Boredom busters for pets

On a wet miserable day, there are lots of indoor games you can play with your dog. Tug of war is one of the classics – all you need is a length of rope or a knotted tea towel. Be sure to let your dog win about half of the contests – if you’re hogging the glory he might not want to play! ‘Find it’ is a great game that serves as its own food reward. Simply hide pieces of dry cat food – yes, cat food! – around the house and watch him hoover up every last bite.

Then there is the cardboard box trick with a favourite toy placed in one of a number of boxes. Your dog again gets olfactory exercise just sniffing to find the right box.