Indoor Exercise

[Guest alf7199]

I know daily walks are good for doggies... but with all I have heard from our neighbors that may not be an option this winter (or any that follow) while living in our new house. We bought a house on a mountain in Utah. Our neighbors have told us that the snow/snow drifts can get up to 6 ft and sometimes bigger. Also, the sidewalks and roads are not always clear. And sometimes you can't see through the snow/fog. So, we have a fenced backyard which he uses to go potty and sometimes zoomies. He gets his meals in the Kong Wobbler. When we leave he is crated with a muzzle on and a stuffed Kong. We are working on SA... boredom... being alone... I don't know what to call it anymore. We do stair exercises, up, command, treat, down, command, treat, repeat. But I am looking for more ideas because I know it is going to be a long winter. When the weather and circumstances permit, we will be going on walks even for 10-15 mins everyday, just to get out. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!!

[GeorgeofNE]

10-15 minute walks?

 

That's not really much exercise.

 

While you don't want to endanger yourself on unplowed roads, you COULD play with in in the back yard!

 

You're going to have to trample down the snow any way. I know some folks actually snow blower a "race track" in their yard!

 

I don't have a fenced yard, and I live in New England, and I walk no matter what (other than if I'm very ill). But if I had a yard I'd probably choose to find something fun for the dog to do out there. Recognize you'll have to go out with him! Could be anything--hide and seek with dog biscuits? Maybe he'll run after a stuffy?

 

Be creative!

[OwnedBySummer]

I made a lure pole at someone's suggestion! Great fun, great exercise! And you don't have to leave your back yard! Just buy a 5' or 6' equestrian lunging whip (a cheap one, I only paid $10 for mine), tie the hook side of a strip of velcro to the end of the lash, buy a cute little white stuffy, stick it to the velcro and voila -- instant fun! They play really really hard with this so only do a couple of minutes the first time. Yup, literally, just a couple of minutes. Your pup will be panting by that point. It was also suggested to me, if your pup still has dew claws, that you may want to vet wrap them before playing with the lure pole to prevent any accidental leg slashing. I just made sure that Summer's are blunt and haven't had any issues.

[Guest Wasserbuffel]

a 5' or 6' equestrian lunging whip

 

That's a wonderful idea. I've been thinking of making a lure pole, but didn't know what would work. I take one of my cats out with a fishing pole and a toy mouse sometimes, but that wouldn't work for a grey. (Now we have to sneak around when we go fishing, because if he sees the poles he'll get all excited and teased.)

[Guest alf7199]

If 10-15 minutes walk is all we can do, in my opinion it is better then nothing. There are brutal winds, wind chill to worry about at 6500' life is different then in New England. I know because we moved here from there. It was easy to walk in New England, down the street that was cleaned off, with some wind but tolerable and mostly flat with plenty of oxygen in the air. Sometimes the wind blows so hard it literally takes your breath away. Did I mention we live on a mountain, so it is NOT flat, 6%-10% inclines, in my neighborhood, after 10-15 minutes, the dogs are usually panting and we are out of breath. Our backyard is NOT huge or big for that matter, it is a postage stamp, and from what I hear, we get big drifts back there because of the fence as well. I do shovel for my dogs, I did it in New England and do it here. I go go out there and play, we were out playing in 8 inches of snow 2 weeks ago. So that is NOT a problem either but as I said there will be times when it is not posible. I am not going to risk the safety of myself, my child or my dogs for a walk. If we can do it, we can... hence the reason I am on here looking for suggestions. So please only respond if you are going to be supportive and give suggestions. That is what I thought GT was for.

 

I made a lure pole at someone's suggestion! Great fun, great exercise! And you don't have to leave your back yard! Just buy a 5' or 6' equestrian lunging whip (a cheap one, I only paid $10 for mine), tie the hook side of a strip of velcro to the end of the lash, buy a cute little white stuffy, stick it to the velcro and voila -- instant fun! They play really really hard with this so only do a couple of minutes the first time. Yup, literally, just a couple of minutes. Your pup will be panting by that point. It was also suggested to me, if your pup still has dew claws, that you may want to vet wrap them before playing with the lure pole to prevent any accidental leg slashing. I just made sure that Summer's are blunt and haven't had any issues.

 

 

Where can I buy one of those? Do you drag it across the floor or through the air? Sorry, I need more directions... Would it be better to get a different color to use in the snow besides white?

[TheFullHouse]

Is your house big enough that you could teach the dogs "fetch"? You could use stuffies, balls, whatever. That gives them a little bit of exercise and keeps their minds busy.

[Guest alf7199]

Is your house big enough that you could teach the dogs "fetch"? You could use stuffies, balls, whatever. That gives them a little bit of exercise and keeps their minds busy.

 

 

He does that for about 5 minutes and is done He likes to take the stuffies all into his crate and "hide" them.

 

My house is a pretty decent size, three levels so 2 sets of stairs each about 16 stairs.

[Guest spaztastic_fam]

This is an expensive option but I purchased a treadmill for the winter time with me and my two dogs. My border collie is a handful and has horrible separation anxiety. We started slow with a few minutes walking on the treadmill with cookies and now I can't get on without him...he loves it and hops up all year round. My grey is very shy and curious about it so we have been going much slower but she is starting to get on too! It has been a lifesaver when I am too sick or it is too cold. Wimbly will walk for up to 45 minutes if I sit nearby

[OwnedBySummer]

If 10-15 minutes walk is all we can do, in my opinion it is better then nothing. There are brutal winds, wind chill to worry about at 6500' life is different then in New England. I know because we moved here from there. It was easy to walk in New England, down the street that was cleaned off, with some wind but tolerable and mostly flat with plenty of oxygen in the air. Sometimes the wind blows so hard it literally takes your breath away. Did I mention we live on a mountain, so it is NOT flat, 6%-10% inclines, in my neighborhood, after 10-15 minutes, the dogs are usually panting and we are out of breath. Our backyard is NOT huge or big for that matter, it is a postage stamp, and from what I hear, we get big drifts back there because of the fence as well. I do shovel for my dogs, I did it in New England and do it here. I go go out there and play, we were out playing in 8 inches of snow 2 weeks ago. So that is NOT a problem either but as I said there will be times when it is not posible. I am not going to risk the safety of myself, my child or my dogs for a walk. If we can do it, we can... hence the reason I am on here looking for suggestions. So please only respond if you are going to be supportive and give suggestions. That is what I thought GT was for.

 

I made a lure pole at someone's suggestion! Great fun, great exercise! And you don't have to leave your back yard! Just buy a 5' or 6' equestrian lunging whip (a cheap one, I only paid $10 for mine), tie the hook side of a strip of velcro to the end of the lash, buy a cute little white stuffy, stick it to the velcro and voila -- instant fun! They play really really hard with this so only do a couple of minutes the first time. Yup, literally, just a couple of minutes. Your pup will be panting by that point. It was also suggested to me, if your pup still has dew claws, that you may want to vet wrap them before playing with the lure pole to prevent any accidental leg slashing. I just made sure that Summer's are blunt and haven't had any issues.

 

 

Where can I buy one of those? Do you drag it across the floor or through the air? Sorry, I need more directions... Would it be better to get a different color to use in the snow besides white?

 

I chose white for the stuffie solely because every picture of a mechanical track lure that I've ever seen... seems to be white. But I'm sure another color would be fine. Just make sure it's a very light stuffy, barely even stuffed. Mine also has a squeaker. You can get the lunging whip at any equestrian supply store. I got mine at a Greenhawk. They are in both the US and Canada and you can also order online, if you can't find either a Greenhawk or any equestrian supply store in your area. Here's the link directly to the whip which I bought: 5' Whip

 

As to how to play with it... I drag it on the ground in really big circles. I also flip it around in the air. I change directions, too. You can get a little dizzy with all the spinning! I have pictures of me using the lure pole, if you PM me your email address I will send them to you. And if you need a closeup picture of any part of it, I'm happy to take one for you.

 

Ed.: I see you don't have too many posts, you might not be able to PM me. Perhaps you can post a "throw away" email address that I can use?

Edited November 10, 2010 by OwnedBySummer

[Guest alf7199]

Any pics you could provide would be GREYT!!!

 

thefrappiers at yahoo.com

 

Thank you so much!!!

[OwnedBySummer]

Okay, on their way!

[Guest mcsheltie]

I either use my treadmill or the stairs. If your dogs are food oriented you can thrown food down the stairs and then rattle the dish so they run back up to you. I use high value food like strips of chicken, cheese or something nasty and smelly Mine won't work for kibble!

[Guest Greyt_dog_lover]

Alf,

If you were offended by what George posted, WOW you are in for a major shock. Get thicker skin. You should see some of the more "heated" topics.

 

As far as a lure pole, I went to a taxidermist and purchsed a few coyote tails to use as a lure. Also, if you do have a taxidermist then you could get a "scotch call" (google this: Scotch Game Calls Hardwood Predator Call Model 1503) and have it sewn into a pocket made of out animal hide and tie this to a lure pole. From what I have been told, a lot of trainers us a similar model of call when training the hounds on the farm. My hounds GO NUTS with just the tail, but every now and then I will hide in the house and use the Scotch call to play hide and seek. Just realize they will really come after the sound so make sure you are ready to be tackled. When I play this game I actually muzzle everyone as when they get to the sound they try to rip it out of my hand and get so excited they "yell" at each other.

 

 

Chad

[NeylasMom]

 

My house is a pretty decent size, three levels so 2 sets of stairs each about 16 stairs.

It sounds like you have the perfect home for a couple of things. One would just be playing hide and seek with your dogs. Easier if you have a partner, one person holds the dog, the other hides somewhere. Then the person holding the dog gives a cue like "Go find momma'" and he hunts for you until he finds you. When he does, you're the reward, but I would make it even more exciting by playing with him with stuffies, playing tug, giving treats, whatever he enjoys the most. Obviously when you start, hide in very easy spots until he gets hte idea and knows what the cue means. You could play this a ton inside given the amount of space you have (I live in a tiny 1 bedr condo so I run out of hiding places very quickly). If you need to play by yourself, you'll need to teach your dog to stay, then release him with teh "come find me" cue.

 

The other suggestion I have is scent work. This is actually an up and coming dog sport, but you can certainly pick up a book or a video and learn it on your own. It's less physical activity, especially at first, but involves a lot of brain power, which is tiring for dogs too. To give you just an example, to begin you would just get a few boxes of varying sizes and spread them out around the room. Put your dog somewhere - behind a gate or in a crate and drop food into one of the boxes. He can watch you do this, but you will pretend like you're dropping food into each box so he can't tell where you put the food. Then you release him and let him go until he finds the food. When he does, lots of praise and also drop more food into the box while he's eating the ones he's found. Then start over, switching the box that has the food. You work up to hiding the food in the room, but not in boxes, then expand to multiple rooms. Take it slowly and always make it easy enough that he can success before goign to the next level.

 

I also play a lot of tug with my male right now b/c I don't want to leave Neyla behind while I walk him every single day. So on days where I don't, we play fetch in the house or we play tug. Tug is incredibly tiring physical activity so I really like that for days when we can't do a good walk at all.

 

For the lure, I found rabbit hides at my local craft shop (Michael's or some place like that). I've never made a lure like that, I just picked them up because I thought they'd be good rewards for recall training.

 

And that brings me to my last suggestion - any type of training really. Mental stimulation is a good substitute for physical activity so I would do lots of short training sessions on days when you can't get out. You could do basic obedience, tricks, flyball techniques, get a little agility set up that you could practice with inside (the latter two would be more physical), teach him to put away his own toys, anything! You might consider taking a training class now in any one of these areas so you can get some solid techniques down, then practice at home later.

 

Finally, there are two great booklets on playing with your dogs that would give you tons of ideas of things to do to have fun and stay occupied. The books are very similar, I can't necessarily recommend one over the other, by 2 of my favorite dog training authors:

 

Play Together Stay Together by Patricia McConnell

Play With Your Dog by Pat Miller

[Guest avadogner]

Wow it amazes me that the weather is so bad there. I live in Alabama and we spaz if we get even a dusting. But we also have to deal with tornados for 6 months then hurricanes the other 6 months. It's hotter than hell in the summer and the humidity will suffocate you. Hounds can get heat stroke really fast. I followed an idea Summer's mum gave me and made a Tetherball like toy for Augie. I'm awaiting a kidney transplant and some days I'm too sick to get a good walk in. I turned one of the poles my DH's hammock hangs from in the summer into a toy by having the the DH put a hook on top, run a bit of rope into it and tying a toy to then end. It hangs just about his head level so he has jump and work to get at it. I has helped wear him out a little better. I also put a backpack with 4 full bottles of water on him to turn a short walk into a better workout for him. It's the only way I can walk him and my senior at the same time. He's only 4 and she's 10 with arthritis so the pack slows him down. Keep warm up there!

-ava and augie's mum

[Trihounds]

Alf,

If you were offended by what George posted, WOW you are in for a major shock. Get thicker skin. You should see some of the more "heated" topics.

 

Chad

 

[Sighthounds4me]

Mental exercise is good too - it tires them out just as much! I often work on obedience like sits and downs. You can do hide and seek with pieces of kibble or treats. You could even take him shopping if you have a pet store near you - you'd get socialization AND mental exercise.

[Yamaha_gurl]

Alf,

If you were offended by what George posted, WOW you are in for a major shock. Get thicker skin. You should see some of the more "heated" topics. meaner bullies who have nothing nice to say.

 

 

Fixed for ya!

 

Alf, all you need is a oven mitt. This provides my greyhound with minutes of fun play! You pretend the mitt is going to attack your greyhound, then she'll bite it..you make the mitt dance, chases..etc, lots of fun.

[Sighthounds4me]

Alf,

If you were offended by what George posted, WOW you are in for a major shock. Get thicker skin. You should see some of the more "heated" topics.

 

Chad

 

 

Yes, and, the grade percentage was not mentioned in the first post. Nor was it mentioned that the yard is tiny. All that was said was that the OP had a yard, and that 10-15 minute walks could be managed. If it was up to us to infer the rest, sorry, but many of us failed our mind-reading classes!

 

Also keep in mind that many people skim many posts. If things get mentioned more than once, or someone states something obvious, that's life. Take what you can from each post, and leave the rest!

[Guest issy]

No advice here, just wanting to commiserate. This will be our first winter with Enzo in Utah (welcome!) - (we're not on any mountains like you, but still very high elevation in Utah Valley) and we're trying to figure out what the best way to exercise him will be. Our grades aren't as steep as yours, but man, some days are just pure misery outside here. Good luck! There's a dog park in Sandy, by the way, and I bet if you are able to run your baby a few times a week it will help him stay tired Feel free to PM me if you'd like a weekend dog park buddy, on nice days at least!

-Lisa

[Guest lasharp1209]

I second (or third?) the lure pole. Keeps you warm too

 

I bought a lunge whip at Tractor Supply, it was about $15-20, and I just tied the end of the rope around the stuffy's neck. Hasn't come off yet!

 

I really think you can do it with a small yard - they can turn super tight circles, but even if you all you can do is bounce it up and down he will love it. Mine isn't really crazy about toys in general, but the lure pole... as soon as we go outside he runs over to it and begs to play with it. Just pretend it is a REALLY big cat toy. Takes a while to get the hang of it and the dogs are super fast, but you learn what works for your dog. Me, as soon as he catches it I let go and let him run off with it, then walk over to him. Beats having my arm pulled out of its socket.

[OwnedBySummer]

I second (or third?) the lure pole. Keeps you warm too

 

I bought a lunge whip at Tractor Supply, it was about $15-20, and I just tied the end of the rope around the stuffy's neck. Hasn't come off yet!

 

I really think you can do it with a small yard - they can turn super tight circles, but even if you all you can do is bounce it up and down he will love it. Mine isn't really crazy about toys in general, but the lure pole... as soon as we go outside he runs over to it and begs to play with it. Just pretend it is a REALLY big cat toy. Takes a while to get the hang of it and the dogs are super fast, but you learn what works for your dog. Me, as soon as he catches it I let go and let him run off with it, then walk over to him. Beats having my arm pulled out of its socket.

 

I thought about tying it on but went the velcro route instead, so that she can "catch" it and proudly run off with it to "kill" it. I didn't want her taking the whip with her. How do you find it works with it permanently tied on instead of removable?

[Guest cyndiandsaoirse]

Our Saoirse plays "soccer"- we joke and call her Pele! We got a round treat ball- it looks like a giant orange golf ball (it has dimples in it), with a hole in it. I think we got it at Petsmart. You put treats in it, but unlike the cubes and stuff, you really have to work to get the treats out. Saoirse has perfected the "paw and spin" manouver- it's amazing to watch her work the ball- she keeps it on the rug (she doesn't walk on the hardwood unless she has to, and then reluctantly)- she also wrinkles her brow because she is really working hard and concentrating. She can pull and spin it with her paw until she has worked every treat out of it, and then she lays down exhausted!!

The hardest part is finding treats to fit it, but Science Diet has some treats now, they are dental treats (pix of Pomeranian on the front). These are perfect.

Good luck!

[Guest blankdog]

No advice here, just wanting to commiserate. This will be our first winter with Enzo in Utah (welcome!) - (we're not on any mountains like you, but still very high elevation in Utah Valley) and we're trying to figure out what the best way to exercise him will be. Our grades aren't as steep as yours, but man, some days are just pure misery outside here. Good luck! There's a dog park in Sandy, by the way, and I bet if you are able to run your baby a few times a week it will help him stay tired Feel free to PM me if you'd like a weekend dog park buddy, on nice days at least!

-Lisa

 

I've taken my girl to the sandy park a few times! However, they recently switched it from grass to bark(for a little while anyway until rennovations are finished) and she has a really hard time. I think the bits of bark hurt her feet, she acts so uncomfortable the whole time! I don't know where in Utah Valley youre from(im in springville) but there is a HUGE grassy fenced in area in provo that I take my dogs to and they love it! PM me if you want directions, its great for my grey to run around in!!

 

 

This has already been mentioned but taking your pet to the local pet store can be great indoor excercise. You get mental and physical stimulation. You can sign up for a group training course at Petsmart. They are about an hour and classes usually have 5 or so dogs. You get excesize, solilization and training for your greyhound!

I also occasionally drop my girl off at doggie day care for a few hours (some places charge just a few bucks per hour so it can be pretty inexpensive). Shes always exhausted when I pick her up and I know she got some good socializing time in. Plus, i can get her out of the house for a few hours while I clean up!

[Xan]

Lure pole!

When walking isn't a good option, or only short walks, or just because Pogo will otherwise drive me insane not let me work, lure pole is my savior.

As you can see, we just used a 1" pvc pipe, drilled a hole in the end, and tied a toy to it. We started with a stuffie, but getting thwacked with a muddy stuffie from time to time was really a drag! So then we tried a gallon plastic jug, but the wind blew it around too much. Then we tried one of those rubber honey-comb-type balls, and that has been a winner. Tough, cuts through the air, has enough weight, and isn't quite so wet when it hits you.

We've learned many ways to move with it to keep Pogo going (he's the only one that will play with it, and he's obsessed!) The latest is to just swing it along on the other side of the fence. He chases it and goes NUTS! We play in the yard with muzzles on all the dogs, so getting it back from him when he does catch it might seem easy, but no! He can pin that thing down like nobody's business! After a few shoulder and wrist injuries I figured out how to line up with his head and just take off running with the pole. I can usually get it away from him that way.

I'll leave you with a picture of my bathtub after rinsing off the spring mud off him from one of our little sessions. He did learn to jump into the bath, or hold still for the hose, with all the practice!

Edited November 11, 2010 by Xan