[jmamom]

Hi,
We got a good pile of snow here yesterday, and I'm having a hard time channelling all that puppy energy. Josie likes jumping around in the snow for a little while, but after 15 minutes, tops, she gets tired of being snowy and pulls me back in the house. She was especially cranky yesterday - she really didn't like the snow blowing at her. I don't want to go to the pet store again, the people there already recognize me and say "weren't you just here the other day?", but I don't know where else to take her. Anyone have some good ideas?
Thanks!

 

[Jupiter's Human]

I don't know where in MA you are, but we still take Jupiter to the beach in the winter. He loves sniffing the seaweed and playing with the (many many) other dogs. It would have to be insanely freezing and windy for us not to go, because this usually poops him out for half of the day.

 

[jmamom]

The beach is definately on my list - especially next week when the kids are off from school. We are about 40 minutes away from Gloucester, so not too far.
Thanks for the help!

 

[zeke11]

Wish we had a beach :-( Well there's Lake Michigan, but its always so windy there.

Anyway, we play fetch in the house - yeah, its insane. Our living room opens into the hallway then to the kitchen so I roll a ball or other toy down and he runs to get it, sometimes crashing into the piano.

I just bought a 30' training lead. I'm going to walk Duffy to the park and then let him run around on it. I don't know what else to do! I can't run (heart stuff) and we don't have a nice open yard. Its a fair sized yard, but there's a big stinking above ground pool in the middle of it so that takes up the running space.

I can throw a ball from the deck to the back of the yard (behind the pool), but then Duffy is running up and down the deck stairs to get it. Its hard to describe, but because of the pool by the deck, there's no open running space. I'd get rid of the pool (we don't use it much anymore), but I think Duffy might enjoy it in the summertime!

Kris

 

[Faith's mommy]

huh. i can't imagine. i usually have to drag this dog shaped popsicle back into the house once my fingers and toes go numb. she then sits and looks out the back door letting out heavy sighs to let me know how mean i am for bringing her inside.

the only thing i can think of for you is a book of tricks. great day to teach her to bow, roll over, open the fridge, etc.

 

[twofastdogs]

I'm no expert since my puppy doesn't come home until 01/02 but in looking for puppy classes I found a place that has open playtime in the evening. (wow long sentence) Anyways, it is specifically for puppies. Just an idea.

 

[mx3fam]

Do you have any friends or neighbors with the same "problem"- maybe you can arrange a play date.

 

[Eleanor's Mom]

Where do you live in Massachusetts- We live just outside of Boston and there are several doggie daycares in the area that do anything from a few hours to all day. We take Eleanor there one day a week and she loves it. She comes home exhausted and just sleeps for the rest of the evening. She is often asleep before the car is out of the parking lot. When she was just a puppy, I would take her for a few hours and that would be enough to tire her out.

 

[Maxs Mom]

Ignore the store folks and go anyway. That is what we do. Of course we have several in the area so we visit different stores. It is a great place to socialize, work on focus, not eating all the treats at nose level. We do a lot in pet stores when it get obscenely cold here.

Also do trick training teach her to spin one direction or the other, bow, high five. Mental work can quiet them and reduce boredom.

Ann

 

[slip_kid]

doggie daycare. woke this am at 5:45 and it was about 5 degrees with teh windchill, decided it was worth the $20 to drop comet off for the day and not have to do two 40 minute walks outside. heck the sidewalks aren't even clear yet.

 

[jmamom]

No doggie friends around in the daytime like me :no:, but I do know of a couple of places that do daycare. I'm pretty sure I'll be doing that at least once a week, even for a couple of hours. A trainer I met with highly recommended it for puppies in the winter, because otherwise they just don't get out and meet enough dogs this time of year. I certainly want to make sure she's socialized with other dogs, so it will be worth it. One location is at my vets office, and thats where we'll be boarding her for our summer vacation. So hopefully by June she'll think of it as a fun place. I have found that working on her commands does tire her out, even if it spoils her dinner. Well, if its a snowy winter, at least Josie will be learning alot of tricks! Thanks!!

 

[cinnamonteal]

Here's a few ideas for indoor fun times:
1. Play indoor fetch. I like to use a racquet ball and play down our carpeted hallway. (Since he's all grown up now, sometimes I put boxes in the hallway for him to jump over to add an extra challenge.)
2. Hide and seek. Great with 2 or more people. Guaranteed to give Caleb the zoomies!
3. Hide treats and have her find them. Like hide and seek, but with food.
4. When he was a puppy, we would practice recall in the house a lot.
5. Working for meals. Get a treat dispensing toy or use meal times as a training opportunity.
6. And my very favorite - Invite a friendly dog over to play.