and entertained as they search for hidden goodies. Create a scavenger hunt around your home using a variety of your dog’s favourite objects such as toys or treats – the smellier the better! Let your dog sniff the object before you hide it and give the command “find it”. To make it more challenging by hiding items in another room.

Scent Work

Tap into your dog's powerful sense of smell with scent work activities, which provide mental stimulation and a rewarding challenge. Create a scent trail to unleash their inner dog-tective skills with a series of boxes or containers with toys hidden inside. Have your dog follow the trail with their super-powered nose.

Indoor Obstacle Course

Set up an indoor obstacle course using household items to keep your dog physically active and entertained. You can make a course out of the things in your house such as books, pillows, broom handles, paper towel rolls, boxes or stools to create courses and mazes.

Arrange a Playdate

Arrange a playdate with a fellow dog owner to provide your pet with social interaction and fun, even in winter. Invite a trusted friend’s dog or arrange for them to visit a doggy daycare centre for some fun social time.

Doggy Spa Day

Treat your dog to a relaxing doggy spa day complete with a warm bath, grooming and some extra pampering to keep them cosy and happy. Depending on your dog’s preferences you can select a host of treatments such as their favourite dog shampoo, a relaxing massage, a head-to-toe brush and nail clipping.


And remember, your friendly Yass Valley Veterinary team are here to provide expert advice if you would like to discuss enrichment ideas or products, or if you have any behavioural concerns.


Let the indoor adventures begin!

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Important YVV Update

By Admin Team • February 17, 2026
Sadly, we have had some staff changes recently at Yass Valley Veterinary. After 3 years, Dr Issy Card has taken a small animal position in Canberra. Our recently married Dr Anne Cusack is relocating to Wagga for her husband’s work, and Dr Natalie Flew is also leaving us to work in an emergency afterhours clinic in Canberra with more suitable hours for her new family. We will all miss these three amiable, dedicated and competent veterinarians and wish them well in their future pursuits. Dr Stuart Williams, after almost 33 years at Yass Valley Veterinary (15 years as a partner with Dr Peter Gibbs and 15 years as sole principal), is resigning from his full-time position at the end of February. He is looking forward to having a break away from afterhours on call and managing a large staff across two hospitals. Working as a volunteer veterinarian in Australia and overseas, travelling with his wife Cath and spending some much needed time at home and in the garden, is on the agenda for Stuart in the short term. Dr Tamara Butler, who has been with the business for 17 years, will be promoted to the Lead Vet role when Stuart resigns. Dr Nicole McKenzie will take on the Tamara’s Veterinary Manager role, while Ms Carrie Luckie will retain the Practice Manager role. We are incredibly grateful for the dedication and care that each of our departing veterinarians has given to our clients and patients, and their departures will mean a temporary change to our service availability. Be assured that we are actively and enthusiastically recruiting veterinarians to join our team. We’d like to introduce Dr Josh Tannen, a small animal veterinarian & surgeon, who will be with us until April. This experienced and easy-going locum will be very welcome by the team. However, in the short term, we will be operating with a smaller team, so there may be occasions where we are unable to provide the full range of services that are currently provided. What does this mean for you? • At times, we may need to rotate Saturday clinic closures. • There will be evenings or weekends when we do not have an after-hours veterinarian available. We will always do our best to keep you informed. Any changes to opening hours or services will be communicated via our social media pages and through notifications on the Yass Vet App. As always, if you require after-hours assistance when a veterinarian is not available, please call us on 6226 4444. Your call will be answered by a team of qualified nurses who will triage your situation and direct you to the closest appropriate emergency hospital if needed. We truly appreciate your understanding, patience, and ongoing support during this period of transition. Our commitment to providing compassionate, high-quality care for your animals remains at the heart of everything we do.