First things first...
Happy Birthday Abigail! You can read about her here.
I have a subscription to Dog Fancy and every month I enjoy reading the different articles about dog care, breeds, tips, etc.
I have read many articles on winter exercise for dogs. Some as simple as just letting them run in the back yard for 15 minutes. Some as complicated (to me) as training for sled dog competitions.
Now obviously, not all dogs would be able to do some of the things that I have read about. Take my bassets as an example. We get some deep snow here, and to let them run about in the back yard is a great idea but not always possible as they tend to get stuck in the deep snow and sled dog? Forget it!
But I did read one article a few years back that was interesting about things you can do inside. Like setting up an obstacle course inside the house in the family room, basement, or hallway. Or a game that encourages a dog to use their sense of smell in a game of hide and seek whether with a treat, favorite toy, or favorite person. Or teaching new obedience skills or tricks. Something to keep them busy, interested and active.
For our house, we have done some of the hide and seek, play fetch with a very soft ball, tug, and still get out for walks if the weather permits. Sometimes we play in the back yard if hubby snow blows a maze for them to run through.
I thought it would be interesting to take a poll to see how you all keep your pups fit through the winter. If you would like to participate, please email me and I will post the info on DOT next time. Or if you would like to make this subject the focus of your next post, just send me your link and I will list that. Send to thegardener63ataoldotcom.
Happy DOT,
Tina, HoneyDew and Sampson too!
Thursday, December 2, 2010
Winter Exercise for Your Pups
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6 comments:
The obstacle course seems like a nice idea. Do you still have to train your dog to run the course though? But hey, with obstacle courses you get to get some exercise as well.
- Jonathan Thrice
My Bichon Frise exercises herself running from our bedroom > living room > kitchen > hall> slid to a stop... turn.... run back. She will do this several times, seemingly just rinning for the sheer joy of it! Then flops down and rests :)
Sydney loves a good game of hide-and-seek. She uses our hall like a runway. She works up a pretty good speed and ends with a jump-up-landing on the bed.
MaggieMae loves to run and jump (like a deer actually) through the snow in the back yard. She also has a tendency to run circles in the living room when totally excited (sometimes by visitors she loves...such as family). Then I have to remind her that outdoors is for running and let her out to get her burst of energy out of her system!
Great topic. I think I'll do a post on Dogs-N-More about it. I'll let you know when I post it.
Does jumping over the back of the sofa count?
Thor walks around behind his people, and enjoys a good vigorous game of tug. He also goes outside whenever a human does, so gets some snowy play time, too!
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