Exercise for the temporarily winter-housebound dog

[IrishAyes]

If you're lucky enough to have stairs and a dog that loves to chase balls, stand at the top and throw the ball down the stairs for the dog to retrieve.

Kong balls with kibble or treats hidden inside make good toys, and something sturdy enough to play tug of war with will work off a lot of excess energy. I use old sweatshirts cut and twisted into ropes. Rejects at the local Clothes Closet charity are free (good clothes are a whole dime). Then if you mount a flat screen tv VERY securely and way high up on a wall, dogs like watching nature shows. Brigid's the only one still hyper, but I think I can set up some obstacles for her to jump also.

I think when I catch them snoring, I'll hide a special toy and let them 'hunt the cat' when they wake up. I've got a large mechanized toy dog that does tricks - last year it scared Molly so I had to put it away, but Brigid might be entertained. There's a big sturdy train that runs on friction, and let me tell you those dogs love babble balls. Worth every penny and quite sturdy.

Since the house is so old, the windows reach almost to the floor, and they have their own window bench to sit and watch the world go by. Of course they will have brief outdoor potty breaks weather permitting, but the MidWest gets fierce cold. We're in the same gardening zone as southern Maine. I've seen blizzards go on for days. It can get 20 below not counting wind chill.

Does anyone else have favorite indoor games to keep the dogs entertained? I wonder how a nerf ball would fare in a JRT's jaws?

[hlthe2b]

1. Well, I know this won't be an answer for many, but I'm going to try to teach my girlie

to walk on the treadmill... Regardless of weather, though, she's going to have to have at least the equivalent of her 3.5-4 miles/day plus the dog park...so I don't anticipate too many totally indoor days, no matter how bad it gets...


That said, she's a bouncy girl and I can give her lots of exercise just jumping up and down off the bed after toys (don't try this if you have a small dog prone to back injuries--dachshunds and the like)...

Stairs are good too for the medium to large dogs (and less vulnerable small dogs)...

Nothing replaces exercise of course, but mental stimulation does help--stock up on safe, long lasting chew toys.

[IrishAyes]

2. Thanks - I hadn't thought of treadmills. I use a small trampoline with a chicken bar in winter.

There are YouTube videos on easy designs for homemade treadmills.

I'm very happy for people who won't face our problems this winter, believe me. I never had to worry about the chows even when they got old because they loved to curl up in the snow and sleep. Now, Molly has a fairly short coat and Brigid's so slick she looks like a cue ball. Every time I've put sweaters on them, they ripped them off even outdoors. I think 45 seconds was the longest anything lasted.

Basically my living room will have to serve as a big play room, I guess, with a special little spot just for me in the corner. Oh well, it beats other situations hands down.

[Auntie Bush]

3. I don't think a nerf ball would last more than a few seconds in the mouth of a JRT.

I take one of her favorite toys and toss it. She runs after it and I chase her all over the house. She always outsmarts me by lying in wait for slow poke me and suddenly goes in the opposite direction or under the table between chairs. She runs back and forth from behind the furniture light lightening and I'm afraid she'll run into something when she suddenly changes direction. It's good exercise for her and me too! I get so exhausted I have to quit. Then I sit on the/her couch to catch my breath and she gives me her toy after a brief struggle and I toss it as far as I can often fooling her about which direction I tossed it. It's fun for both of us. I just wish I had more stamina and could play longer. She/Rosie needs some younger people around here.

[IrishAyes]

5. No treadmill but I'm looking for one, and I've seen plans on YouTube for cheap homemade ones.

Maybe I'll get lucky and Brigid will join me on the trampoline. She bounces around enough w/o one. Of course I'll still go out with them briefly a time or 2 in the day. In this tiny town they didn't have any real decent frisbees, so I bought a $1 6 pk of cheap plastic plates and glued 2 together to make them heavy enough to throw. It's funny, last winter I had to keep Molly Maguire busy; this year their positions have changed. At 1 1/2, MM's already settled down into zen-like serenity for the most part, and at 11 months Brigid's basically spastic 24/7.

It's funny when we have our 3-point ball games outdoors. Brigid chases them one at a time when I throw them and Molly tries to scarf one up and run with it. I don't want her to feel left out so I pretend to chase her while I manage to keep Brigid at a run. It almost makes me dizzy and I start laughing and cackling like a hen that just laid an egg. Or worse. The old coot neighbor to my south has told people I must be on drugs from the sound of it. Sometimes MM runs off entirely with a ball and hides it when I'm too busy with Brigid to keep an eye on her. Today she hid one in the tall vegetation out by the propane tank. If I hadn't used a rake on the area, I'd never have found it.

Poor thing hung her head like a little criminal when I shouted "Aha! Here it IS!" She can give you the most effective guilt stare in the world. How could you do this to me, Ma? She's the one who sits in my lap and makes me feed her individual bites of kibble by hand. If I stop, she starts to whine and looks on the verge of tears.

Yes, I'm a total idiot.

[Myrina]

6. My Cattle Dogs LOVE "Stairball" ....

... I've played it with them for years, rolling a tennis ball down the basement steps & letting them go after it.

5 or 6 turns each & they're worn out.

[IrishAyes]

7. Glad to hear it. At Brigid's age she might lack the sense of when to stop,

just like some race horses will literally run themselves to death given half a chance. So for now at least I have to restrict her energy outbursts just a little. (Do you remember the little gray colt that ran the KY Derby on a broken leg at least the last furlong?)

BTW, not that I don't love all dogs, but cattle dogs must be some of the best.

[Myrina]

9. Oh yah, the drive is ridiculous ....

Hank used to swim for his frisbee in summer and there were times when he was literally sinking from near exhaustion but would not come out of the water so I had to go out & get him. He would not come in on his own. Same for stairball: I would have to put the balls away and turn off the basement lights and he would STILL 'stalk' me in 'fetch' mode even though he was huffing and puffing.

I love ACD's more than any other breed but they truly do not know when to stop. I've read they have extremely high pain threshholds and will, like you said, push themselves until they fall over if not being handled by someone who knows them & their limits.

[Aerows]

8. I have a cat that needs to stay inside

and is energetic as can be. I play fish with her, meaning a dowel with a string and an item attached to it. Cats can fly if they are encouraged to work off their energy without getting too cold . Not the same as a dog, but fun for both the kitty and the owner involved without anyone getting out in the wet and cold!