In cold weather, both dogs and people tend to spend more time indoors and, as a result, get less exercise. While ice skating and snowboarding aren’t sports your dog can share, with a little planning, you can create a veritable canine winter Olympics! Here are some ideas for activities that can be adapted to indoor fun.
Obstacle Course
Leap over a pile of leaves, tunnel through a cardboard box, walk across a picnic-bench bridge, race up a leaning plank, leap into the sandbox, bound across a snowball-wall-invent a course with whatever safe options you find.
Try going through the course together, leash-walking your dog over or under the obstacles. Use lots of encouragement, a few key commands, praise and some good treats. You might find that UP, DOWN, COME and SIT are especially useful. Use the same words every time, and stand just on the other side of the obstacle so that the dog is coming toward you.
Remember to progress slowly. Make each challenge a success before adding another one. Set up the first course with only two or three objects, and build up to six or seven. An adult’s help is recommended. Use only sturdy, steady obstacles for safety. Nothing should slide or wobble under the dog’s weight. Remember that when leaping, a dog’s legs push hard and that could upset something that isn’t heavy or anchored well. Nothing on the course should be sharp, splintered or movable. No dog should ever jump to or from something that is taller than the top of his head. Toy and long-backed breeds like dachshunds shouldn’t jump from any height at all. Make the course short and easy so your dog can complete it without frustration.
Search and Rescue
This is a version of the "Find it" game, in which your dog "rescues" biscuits trapped under a backyard "avalanche". Have your dog sit. Place a bit of biscuit a few feet away and five the command FIND IT! Praise the dog the instant he snatches the treat. After a few successes, move the treat a bit farther away. Eventually, poke it just under the snow or hide it behind a bush or tree. In each case, say, FIND IT! and praise your dog the instant he does. You can also play this game with a tennis ball or favorite toy. Or play it in the house, hiding rather than burying the objects.
Gymnastics
A balance beam is ideal for dogs! Find a plank of wood that is about one foot wide and as long as you’d like. Place it right on the ground or raise it just a few inches above with packed snow, bricks or anything that provides sturdy support. To start, leash-walk your dog across the beam, using coaxing words like "here we go". Eventually, your dog can walk the beam off-leash.
