Well its 2012! We rang in the new year here at Beyond Obedience with a few guests from the holiday rush but all in all there is a significant decrease in activity. Our daycare dropped off quite a bit and boarding numbers, and pack walks are down too. I understand it of course, winter is hard on everyone. I am not here to preach, but recently I have received a number of calls for behaviour consults and I can honestly say that in 9 times out of 10, the major reason for our dogs "acting out" is an abundance of energy. We aren't venturing outdoors as much and if we do we aren't out for as long. Some of our furry friends can't handle the extreme temperatures. Snow and ice can get all caught up in those paw pads. One of the stumbling blocks we have here right now is the icy conditions is hazardous for both people and dogs. We don't want to add tons of salt to the paths as it reeks havoc on our dogs paws too. So what are we to do? Well, we should try to get out as much as possible but when we can't, consider finding interesting and innovative ways to entertain your pooch inside. How about teaching your dog a new command or trick. Puzzle games and scent games which ask your dog to think outside of the box are good too! Anything really that gets your dog thinking will help rid some of the excess energy.
I was recently at Chapters and picked up a really good book by Kristen Wolf called Games and Sports for Dogs. This book is jam packed with lots of interesting things to do with your dog. Everything from sledding, agility,fly ball etc to "treasure hunts", "find the scented towel", and "cardboard box and pillow pile".
And of course for those of your that have a working breed or working mix breed, consider finding them a winter job. Our Jake (the Australian Shepard ) has been outside working hard on digging out a snow fort with our kids. He is doing an awesome job! And I recently heard from the owner of one Mariah's puppy's. She says her dog is doing his part to help out on the farm. She sent me this pic and I thought it was worth sharing. She told me that Tughar loves to work and actually looks forward to putting on his harness. Winter chores now seem more fun!
So get out (or in) and try something new, you never know maybe you will find your dog has a hidden talent!!!!
Walk on
Tracy
