Judge what dangerous weather changes about the plan
Extreme heat, lightning, ice, and dangerous cold do not just shorten a walk, they remove it, so the indoor plan has to cover both the physical energy and the sniffing, exploring part of the outing your dog has lost. A dog who only gets frantic indoor chasing often ends the day more wound up, not less, because his brain never got the workout the walk usually provides. Aim for several short sessions spread across the day rather than one exhausting marathon, and keep toilet trips outside brief, on lead, and timed to the safest gaps in the weather.
Use your space for controlled movement
Clear the longest straight run you have, usually a hallway, and move anything breakable or chewable out of the throwing line. A soft toy thrown at low height keeps fetch controlled, and a tug game with a firm start and drop cue burns energy in very little space while practising self-control. Lay rugs or mats along the play route so he is not skidding on hard flooring, which protects joints and prevents the wild scrambling that damages both dog and furniture. Avoid repeated stair climbing as exercise, particularly for puppies whose joints are still developing, older dogs, and long-backed breeds.
Give his nose the second half of the session
Scent games tire a dog out indoors more completely than movement alone. Hide a handful of treats or his favourite toy in progressively harder places around one room, under a cushion edge, behind a chair leg, inside a cardboard box of scrunched paper, and let him hunt while you stay out of the way. Scatter part of his normal meal through a snuffle mat or across a lawn-safe patch of floor if you have no garden access, and use the quiet minutes to practise or teach simple cues, since short training repetitions are real mental exercise. Rotate the games so each session offers one movement block and one thinking block.
Watch the dog, not the clock, and share the rota
End a session when his breathing is heavy and he starts choosing to lie down between turns, and always leave water available, because indoor heating can make a dog overheat during enthusiastic play even while a storm rages outside. Very young, elderly, flat-faced, and unwell dogs need gentler, shorter versions and should be checked more often. If bad weather lasts several days, vary the rooms, games, and training cues so boredom does not build. Put the indoor exercise rota into KinsLe Care Teams, assigning each day's sessions to whoever is home, with completed play and scent sessions marked off with a timestamp so nobody doubles up or misses him.