June 16, 2009
What’s a good way to exercise my dog indoors during cold or wet weather?
Miss Tristessa asked:
I live in a cold climate, and in winter my small dog puts on weight because she isn’t getting exercised enough.
I live in a cold climate, and in winter my small dog puts on weight because she isn’t getting exercised enough.
It’s easy for me to exercise indoors in the gym or by putting on an exercise DVD, but how can I encourage her to maintain fitness indoors?
Ronnie
play fetch, with a soft squishy toy.
or a treadmill?
Encourage her to play games that would have her running inside for awhile. Also, get her a coat and take her for walks in the weather! The fresh air is good for both of you. Cut her food back a little bit in the winter and maybe switch to a lower calorie version of what you feed her.
I get the leash, put it onto my dog and walk all over the place in the house.
OR
I play some game with her. What games does your dog like best? Play whatever she enjoys with her.
I have plenty of indoor games for my dogs…and we are in an apartment with two 70 lb. dogs!
I play fetch by throwing a tennis ball down the hallway or bouncing it off the wall (I have very nice neighbors.)
We play hide and seek. My husband keeps them in one room, while I go hide, then he releases them and tells them to find me.
We play follow the leader (actually my husband likes this game more than me,) where he basically just walks around and around the apartment and the dogs follow him.
And tug of war.
I live in Buffalo NY and it is cold here more than it is not. I have big dogs but I put them on the tredmill, while I am on the weights. It is great for them. I also play ball and I wrestle with them. But I also use the snow as good play time.