CMP Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Hi everyone, I was wondering, what with the depth of experience on this board, whether anyone has any great ideas for some games I can play with my five month old who needs a few weeks of down time to recuperate a bruised hip suffered in a traffic accident with the dining room table. She is not on full crate-rest but she is not permitted to do most of the things she does all day - free run around like a lunatic, play with the kennel puppies, play with any of the older dogs who will tolerate her, go on walks to strange places, etc. I've thought of free shaping and learning toy object names - but she's already getting bored. Her favourite games all have a fairly important physical component ("get that" and "bring that" and "give that" makes her happy and she will take anything she can carry anywhere you ask her to take it) but it has been hard to get her to do them slowly, without all the running at full speed, sliding stops and whiplash turns. Anyone have any games they have used in the past or games they have heard other people use? Thanks so much in advance. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 One thing you can do is feed her (if you feed kibble) in a dispensing toy that requires her to manipulate and play with the toy in order for the food to be released. I think one version is called the Squirrel Dude, but I'm sure there are other variations. One is a plastic bottle on a rubbery "rope" that requires moving around and playing with the paw to set it up for food to drop out. A frozen Kong, stuffed with a combination of kibble, cottage cheese, cooked or wet commercial dog food, also can occupy a resting dog as it takes a lot of licking and time to thaw in order for the Kong to be emptied and the meal consumed. Between meals, frozen broth with a few small treats can be a low-cal time-consumer. Avoid broth that has higher levels of sodium, though. Have you ever played the shell game with your pup? Start with a transparent cup as the shell and a tiny treat in it. Teach the pup to nudge the cup over (you may need to set up a little table or similar uneven arrangement so the cup will fall over when nudged) to get the treat. Then graduate to using multiple cups so the pup has to choose the right one to get the treat and, finally, opaque cups so the pup has to use her nose to find the one with the treat. Nose games are good, hiding treats or favorite (but quiet play) toys around the room or house as her permitted exercise allows. Set up multiple boxes or other containers and teach her to find the treat or toy by using her nose, and then she is rewarded with either the treat or quiet use of a favorite toy. It's not easy! Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Great suggestions! Thanks so much. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 My dogs have all loved going for car rides, and walking in an area that's brand new to them. So many new smells! A pet or feed store, or a dog friendly Lowe's or Home Depot type store, are great for teaching meet-n-greet manners and general good behavior. At 5 months this may not be a good option for you, but it might. You can also try teaching her the commands she already knows with a couple change-ups: try the same word in a different language, (you can probably find an on-line translator if you've forgotten all your high school Spanish, etc) or those cues with you in an different position - laying down on the floor, out of site around the corner, etc. This is also a perfect opportunity to teach her some self-control, on leash, of course. Teach her what 'slow' means, for example. Do you have a place where she could swim? Just for a few minutes at a time, and with a human standing with her. Teach her to unroll an old blanket with her nose, to root around under the blanket for a treat. Good luck! Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 As Ruth so smartly pointed out, if you have the option to do "water walking" and it's okayed by your vet, that is a wonderful exercise, tiring in a short period of time, low-impact, devoid of worries of falling or bumping into something, etc. While going to a therapist for underwater treadmill work is optimal, if you have the right situation (like a pond with a smooth but not slick bottom or shallow swimming pool), you can leash-walk her in water that comes to just below her chest, for just a couple of minutes at a time (maybe less, depending on when she begins to show signs of tiring, which can be subtle). We love Lowe's - they are pet-friendly here. When I take one or more dogs, I make sure to take a blanket or rug to put in the cart, and my dogs ride around while I shop. It's a good way to avoid over-exercise (no walking required for the dog) and a great way to socialize. You do have to make sure to avoid having the pup get over-excited and exuberant, and risking falling out of the cart! It can be harder with a pup than an adult dog, and I know I've had to be careful with Celt in particular after his surgeries, but as Ruth also pointed out, it's a great opportunity to teach impulse control. Teach her to "look at me" and look to your face and eyes; teach her to "touch" (touch her nose to your hand, a great all-around trick to know that comes in handy when you least expect it); have her do puppy-push-ups (when the vet approves) which are sit/stand or down/stand, repeated (great for developing muscle tone in rehab, making sure that she doesn't move forward but rather than her front feet stay in place and her hind end does the work and moving); teach her the "leave it" command (that's been covered here on the boards before but ask if you want it outlined). There are so many things you can teach (when she's ready, so check with your vet) that will maintain her muscle tone, balance, and stamina - without a lot of effort or risk on her part! Best wishes! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Thanks -it's great to have such experience to mine. "A hundred dogs" and never had one injured as a puppy before so I suppose it was due. I live next door to the ocean, literally. And there are lots of sand bottom places to take her to walk and she LOVES the water - so I will definitely be doing that. She has an ortho check up in 6 days and hopefully she will be able to phase out to a more active existence. Her future is in service work and her training program is very balanced between obedience, mental stimulation and socialization - most of that can go on ... it's the puppy time that will be missing - the time when she gets to just *be*. I think she is already overdosed on me :/ Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Here's the interesting thing about a dog walking in water - when the water level is higher (mid-chest) it is not as strenuous as when it's lower (below the chest). This is partly because the deeper water also supports the body weight. But try it yourself - see how you feel walking in different depths of water and you will likely find that it's most strenuous when the water is only partway up your leg rather than all the way. I think it has to do with how you move your leg in different depths of water. I had a fun discussion with Celt's rehab therapist about this one day. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Sounds like you've got a good situation for rehab. Something to be careful about in water is the dog ingesting large amounts. Keep an eye on her, if she's swallowing a lot of water, seems disoriented after a workout, get her to the vet. I'm not a vet, but I'd think salt water would be worse. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 6, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Good advice about the water, thanks. Yeah, I will likely take her out to a dock and take her into water that reaches to her chest. I got her a life jacket today so she can float in the water by my boat (I take her on boat rides all the time, she loves it - it's a rowing boat, no motor or rigging). She seems to have a natural instinct not to swallow water when she swims - but I will watch her. I watched a dog die once from water toxicity and it was not pleasant A bunch of stuffed/frozen kongs are ready. Several new toys. A few new games are prepped and she now has a "fence" around the largest dog bed I could find (plus some bare floor with some no-stick pads on it). Watching her little face as she stands there looking up at me with her pink rope monkey hanging from her mouth, her tail wagging hopefully is making me ... you know ... sad and heartbroken. Thanks for the input and kind words Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 6, 2014 Report Share Posted August 6, 2014 Maybe a good thing to do is to put that pink rope monkey away for a while and only give her access right now to toys that won't incite over-activity. Or not, and let her learn that she just has to put up with not playing with it. They sure do know how to play us, even if it's not really intentional. It works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Maybe a good thing to do is to put that pink rope monkey away for a while and only give her access right now to toys that won't incite over-activity. Or not, and let her learn that she just has to put up with not playing with it. They sure do know how to play us, even if it's not really intentional. It works. Ha, they sure do. We invented a new game to play with the rope monkey: she is not allowed to move from a down position until she gets the monkey in her mouth (which I am gently waving a few feet from her - a neck stretch, really). When she does, she can roll over onto her back where Monkey "gets her" by rubbing her belly. Then she has to give, roll back into a down and we pick from several toys which one should "get her" next. She has to pick by speaking when I touch the one she wants to play with and say its name. That's good until the Kong is refrozen and she is off to bed for the night. Now for tommorrow ... (cue mad scientist music) ... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue R Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 Sounds like fun for all! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
urge to herd Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 I'm demanding a video of that one, CPM. Ruth and SuperGibbs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GentleLake Posted August 7, 2014 Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 They sure do know how to play us, even if it's not really intentional. It works. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CMP Posted August 7, 2014 Author Report Share Posted August 7, 2014 hahahaha - I know! My favourite meme at the moment is a puppy and a baby. The baby is looking at the puppy and says, "Wait! Wait! You mean if you pee or poop on the grass, you get a treat?!" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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