Exercise in Winter months

[erin_ohagan]

Like almost everyone else, the last few weeks have been unusually cold here in Washington State. There's been very little precipitation, so my morning walks have been fairly consistent, though freezing. However, there were a few mornings when the temperature was down into the teens that I skipped an AM walk. Which brings me to my questions.

 

What do people do with their dogs for exercise on really heinous winter days? If you don't exercise your dog every day in the winter, what do you do instead? How many days in a row can your dog go without some physical exercise before they start getting antsy?

Dublin will play fetch in the house....but only if I reward her for "bringing it" with a treat every couple of returns. If I don't have a treat she lays down about halfway back and gnaws on the ball (maybe she's training me here, but to get SOME exercise in, I'm willing to play her game, at least for now), or brings it to her crate for "safe keeping."

 

I have some hesitancy in playing fetch in the house in that it might be counteracting all the training I have been doing to "settle" when in the house. Does anyone else play fetch in the house?

 

Obviously, some other ways to get some energy out include upping the amount of trick/obedience training I'm doing. And, I have been doing that too. Just curious how people handle winter weather.

[GentleLake]

My dogs -- including a very active 2 y.o. -- are perfectly fine just hanging out for several says in a row if the weather's awful or if I'm sick.

 

IMO, the need for daily exercise is greatly exaggerated.

[highway61]

I can play with my 8 month BC indoors, he's very interactive. But if I don't take him outside for some real fetch or at least a good walk, he can make my life miserable so its not my opinion that daily exercise is greatly exaggerated.

 

Erin, I hear you about the cold snap we're in but my BC is now getting his rough coat in full bloom and I even leave him outside during the day when I'm at work (he has a comfy doghouse that he uses). But when I get home at night...in the dark....its all routine for us. I feed them and then head outside for some fetch at the schoolyard a few blocks away and then a walk. Yep, its dark AND cold but I've got these little collar lights and a ball that illuminates when you press the button. Same with the firsbee. One or two times during the work week I'll take the dogs to work as I work in this office complex that's surrounded by a lot of forested area with trails. On those days I take them to work, I don't have to worry so much about rushing home and following through with the usual routine. On weekends I'm off and am free to walk them in the daylight or go to dog park.

[WaveProfesora]

I personally don't like playing fetch and stuff in the house as it can become a constant sad face/"Don't you wanna play?" beg-a-thon fast. He knows "that'll do" and all, but it has a time limit apparently.

 

We don't have the winter problem but the opposite: we have to limit playtime a LOT in the summer because of the heat and our BC expects a daily walk or playing because we give him one (for us and for him--we walked a lot long before we had a dog). Thus, on the days when it's super hot or rains (we can get 2-3 days of torrential rain in summer when a tropical storm or depression comes through), I focus on training and tricks more than ball and fetch--the result is a lot of silly tricks that do nothing but impress strangers and my toddler, but it's something to do.

 

My .02

[Gideon's girl]

We have the ridiculous heat of Summer here for 10 months of the year so we play indoors in the heat and we do play fetch. My dogs don't have any problem distinguishing between it's time to play in the house and it's not time to play in the house. I also play mental games like hiding a toy and having them find it, or putting all the toys in the basket and asking them to get a particular one.

[Alchemist]

I don't exercise my dogs every day; there are days when I need to be at work from quite early in the morning until well after dark. The dogs just come to my office and chill. These are interspersed with days when I have a lot of flexibility, and usually take them for a morning off-leash hike. The dogs don't seem to feel the cold; I manage to stay warm even when the weather is in the teens by wearing flannel-lined jeans, snow pants if it's REALLY cold or windy, and a good hat and jacket. Today I was telling myself that I need to bring my Yaktrax tomorrow, because the snow we got Sunday and yesterday is getting icy in spots on the trail.

 

But if the weather is really gross, as it was yesterday (I had enough trouble getting stuck in the snow on Sunday - my car doesn't handle snow well, and I wasn't going to drive ANYWHERE), I'll just let the dogs run off energy in our back yard. I kept trying to bring them indoors off and on all day, and every time I called them in, they gave me this horrified "whaddaya NUTS?!?" look and went back to playing in the snow.

 

I also have the option of taking the dogs swimming at a nearby indoor heated hydrotherapy pool for dogs. The pet store that hosts it gives free vouchers for every $100 worth of pet food or supplies you buy, so this makes for a good option whenever it's been wet and miserable and it's mostly a question of MY not wanting to be miserable.

 

Exercising the dogs indoors wouldn't be an option I'd want to pursue. I'll occasionally toss a ball for them indoors as part of impulse training, but I just don't think I can provide them with enough appropriate exercise that way.

[sjones]

I'll admit it I'm a wimp, right now we have windchill advisories out. My dogs go out with me to do chores, keep naughty sheep from coming into the barn when I'm watering and thats about it. They are happy just to lay around the house, they have plenty of chew bones and toys(booby traps at night). I will play hide and seek with their favorite toys, which they love. Its great for them, some mental stimulation, and good nosework to do. Wisp especially loves it as she will moan and whine in excitement when she knows we are going to play hide and seek. Each dog gets her own hide and seek time in the basement, that way upstairs isn't seen as the play area, and they know when I say "we're done" their time is over for play

 

Samantha

 

 

[Mdaniels]

We bundle up at least three times a day for chuck it time. My husband snow lows us paths, but when it's too cold or too deep, we are lucky enough to have a barn to play ball in.

[Sue R]

We just out and go for a walk, and do Chuck-It if the ground is cooperative (bare to hardly any snow, no ice, no frost-heaving). If the snow is deep, we just go where we can and try to get in most of an hour's walking/playing each day.

 

Several years ago, when we just had snowstorm after snowstorm, it could be a challenge to just get out and do cattle chores. The dogs would "porpoise" in the deep snow and would wind up following in our tracks when they became too tired (or were just to smart to blaze their own trail). That's the only time I have ever seen Dan look at us with a "Can we go home now, please?" look on his face. Chores that would normally take maybe a bit over an hour, were taking us up to 3 1/2 hours because of the deep snow and the wind that was covering over the pathways with new drifting on a daily basis.

 

Thunderstorms are about the only thing that stops us. The dogs don't have a fenced yard and so Ed or I have to take them out to do their business, so it's a walk. Does them good, and does us good.

[arf2184]

We don't walk much in the winter time. We don't walk in the dark (for a number of reasons). Right now I leave for work in the dark and come home in the dark, so no walk most days. We don't walk when the roads are icy or when the plows are still doing their job in our neighborhood (not enough room to safely get out of their way in some areas).

 

Things to do in the Winter:

 

Mainly you just need something to do. Physical exercise is not as important as mental stimulation. Bored dogs are more apt to get into trouble looking for things to do. Mental exercise is often more tiring.

 

#1 Treadmill

This is our first winter with a treadmill and Meg has been making good use of it. She does 15-20 minutes at a time. She loves it. Anytime a human is using the treadmill, she'll try to hop on with us which doesn't work so well so usually the human just steps off and she takes over (its more fun watching her exercise anyway...lol).

 

#2 Hide-n-Seek Games

Meg and Bear both love 'nose work'. I have a collection of boxes that I set all over the living room. I send the dogs out of the room, put a treat in one box, and then one dog takes a turn sniffing it out. Meg is a pro. Bear takes a bit longer, but he has fun. Meg also plays another version of hide-n-seek. Same idea as the nose work game, only I take a toy, hide it somewhere in the living room (under couch cushion, on the stairs, on the piano, on a shelf, etc), and she has to find it.

 

#3 Indoor Fetch

We do play indoor fetch with tennis balls, soft toys, and soft Frisbee. I think whether or not this is a good idea depends a lot on your dog. Meg will settle when told. While she does ask us to throw things when she feels like playing, she doesn't usually get too pushy or sad puppy eyed. If we set the toy on the floor and ignore her, she goes off to play fetch by herself (yep, she throws her own toys and catches them or goes and gets them).

 

#4 Training/Shaping

We do free shaping with the clicker for fun. Meg loves trying to figure things out and its good practice for me too on my timing.

 

#5 Car Rides/Trips to the Store/Visiting Friends

Meg loves to simply be in the car. Wintertime is great for the car because I don't have to worry about heat or leaving her in the car while I run in the store. She goes into 'stealth mode' when alone in the car. Before I'm even a few steps away from the car she is curled up in the front seat so you can't even tell she there. Not all dogs enjoy being in the car like Meg obviously, but its a change of scenery that she enjoys. Bear on the other hand, gets anxious, honks the horn, and drools all over when left alone in the car.

 

Whenever possible, I bring Meg in stores with me. Feed stores, pet stores, farm stores, and hardware stores all usually allow well behaved dogs in. If you're not sure ask (or don't...the worst that'll happen is they tell you no dogs allowed). The local hardware store is great. They have a resident cat that Meg likes to try to make friends with (cat just glares at her). My only problem with stores is that Meg has started shopping the lower shelves. She's talked me into buying her a couple toys she doesn't need and some treats.

 

If you have friends who don't mind if you bring your dog to their house, a change of scenery could be nice. If needed, you can use the opportunity to work on manners or tricks in a different setting. It might be a bit stressful for a timid dog at first, but it can help build confidence and teach them to settle in various situations.

 

#6 Fun Classes

Some of the local trainers around here offer fun classes. We're are taking a "Play" class next month with a favorite trainer. Its about playing with your dog without toys or treats. Mainly, its just something to do that is indoors. There's also a snow shoeing with your dog class being offered by one of the local training groups. Unfortunately its on a day that I work, but it sounds fun. We also take agility classes, but the barn is not heated so winter classes are often rescheduled if it gets really cold.

[Liz P]

Define bad weather. I used to live in an area where temps well below zero were fairly common. If it hit 20 degrees the public parks were full of kids and their parents enjoying the "warm" weather. Forty below was uncommon, but we had days that cold. My cut off (based on my own comfort level) was about 30 below for short walks and 20 below for longer walks.

[Tommy Coyote]

My dogs love this cold weather. They go out just like they always do and run around. I make them come back in after 45 minutes or so. And if they are in the house they just have to behave themselves. Usually they just pile on the bed and play with each other.

 

 

You do need to be really careful if there is ice out there. Dogs can slip and fall just like people do. And they can really hurt themselves - torn ligaments - just like a person would do if they were to fall.

 

Two of the dogs i have taken care of have fallen on ice and torn ligaments. (Not while i had them .thank goodness.)

[erin_ohagan]

You know, bad weather is defined by the person experiencing it. Just because someone can tolerate a certain low or high temperature does not mean that everyone else in the world feels the same way, nor should they have to.

 

I'm comfortable walking my dog in rain blowing practically sideways, but not everyone has to feel the same. I live in Western Washington where it rarely dips below 40 in the winter and rarely gets above 85 in the summer. My body is not adjusted to the colder weather, nor do I own all the equipment that would make walking in colder weather as easy as it could be. I am slowly building up my cold-weather gear, but let's be honest, there are days when a walk just isn't going to happen due to weather or if I am sick.

 

Clearly my dog can handle the cold, but when it's icy, or there is lightning and it's dangerous to walk, this is where I draw the line.

 

I came here for tips on what to do with my dog if/when this is the case....not to be shamed about what I consider to be cold. Thank you to all who offered suggestions.

[Dana Nichols]

I've had to move to more indoor exercise for my guys too because it's dark when I leave for work and dark when I get home. I've mainly been working them on the treadmill. I have one BC who I could never convince to use it - the moving belt just melted her brain. But the others actually seem to like it. They all get treats when they are done. But, I'm interested in other indoor options too. Mainly I just need to keep my dogs in better shape so they are competing safely at trials.

 

I have seen quite a few folks doing more core strength type work with the exercise ball/disc/donut type options. I do some of that, but the cardio options are what I think they need a bit more. Please pass along any tips you find.

 

Dana

[Liz P]

I wasn't trying to shame you. Just pointing out that the dogs seem to be quite happy in any weather.

[Shetlander]

I am prone to whimp out in the heat, myself. This past week, however, I have been wishing Quinn would pay more attention to all the news stories on TV about how pets should not be outside for long periods of time. He is still insisting on playing Frisbee in the snow every night when I get home from work. Cruelty to owners!

 

I will refuse to play/walk when it is really rainy and muddy. He can suck it up for a few days of reduced activity. We play hide and seek games with toys in the house and do some trick training to pass the time.

[highway61]

will refuse to play/walk when it is really rainy and muddy. He can suck it up for a few days of reduced activity.

 

Ditto. I'll take them out in just about any extreme weather condition but for RAIN. And we live in SE Alaska=Seattle! I live in the 'burbs and its not too often when the snow sticks but when it does, its the usual walks in the neigborhood...but off leash! Its Seattle, where few know how to drive in the snow and even the one's who do are scared

 

I also drive an Expedition so there's always plenty of room take the dogs with me wherever I go. Doesn't really matter to them where I take them, they're always just so happy I take them.

[Laurelin]

My favorite indoor activity has to be nosework. I was skeptical at first but my friend was doing a class and needed people so we signed up and it has been a huge benefit for us. It is the easiest and best lower-key mental stimulation I've found. I just get out my odor kit and we do about 3 rounds of 4 hides per dog. It's a lot of work for them and now that we've done enough training, I can place the hides pretty difficultly and they have to really work at it a bit.

 

My younger pap is very erm.... 'busy' so she's the one that seems put out the most by bad weather. But I live in an area where we may have a week full of 115 degrees till the sun goes down, or windchill in the negatives with freezing rain for days, or a week full of F4-5 tornadoes like last year. So I think it's important that she can handle a week here and there. Would she prefer her usual off leash hike time? Yeah, but she'll survive without.

 

We do play fetch indoors with her but she's small. We also do trick training and impulse games. The other dogs are cool with just getting a stuffed kong or chew thrown their way.

[erin_ohagan]

Laurelin,

Is that something you need a class for, or is it something you can learn on your own? It sounds fun!

[Laurelin]

You can definitely train it on your own easily and can buy odors to work with online. I know you can buy kits too but you can make your own very easily. We use birch odors (for actual nosework trials it's birch, anise, and clove). I put it on Q-tips and use plastic sample tubes, tins with magnets, empty lipstick tubes, whatever we have to hold it. You do have to be careful that the odor doesn't actually touch things because your dog will alert on residual odor left behind (which is why we use plastic to contain it).

 

There's a lot of ways to start dogs and some good youtube videos. We started with boxes with food and trained the dogs to search for the food then eventually transferred that everywhere (vehicle, exterior, and full rooms). Then we paired the odor with the food then removed the food. I know other people prefer to start straight on odor. I think for dogs with less drive it may be best to start with food but I think my dogs could have gone straight to odor easily. Still working on a solid alert from my older dog but my young one is very good and indicates by pawing at it.

[Sue R]

I think my dogs would enjoy nosework, particularly Celt, who is my best "seeker and finder". We had quite a time searching for a missing ball in some dense, dead weeds by the roadside this morning. He would not look until I told Dan that he had to stay outside the area (Celt and Dan have some issues). Once he knew Dan was not going to be involved, he went to town searching diligently. He did not find the ball (this time, we'll try again) but he certainly seemed to have a great time working his nose in an effort to find it. He was a contented dog when he was done even though he didn't find it. It was the search and working with me that made him happy.

 

I have friends who do this and they and their dogs love it.

 

A variation on using the nose is to play the shell game with a dog. I've done that with Megan. With lightweight cups that can be easily tipped over, a dog can have a lot of fun (and so can children who do the game for the dog).

[Maralynn]

Best home variation of nose work - train your dog to find your keys. Simple, practical and keys are something that most people always have on/near them so you can do it ANYWHERE.

 

Kenzi LOVES hunting for my keys

[rushdoggie]

I take my dogs out for off leash runs and/or tracking 3 times a week on average. They are all pretty busy but can go a couple of days between runs and be happy.

 

We also took some K9 conditioning classes after my Border Collies iliopsoas injury and we can easily do those inside...I will set up the cavalettis in the garage and can do teh balance disk work, backing up, balancing etc stuff easily in the living room (my classes were with Bobbi Lyons, who is here in the PNW and shes awesome!).

 

To alleviate boredom I do nosework searches (hide tins of scent around the house) for all 3 dogs do and scent articles and stationary or close in obedience games (pivots, finishes, fronts, dumbell fronts) with the obedience dog.

[Laurelin]

Best home variation of nose work - train your dog to find your keys. Simple, practical and keys are something that most people always have on/near them so you can do it ANYWHERE.

 

Kenzi LOVES hunting for my keys

 

I've been thinking about doing this. Admittedly birch isn't a very useful odor for my dogs to find, haha. It'd be nice to have them be a little more useful.

 

One of my favorite variations in nosework once the dogs get the basics is to have other people place the hides so you're going into it blind. It actually makes a huge difference in difficulty!

[terrecar]

I scatter toys and things around the yard and have Hannah go around and find them and put them in a basket I am holding. She knows "get purple" (it's a purple, rubber retriever-roll type thing made by Kong), get Kong (I have several), and get ball, et al, but she will also fetch something that isn't hidden if I point it out to her and say "give". I also taught Hannah to get my keys, but she didn't like the feel of them in her mouth so I had to tie a small felt piece to them to teach her. That actually came in handy when I injured my back shoveling snow. It was painful for me to stoop, and when I dropped my keys, she picked them up for me of her own volition! She also knows get paper (newspaper), which was pretty handy when I was getting the NY Times on weekends (except the one time that she picked it up so the open end was toward the ground and all the flyer advertisements fell out). She seems to love doing these things and it keeps her mind engaged.