Dog parents, how do you?...

Abby Nicole

Abby Nicole

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... keep your dog entertained indoors during inclement weather?

It's been so rainy this year, my backyard is officially the 6th Great Lake. I'm running out of ways to keep my energetic springer from getting cabin fever. What are some of your creative games to play indoors?...
 
I have two dogs. They entertain themselves a lot. They play tug of war, work as alert dogs, (I know everything that goes on), they actually like television.

We do have a fenced yard, so they get out there, and we have towels, washcloths, etc to clean them before they run through the house.

My husband actually plays something like soccer in the house with the Shih Tzu. You can clear a pathway where you can roll or throw a ball and play fetch inside.
 
Cuties!!!

Having two dogs seems to really help! My husband wants a second dog, I answered, "Baby first!"

Abby LOVES soccer, too - we use an jumbo-size exercise ball. A ball any smaller, she punctures it with her teeth.

Wonder if there's any doggie wetsuits invented? Haha, I know this sounds really ridiculous, but the dog literally WADES in our yard.
 
dog wetsuit - Google Search


here is link for doggies wetsuit!!



I throw a ball or toy on Marty . Does you dog like to play tug of war , you could play that with him/her if does not get the dog too worked up. I use do this with Finlay and use a tennis ball , I lifted him off a ground a little and he loved that.
 
:wave:Abby

I'm a trainer and involved in rescue and in behavioral work, have two Rotties...we play training games, doggie-mind/puzzle games like these: Nina Ottosson - Pet activity toys & treat puzzle games
and play ball - the youngest Rottie <the baby at about a year and 1/2> actually will play Fetch for about up to 45 minutes which is NOT a typical Rottie trait>

many years ago we pretty much emptied out the dining room since "entertaining' is not our thing and we don't have big families. We actually sold the sofas originally in there the first year or two we were in the house <before we got dogs> , and took the dining room table and chairs and another table down to the basement, and instead opened a large portion of that very large original "living/dining room" combo. We put the dog freezers in there, and dog crates, training equipment <I do agility, so we had a few small jumps and cavelettis in there> and dog storage chest and so now we have a space for the dogs to play and work in.

also, raw bones...don't use kibble at all, so the dogs can self-entertain by chewing on raw bones. The dog freezers are for the bones and dog food:lol:

hiding games are a lot of fun - have one person hold the dog and set yourself up away in a corner, behind something or just somewhere else in the room, have treats ready - call your dog, or clap your hands/leg, wave a cloth of flag, use whistle to get your dog to come to you - IF your dog has a Recall <dog, come> If not, work that. Work on tricks like "crawl", "sit up".....hide treats behind you and encourage the dog ti hunt for them - a natural behavior. Increase distance of treat-hiding til the treats can be in a corner across the room, or in another room, and the dog can find them. My girls both associate the verbal cue "Find" with "look for....something"

if able, run or move back and forth, calling your dog - a modified chasing game - dog learns, coming to you is fun, get treats. Increase the distance you move so that dog has to move farther to get to you.

Hide small bit of dry cold cereal, like plain Cheerios and that type of cereal or pieces of kibble, cut-up carrots in any of million types of dog food-hiding toys that are out there now, that the dog has to manipulate to get the food out of.
You can also use a clean, empty plastic milk or water jug with top and ring off, drop treats in there....make them able to come out, of course, but see if you can make it more challenging by making it so that the treats "just" can come out - dog has to expend more energy working at rolling jug, to get them out. This approach is more applicable to something you cut up yourself or maybe certain type of dry cereal, as opposed to Kibble.

Kongs- we have a ton of them....put applesauce, peanut butter, smushed banana, small bit of yogurt, add pieces of kibble, carrots, dribble of olive oil or canned fish to make it more smelly<dogs like "smelly"> - any food that safe for dogs - you can freeze them or put 'em in the fridge to harden up the contents and make it more challenging. We use raw meat in them also.

we also play Tug....

not all of this is going to work for everyone, just wanted to give an overview of ideas-
 
lol! Thanks for the links!

I like the long-legged wetsuits, and it looks like there's wetsuit shoes, too. This would certainly cut down on the number of beach towels we use daily. Muddy paws are my biggest pet peeve as they are the hardest to dry off.

I throw around a rubber ball with a long ribbon attached, it looks like a sentinel from The Matrix when it flies across the room - she loves it.

I used to use a laser pointer, but my vet tech friend gave me a good tongue lashing over that. She said laser pointers can leave a dog in a permanent state of psychosis; they won't stop searching for the light. Too bad, as that used to tire Abby out quick.
 
dogmom said:
:wave:Abby

I'm a trainer and involved in rescue, have two Rotties...we play training games, doggie-mind/puzzle games like these: Nina Ottosson - Pet activity toys & treat puzzle games
and play ball - the youngest Rottie <the baby at about a year and 1/2> actually will play Fetch for about up to 45 minutes which is NOT a typical Rottie trait>

many years ago we pretty much emptied out the dining room since "entertaining' is not our thing and we don't have big families. We actually sold the sofas originally in there the first year or two we were in the house <before we got dogs> , and took the dining room table and chairs and another table down to the basement, and instead opened a large portion of that very large original "living/dining room" combo. We put the dog freezers in there, and dog crates, training equipment <I do agility, so we had a few small jumps and cavelettis in there> and dog storage chest and so now we have a space for the dogs to play and work in.

also, raw bones...don't use kibble at all, so the dogs can self-entertain by chewing on raw bones. The dog freezers are for the bones and dog food:lol:
Click to expand...

The dog play space sounds amazing, and I should stock up on the treat games. Dogs really love to be challenged mentally as well as physically. And like your youngest, Abby is 1.5 yrs, so she's still in the rambunctious puppy stage.

I wish we could make an indoor play area for her, as I've been training her outdoors to jump through hoops. Our house is 1,100 sq ft with no basement, no wiggle room. :(

Thinking on it now, I could really maximize these indoor days to teach her new tricks.

Due to her food allergies, I can't give her rawhides or bones. I've even tried elk antlers, but all of those animal parts make her react. The rubber/dental bones just don't seem to satisfy a dog's need to chew away.
 
:wave:Abby - yeah, with our very first beloved Rottie, she was diagnosed with kidney disease at age 2- shocked the breeder and devastated us....so there were many things we had planned to compete with her in and that was not to be the case. We also had to be very careful with her about getting too hot, getting thirsty, and there was a lot of stuff she couldn't eat. To give her some outlets for activity, we did use the laser for her to chase. She loved it but it did cause some reactivity to flashing lights and as a trainer I don't recommend it for dogs usually as your vet said.
She was how we got started in holistic health care and food for dogs...I cooked for her and we gave her fluids, we had <still have> holistic vet....she lived to be 8 and 1/2 with good life quality and was able to try many of the things she was bred for, though we couldn't do anything strenuous with any activity.
I love all my dogs dearly...she was and is my heart.:aw:
 
ahh - allergies - yeah, that can present quite a challenge.
The stuffed Kongs then might be a possibility.

I really agree about the significance of both physical and mental activity.

I've also taught my dogs some basic service dog skills - pick stuff up off the floor, bring it to me, open/close doors including fridge door. My older <the 4 yr. old> of my two young Rottweilers can pick up and put away her toys. She is not a natural retriever in the least and I originally taught her a basic retrieve by backchaining- do you know that term?
 
The milk jug idea is a really good one, too (adding milk to mental grocery list).

Kong is a good idea, too, plus I like that they're made in the USA.
 
is that one of your furry friends in your avatar, Abby?

Kongs are super-handy things...we use the very large ultra-blacks but there is quite a variety.
 
I'm sorry to hear about your sweet rottie, it sounds like you gave her a great life.

PLEASE tell me about "backchaining"! As my dog will only fetch and recall if we're firmly planted on the couch, not outdoors anymore. Now she prefers us to run after her, sneaky one.

We use baby carrots or sliced apples for treats. I could probably cut a carrot up to fit in a Kong?
 
My couch potato dogs refuse to play in the house. I got some of those balls that dispense food. They have to figure out how to get the food out and it takes them a while. Also, I give them kongs and rawhide bones. They like to be brushed so I groom them. It's a challenge when they can't go outside.

ETA: carrots are great. You can cut them up and put them in a kong with peanut butter or a thick chunk of cheese on top. If you're dog is an "expert," freeze the kong to make it harder for the dog. :)
 
dogmom said:
:wave:Abby

I'm a trainer and involved in rescue and in behavioral work, have two Rotties...we play training games, doggie-mind/puzzle games like these: Nina Ottosson - Pet activity toys & treat puzzle games
and play ball - the youngest Rottie <the baby at about a year and 1/2> actually will play Fetch for about up to 45 minutes which is NOT a typical Rottie trait>

many years ago we pretty much emptied out the dining room since "entertaining' is not our thing and we don't have big families. We actually sold the sofas originally in there the first year or two we were in the house <before we got dogs> , and took the dining room table and chairs and another table down to the basement, and instead opened a large portion of that very large original "living/dining room" combo. We put the dog freezers in there, and dog crates, training equipment <I do agility, so we had a few small jumps and cavelettis in there> and dog storage chest and so now we have a space for the dogs to play and work in.

also, raw bones...don't use kibble at all, so the dogs can self-entertain by chewing on raw bones. The dog freezers are for the bones and dog food:lol:

hiding games are a lot of fun - have one person hold the dog and set yourself up away in a corner, behind something or just somewhere else in the room, have treats ready - call your dog, or clap your hands/leg, wave a cloth of flag, use whistle to get your dog to come to you - IF your dog has a Recall <dog, come> If not, work that. Work on tricks like "crawl", "sit up".....hide treats behind you and encourage the dog ti hunt for them - a natural behavior. Increase distance of treat-hiding til the treats can be in a corner across the room, or in another room, and the dog can find them. My girls both associate the verbal cue "Find" with "look for....something"

if able, run or move back and forth, calling your dog - a modified chasing game - dog learns, coming to you is fun, get treats. Increase the distance you move so that dog has to move farther to get to you.

Hide small bit of dry cold cereal, like plain Cheerios and that type of cereal or pieces of kibble, cut-up carrots in any of million types of dog food-hiding toys that are out there now, that the dog has to manipulate to get the food out of.
You can also use a clean, empty plastic milk or water jug with top and ring off, drop treats in there....make them able to come out, of course, but see if you can make it more challenging by making it so that the treats "just" can come out - dog has to expend more energy working at rolling jug, to get them out. This approach is more applicable to something you cut up yourself or maybe certain type of dry cereal, as opposed to Kibble.

Kongs- we have a ton of them....put applesauce, peanut butter, smushed banana, small bit of yogurt, add pieces of kibble, carrots, dribble of olive oil or canned fish to make it more smelly<dogs like "smelly"> - any food that safe for dogs - you can freeze them or put 'em in the fridge to harden up the contents and make it more challenging. We use raw meat in them also.

we also play Tug....

not all of this is going to work for everyone, just wanted to give an overview of ideas-
Click to expand...

I tried to hide thing for Finlay but my condo is so small he could hear what I was doing! some people get a treadmill for their dogs to run on when it too awful to go outside.
 
:wave:Sally

Abby, carrots of any type and KOngs go well together, just depends on respective sizes of both of them, as to how the treat can go in the toy. I like to make "Sundaes" - layers of stuff and ideally freeze them overnight.

Back-chaining is a learning term which refers to teaching the dog the last motion of a behavior - first. This means several things - one is - in general, when working a dog - don't lump it up. Retrieving actually has several behaviors in it and trying to teach a novice dog or an un-motivated dog the whole thing of wait-ball-throw-watch-ball-find-ball-go-out-get-ball-come-back-to-human-offer-ball is actually a very complicated sequence.
So I started with my first girlie by kneeling next to her in a quiet room inside and rewarding her for ANY interest in the ball at my feet. That means- looking at it, moving forward to it, smelling it, pawing it, leaving and returning to the area of the ball or to the actual ball - mark any of that with something that lets the dog know- yeah, that's a good try! by either visual or audible cue and then treat. Do that for about 4 or 5 times and end it, go to something dog knows how to do. Do that couple times a day, can use meal times as training times. Then gradually increase what you're after - your criteria - if you have a dog looking at it, will they touch it? if they're touching it, will they open their mouth and pick it up? if they open their mouth and pick it up, will they actually hold onto it for a second?
the type of motion described above is actually close to final result you're looking for:dog picks up ball and gives it to you - the last step in the Fetch sequence.

so say you have a dog who actually retains hold of ball - this is gonna be a lot of following dog around - the trick is to have your hand at the dog's face and try to catch that ball before or even just as they drop it - because a "non-bally" dog will likely not hold onto that for long <given they're not interested in "catch me if you can" - that's a different discussion>
so you try to catch that ball leaving the dog's mouth. If you've reinforced the very initial part of the game, the dog should be interested in engaging with you to where you can increase the amount of time the dog holds onto the ball by rewarding the longer intervals.

in general, the point is - you're VERY gradually moving backward along the chain of events that makes up the bigger picture of "dog plays Fetch", heavily rewarding at each individual point to build a chain of behavior.

you can also - or possibly instead of the complexity of back-chaining <but you might not get the solid behavior that back-chaining is more likely to give you> do the "run with me" game - handler gets SUPER-excited, runs with dog to ball, rewards HEAVILY any interest in dog toward ball - handler then runs in the other direction a few steps - enough to move forward but not too far that the handler isn't physically able to reward dog immediately for picking up the ball in attempt to chase you and continue the game. This tends to be a good starter for and can work well with young, well-socialized puppies and dogs that have a natural <but not yet full-blown> drive for the ball.
This does not work for many other dogs.
 
dogmom said:
is that one of your furry friends in your avatar, Abby?

Kongs are super-handy things...we use the very large ultra-blacks but there is quite a variety.
Click to expand...

< - Yep, that's my baby. I just experimented putting cut-up baby carrots inside a 2-liter pop bottle, she's going nuts. Of course, I still have to get a larger milk jug because Abby's managed to crush the slimmer pop bottle with her jaws. Nice toy idea, dogmom! :D
 
:wave:whatdidyousay!

I'm intrigued by the treadmill idea and the place where I get some of my agility stuff does offer a canine treadmill, different sizes. We don't really have any more space for big dog stuff in that larger "dog room" I've been describing in this thread and we'd need the biggest treadmill.

Well, maybe the Kongs for Findlay too?
 
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