It's raining, it's pouring.. the dogs are sort of snoring... Oh and it's flooding and we have a giant sink hole across the street, too. I know..... I know..... I'm terrible at poems. Sorry! Anyways, Happy Fit Dog Friday everyone! We've been having the worst rain ever this past week and it's not going to get any better. So what is a fit dog to do when a fit dog can't run outside because she's a princess and hates the rain?
Note: The following things are in addition to our regular training sessions. :)
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| Phoenix with her Buster Cube |
Puzzle Toys!
Seriously puzzle toys have been our saving grace. I have a bunch of different kinds of them but the ones that roll and really get the dogs moving are the best kind for indoor fitness. When the weather is really bad, the dogs will get all their meals in puzzle toys. Having to work for their food really keeps them busy. It's also really fun watching them work the food out of them!
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| Phoenix with her Tiger Toy |
Tug and Fetch
Luckily you can play tug anywhere and it's another great exercise and dogs love it. Phoenix is a huge fan of playing tug and she also loves fetch. They are both super easy to do and if you play the game with rules, it also becomes a training session so you work the mind and body. With tug the rules are as follows: the dog must not take the toy until they are given the cue (get it), the dog must out (drop it) when asked and the dog must not bite my hand.
We are lucky that our apartment is a decent size for fetch.. Our place isn't huge but we do have a long hallway so I can stand from one end of the apartment and toss the toy down the hall. Fetch is fun and I like to play it with rules, too. Sometimes I will ask for a sit before I throw the toy, or I will even ask for some impulse control (making the dog wait before dashing off after the toy).
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| Phoenix on her wobble board. Check out our DIY tutorial and make your own! |
Wobble Boards and Other Conditioning Equipment
A few years ago we made our own wobble board (link is in the caption of the photo) and it was one of the best projects we've done. The wobble board is great for indoor exercise. It works their leg muscles and their core. My dogs love their wobble board and we use it all the time. It's also great if you want to get your dog into agility training because it helps the dog to get used to standing on stuff that moves. After using the wobble board, Zoe in particular, was not afraid to learn the teeter. With our wobble board, we practice balance and position changes, like going from sit to stand or sit to sit pretty.
We also have a fitness ball that I will put the girls up on and it works their body very similar to the wobble board but the texture is different and it helps to provide some variety in our conditioning exercises.
What is your favorite indoor activity for your dog?
We are out and about in all weather, so our routine doesn't change much. Normally, in the house, we are happy to just snooze. Sometimes we practice our nose work homework which includes interior searches and sometimes Bailie works on catching a toy or tug a war with Mom, but most of the time we are content to just hang out.
ReplyDeleteThat's great that you get creative when the weather isn't cooperating. Jack & Maggie love puzzles toys too and they are a great fallback in the winter months.
ReplyDeleteGreat ideas!! We love playing hide and seek with dog treats when it's rainy outside. Keep their mental stimulation up!
ReplyDeleteAll Cookie's favorite activities are outdoors. But she likes training games, puzzle games, shredding cardboard boxes, kong bone filled with cheese ...
ReplyDeleteBuster cubes are great, but I love the wobble board idea. I had to pin that, I love DIY (for my husband of course). I hope the rain stops soon. Mary my dog will only go out in the rain if I go to. I guess she figures if she has to get wet so do I. BOL
ReplyDeleteLove our interactive toys, playing fetch down our hallway and our wobble board, too! Seems we have similar rainy day games! We add some hide and seek games, too.
ReplyDeleteThose all sound like some fun things to do in the rain (or if you live where we do, in the snow - not that we have any yet).
ReplyDeleteWhen it's rainy or too cold and snowy to go out and get exercise we occasionally go for a walk around at the pet store! And sometimes Edie gets a new toy to play with :)
ReplyDeleteI would love to get a wobble board for my dogs!
ReplyDeleteBrilliant information and photographs.
ReplyDeleteWe love puzzle toys!
ReplyDeleteSuch a simple, but great way to keep a dog entertained!
I am going over now to check out your wobble board tutorial. :)
I bundle Mr. N up and we go run errands or go shopping or something indoors!
ReplyDeleteTug is a huge one! I hide treats around the house and let the dogs search them out. It's Nola's favorite!
ReplyDeleteI'd never thought of using wobble boards for dogs, but thats a great idea for building core strength and leg muscles.
ReplyDeleteBar has a treat ball, which he loves for about 3 minutes at a time, and then she loses interest, but sometimes that 3 minutes is all I need for her to settle down from her crazy spells :)
ReplyDeleteWe just saw those Buster Cubes and we want one now! How cool - I enjoyed all da items, and da wobble board looks cool... not sure I could do it, but I'm willing to try!
ReplyDeleteThose all sound like terrific ways to keep entertained during a monsoon! LOL! We are expecting 2-4" tonight and tomorrow so if you build an ark, drop by the bayou! ☺
ReplyDeleteMy boy hates rain too -- and I think his attitude has rubbed off on the foster GSD girl, Kiki! Tashi's a wise elder at 16, but he still likes to play "find it" as long as it's easy. His sniffer doesn't seem to be what it once was, but because he loves his homemade cookies he really enjoys winning the game! The bone puzzle from Ottosson is an old stand-by he'll engage with for one round, and hide and seek is not so much on the menu anymore since most of his eyesight is gone. I've made adjustments and fine tuned things as he has aged so he doesn't feel suddenly at a loss. He can still move it though -- I told him it was time to make the cookies, I turned then ran down the hall to the kitchen and he came up behind me at a fast trot =)
ReplyDeleteWe have heard about all the rain in the northwest and hope that you are keeping safe. It's good you've got some fun indoor activities! Love Dolly
ReplyDeleteHi hi hi! Ojo here! That is a GIGANTIC Buster Cube! Ours is tiny in comparison! I think I am going to protest!
ReplyDeleteOur favourite indoor activity, apart from anything training, is the Find It game! Our person shows us something, and then we wait in a Stay while it gets hidden. Then we need to find it! Cobi indicates her finds by sitting beside the thing, but I pick up the thing and bring it back! We are different that way. (Cobi does not fetch, you know.)
Or, even better, sometimes Find It is our breakfast kibbles hidden all over the house! This is amazing! We do not need to indicate these, or bring them back, we just get to eat them!!!
Happy indoor activities, friends!
Kilo loves puzzle toys too. He works for part of his meals and we play indoors. He loves tug but does not have a great drop unless trading. We do balancing, chase and go find.
ReplyDeleteDallas does not like being outside in the rain or snow. She enjoys interactive toys on those days.
ReplyDeleteThese are excellent ideas! I love that wobble board. My Husky didn't like the teeter in agility, a wobble board sounds like a great way to ease into the teeter. We do puzzle toys a lot but I need to buy more of them
ReplyDeleteLove & biscuits,
Dogs Luv Us and We Luv Them
Those all look like good and fun ways to spend a rainy day with a dog! I wasn't aware of wobble boards - what a cool idea.
ReplyDeleteTheo's favorite game in the whole world is tug. Unless you count puzzle toys as a game, because eating is his most favorite activity followed by snuggling. I love that wobble board.
ReplyDeleteWhat fun ideas! Who says rainy days can't be any fun?!
ReplyDeleteThose 3 things look like a lot of fun! Puzzle toys are great because they are both a toy and a treat. What is better than that? :)
ReplyDeleteThose are some great idea! It's been raining here non-stop for over a week, so we're definitely on the look out for new ideas for some indoor fun!
ReplyDeleteWe have written about this topic and love indoor games, especially Nino Ottosson games
ReplyDeleteThose are wonderful ideas for indoor activities for dogs.
ReplyDeleteWe love puzzle toys! lulu and jasmine get their breakfast in treat balls every morning. It helps slow them down while I do my morning back routine.
ReplyDeleteChristie from lifewithbeagle.com
These are great tips for cold snowy days as well! Thanks for sharing! :)
ReplyDeleteWe're a big fan of Buster Cubes and I'm so grateful for puzzle toys like these. Thanks for posting all these cool ideas.
ReplyDeleteTug and fetch are ALWAYS a hit here (even on sunny days). I REALLY need to invest in some puzzle toys, though. REALLY, really need to!
ReplyDeleteLove the Buster Cube & the Wobble Board!! Wish I could get Finn to fetch anywhere but into water!
ReplyDeleteyour girls are so adorable - and make the perfect models.
ReplyDeleteConditioning equipment is a great idea!
ReplyDelete