Post by Kim Reid on Feb 26, 2015 16:02:02 GMT
I have received several calls in the last week or so about behavior issues. "My dog is having accidents in the house!! He/She never has accidents". "My dog is chewing things up, when I am at work." My very first question is.... Has the amount of exercise changed in the cooler weather? Your dog probably has no more interest in going out in the cold than you do. Do you just let your dog out to go to the bathroom or do you go out with them? If you just let them out, the dog is trying to figure out what he/she did wrong to be placed outside. Your dog will get as stir crazy as you do. You need to provide the dog with exercise. Mental stimulation is as important as physical activity. Try some of the suggestions below:
Create a maze in your back yard. It does not have to be a wide trail, just about a shovels width. Clear an area about 3' x 3' (size adjust for size of dog) for the dog to use the bathroom. Do not make it right out the back door or you will be sorry. Now make several pathways to it. Make pathways to nowhere just for fun.
Create indoor games to play with your pet.
"Find it"-place treats on the floor throughout the house. Keep dog on leash or in crate as you are doing this. Comes back and take leash off or let out of crate. Tell the dog to "find it". He has watched you so he should run through the house picking them up. As he gets better, hide them when he is not looking. And finally next level is to move them off the ground, on a chair, in his toy box, in his crate, behind doors, on the rim of the bathtub.
Fetch up stairs- sit at the bottom of a stair well and throw the ball up the stairs. lots of exercise for the dog.
Hide and seek
Concentration- I use a muffin tin and tennis balls. with the dog watching place a treat under the tennis ball in the muffin tin. Put tennis balls in all the holes and let the dog figure out where it is and how to get it out.
Create an obsticle course- weave through chairs, jump over broomsticks, around the sofa, any number of things.
Empty boxes are great fun too- place a treat or their favorite toy in a box and let them figure out how to get it.
Most importantly- Go outside with your dog and make sure they are going to the bathroom. Set your dog up for success and both of you will be happy campers!!!
Create a maze in your back yard. It does not have to be a wide trail, just about a shovels width. Clear an area about 3' x 3' (size adjust for size of dog) for the dog to use the bathroom. Do not make it right out the back door or you will be sorry. Now make several pathways to it. Make pathways to nowhere just for fun.
Create indoor games to play with your pet.
"Find it"-place treats on the floor throughout the house. Keep dog on leash or in crate as you are doing this. Comes back and take leash off or let out of crate. Tell the dog to "find it". He has watched you so he should run through the house picking them up. As he gets better, hide them when he is not looking. And finally next level is to move them off the ground, on a chair, in his toy box, in his crate, behind doors, on the rim of the bathtub.
Fetch up stairs- sit at the bottom of a stair well and throw the ball up the stairs. lots of exercise for the dog.
Hide and seek
Concentration- I use a muffin tin and tennis balls. with the dog watching place a treat under the tennis ball in the muffin tin. Put tennis balls in all the holes and let the dog figure out where it is and how to get it out.
Create an obsticle course- weave through chairs, jump over broomsticks, around the sofa, any number of things.
Empty boxes are great fun too- place a treat or their favorite toy in a box and let them figure out how to get it.
Most importantly- Go outside with your dog and make sure they are going to the bathroom. Set your dog up for success and both of you will be happy campers!!!