It's getting DARK!!

[sixx]

The days are getting shorter and shorter. By the time I get out of work, it's dark. I haven't been able to practice agility much. Instead Seek and I have been "tricks" training. The last one Seek learned was to do my laundry. It's pretty cute. She is very good at helping me take clothes out of the washer... can't seem to get her to put them in the dryer though. She does really well at getting them out of the dryer into the basket though. I also go through the list of her tricks, practicing them in different orders, etc. I even have her playing the It's Your Choice game, by putting pieces of cheese all over her face and paws.

 

Anyway, I am running on low batteries when it comes to teaching tricks. I want to step up the excitement for Seek and teach her some new games. I keep her entertained, but have noticed some boredom in her expressions lately.

 

Does anyone have any fun games they teach their pups? Or fun foundation agility games? If so please share. Seek would appreciate it.

 

Oh yeah... does anyone know where to find instructions on how to make the travel touch boards? The ones that are only a couple of feet long.

 

Thanks!

[Pam Wolf]

Try doing a freestyle routine or two and take it to a nursing home. They would LOVE it and it will keep you and your dog busy/happy.

 

Leg weaves, spins left and right, distance spins, bowing, heeling on right side, heeling backwards (on both sides)Jumping over your legs, marching steps,backing up, targeting,hoop jumping, roll over,sit up,hind leg walking,retrieving and placing an object where you direct her (this will help with putting the laundry in the dryer).

 

Teach her to find her toys by their names even if they are out of sight. Then buy her more toys so you can name them and have her find them by name

[mbc1963]

A side note from my astronomy unit:

 

Because of the path the Earth takes around the Sun, the days continue to grow shorter until the solstice, but the time of sunset actually starts to get a wee bit later every day starting on December 17. (It's at the earliest from about today until then.) The sunrise continues to get a bit later each day, making total hours of daylight fewer and fewer. But the little tiny increases in afternoon light are enough to cheer me up. And consider that by January 20, we have regained a half-hour of afternoon light. And by February, it's light till 5:30 or so. Which means I can get home from work, have a quick drink of water, toss the dog in the car, drive to the park, and still manage to get him a decent run.

 

It's not much, folks, but it's all it takes to give me hope when winter sets in, long and hard. ::Shudder::

 

Mary

[manasquan_jim]

I face the same issue with my BC. Sometimes I take him jogging or frisbee in the dark, but if its too cold forget it.

 

Amazingly, the darkness doesnt seem to affect his catching, but since I cant see anything, I'm just going by the familiar sound the frisbee makes against his teeth. Also, white frisbees come in handy in case he misses and I have to go searching.

 

Last winter I was on a fitness kick and took him running almost everynight, but that has fizzled out for now.

He loves car rides and has to have one almost every night.

[sixx]

Try doing a freestyle routine or two and take it to a nursing home. They would LOVE it and it will keep you and your dog busy/happy.

 

Leg weaves, spins left and right, distance spins, bowing, heeling on right side, heeling backwards (on both sides)Jumping over your legs, marching steps,backing up, targeting,hoop jumping, roll over,sit up,hind leg walking,retrieving and placing an object where you direct her (this will help with putting the laundry in the dryer).

 

Teach her to find her toys by their names even if they are out of sight. Then buy her more toys so you can name them and have her find them by name

 

That sounds like fun! I will try that. She already knows how to weave through my legs, "dribble" I call it. I also taught her to walk in between my legs with me. Sometimes she tries to run out early. I'm not sure how to shape this, so I have been luring.

 

Also she knows all the names of her toys, but I think it's time to get new ones. That's a great idea! Also I think I will buy a Hula-hoop. She loves to jump over things. I use my legs and arms for her to jump over... It's like human agility and it really pumps her up!

 

 

Not to hijack my own thread but does anyone know how long puppies eyes stay blue before they turn into the color they will remain? I tried to research it and it came up with several different answers. I figured maybe someone with real experience would know. The most common answer was 3 months.

[sjones]

The short daylight hours and winter cuts into outdoor time for me too. By the time I get home from work its already dark, so now working my young dog Meg on sheep has been put on hold. The last week we had ice all over, so not safe for sheep, dogs, horses or myself.

I do a game of indoor hide and seek with my dogs. I take each one downstairs individually along with a toy that they really like, then have them wait while I hide the toy. I then release them and let them try and find the toy. They get so excited, their noses really get a work out along with their mind, plus they learn to stay and wait until released. I start out hiding in easy spots and progressively hide in harder spots as they get better. The rest of the time my dogs just know how to chill.