Keeping Your Dog Active When it's Cold
Opportunity Barks™ Behavior & Training
By Leigh Siegfried, CPDT

As the days get shorter and the nights get colder, many of us get home from the office with a precious few minutes to get outside for a quick game of fetch or a walk in the neighborhood. With winter approaching, how do you keep your dog active and well exercised? Here are some creative ideas to do just that!

Find it!
This is an easy way for your pup to work for dinner or to exercise your dog in the house. Simply toss a handful of kibble and say, "Find it!" and let the nose do the work. This is great exercise for dogs that are natural born sniffers. You can also put some garlic powder or Parmesan cheese on the kibble to make it extra interesting to find. After Fido finds all the pieces, call him back to you and reward him for coming. This is a great way to practice recalls too.

Tracking…
Got hounds? Tie a hotdog to a long piece of floss and drag it around a grassy area. Put pieces of hotdog at the end of your "trails". Let Fido out in the back yard or put him on a long line and let him sniff his way around. Did you know sniffing burns calories?

Step Aerobics!
If you have a stairs in your home, you can use them for the Find it! Game- tossing food up and down the stairs. Also, if you have a dog that fetches, tossing a toy up and down stairs helps get the body in motion.

Push Ups!
Get down and give me 20! If you're pup has a great sit and down, start to combine these behaviors and have you dog sit, down, sit several times in a row. This is great to get the blood flowing and practice your obedience at the same time.

Agility Jumps!
Does you dog love to jump and explore? If so, in a hallway, you can use your leg or place a low barrier- a duffel bag, fluffy pillow or even a small box. Using a food, lure your dog over this low object a few times. Once the dog is willingly jumping over the object, then start to toss treats back and forth. You can also make your own jump for the back yard using a broom and a two boxes.

Go Tunnel!
If you have some large cardboard boxes, then you have a disposable play tunnel! Remove the top and bottom of the box and toss treats near the "entrance" and also inside the box. Reward your pup lavishly if they willingly walk in. Begin to toss treats further and further. If you're dog is having fun with this, start to run toward the other end and call your dog through.

Cold weather doesn't necessarily mean less exercise. While you're enjoying the warmth inside, get creative and reward your well-exercised companion with some cuddling on the couch!

Leigh Siegfried is a Behavior Counselor and Trainer with Opportunity Barks™, offering private lessons, behavior consultations, group classes and workshops in Northern Virginia, DC and Philly Metro areas. Have a training question or want more information?
Visit www.opbarks.com or call 1-888-OPBARKS.