rainy day exercise
The weather here is leaving something to be desired. Yesterday it poured all day. Instead of three 1 mile walks Becca only got 3 half mile walks and protested each. They were forced marches for both of us. She walked with her ears flat and either went really slow or tried to pull.
I played with her indoors(soccer and tennis ball), but it wasn't enough. She also has Kong and similar toys with treats hidden available. The cat and I were both very fed up with Becca's behavior by afternoon. It was like Becca was wound a few notches too tight all day. She was NAUGHTY, snapped at the cat, grabbed by glasses, (They were on my face at the time!), and was a general nuisance. The only peace we had was when I gave her a dried tendon to chew. Any suggestions how to focus her energy when we can't get outside?
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Yuki & Ellie on
-
Out of curiosity, what is it that she doesn't like about the rain? Is it when it hits her head and back or is it because her feet get wet? If it's because of the rain hitting her back and head, you might want to consider getting a raincoat. It doesn't help to keep water/mud off of a dog's belly, but it does help to keep the back and head dry (assuming she lets you put the hood up, hehe.) My eskimo dog loves wearing that and happily heads out for walks in the rain, where without he he would still walk but was clearly not pleased to be out in the rain.
As for draining energy during rainy weather, it depends on what your dog enjoys. Ellie loves fetch (really, really loves it), so on rainy days I make sure she gets to play lots of fetch indoors. I also play "Chase Me!" with her, which just involves me running around the downstairs of my house while she and Yuki gets to chase me (sometimes I'll turn around abruptly and then start to chase them around.) If Becca likes tugging games (and you allow her to play them) then get her to play that way. You could also get a special chew or toy that she only gets on rainy/otherwise low-key days. She'll be more likely to keep herself busy if it's something she doesn't always have available to her.
-
Permalink Reply by Beth on
-
I was going to suggest something similar: have special toys or games that you only play when the weather is bad. Also, I would do several short training sessions.
One thing that worked with high-energy Jack is teaching him the names of toys and sending him to find specific ones when he was being bratty. If he is really a nuisance I'll send him looking for one I haven't seen in awhile. He usually finds it eventually and it's a fun game for him that uses his head.
Tug is also good. Combine it with "leave it" and use it as a reinforcer for other commands: complete a short sit/stay and we tug. Leave it, do a down, throw the tug for her to bring back and reward with a quick tug session. Leave it again, perform another command, etc.
She probably needs mental outlets as much as physical exercise. Remember, the life of a domestic dog is (in all honestly) quite boring and the walk is often their only really good mental stimulation. So burn the mental energy as well as the physical and she won't be looking for stuff to get into.
-
Permalink Reply by Marcie on
-
She doesn't like either. I think the sound of the downpour yesterday had her a little weirded out as well. She doesn't like having anything over her, so I'm not sure about a raincoat. I have a polar fleece jacket of Kramer's that I may try just to see if she will tolerate clothes. She preferred playing with her graduation cap at class this week to wearing it.
We start a trick class this week. It will give us some more things to practice. I am bound and determined to get down stay nailed before we move on to crawl or backup. She does both to try and avoid down.
Becca loves fetch, but it seemed to wind her up more yesterday. Hopefully it was just an off day all the way around. Teenage angst maybe.
-
Permalink Reply by Anna Morelli on
-
If it's a pouring rain I just would not go, except for doing her business. I'm not much of a martyr... If it's a gentle rain, a raincoat makes a big difference. I would get her used to walking in it for short 5" periods, before you actually take her walking in the rain with it on.
-
-
Thanks...Today has been a little better. The rain has let up some and we got a full mile in this morning. When we got home we spent some time digging stuff out from under furniture. I found a bone that belonged to my last dog lol. She has been concentrating on that. If rain is causing this much chaos I can only imagine what winter weather will bring.
-
Permalink Reply by Melissa and Franklin! on
-
When its really pouring here I play with Franklin indoors with a lunge whip. He loves nothing more than to chase the whip so I'll clear an area in the house and just drag it around and make him chase it all over. I also make sure to have a good stock of bullysticks, rawhides, or other long lasting chews to give on days I know he isn't going to get as much exercise. These days are also perfect to work on obedience training and teach new tricks. A lot of my early obedience/rally practice with Frankin was done in my apartment. Feed her in interactive toys so her meals take time and energy and thought. On rainy days if its my day off I also take the dogs to the petstore just to get them out and interacting and thinking about stuff other than being stuck inside. If you can find some local stores that also allow dogs you can stop at one or two. Not only is it good training it also burns off a lot of energy. You can take her to her vet, get her weighed and get a treat, and then just sit in the waiting room for 5-10 minutes. Good desensitizing for her and also generally burns off a lot of nervous energy. Luckily here (knock on wood) we generally have at least a little break in the weather where I can get the dogs out. Neither really mind the rain so unless it is super windy/rainy I just put their raincoats on them and head out for a walk.
-
Permalink Reply by Chris, Kadi & Brodie on
-
My two are polar opposites with the rain. Kadi loves it so much I have to almost drag her inside, Brodie hates it so much, I have to drag him out. Fortunately I have the pair so they wear each other out FRAPing in the living room. Sometimes it looks like an earthquake has hit, but it saves me from having to get creative to burn their energy! LOL
Rescue Store
Stay Connected
FDA Recall
Canadian Food Inspection Agency Recall
Groups
We support...
Badge
© 2024 Created by Sam Tsang.
Powered by
