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What do you do in bad weather?

5K views 36 replies 30 participants last post by  JakodaCD OA 
#1 ·
Looking for ideas to keep Miss Karly busy when the weather is too bad to spend much time outside. This morning we went for a very quick walk, maybe 10 minutes. It was so cold and damp neither of us wanted to be out there! We worked on commands and she spent some time chewing on her antler and emptied the food from the Kong. She spent a little time playing in the back yard too. Now, she is still full of energy and I don't know what to do with her. She is confined to the kitchen, which isn't small, in order to let my old dog have peace. She will play with her toys for a bit then start whining. I know she is bored. I taught a new command last night. How often should I add new commands? I don't want to confuse or overwhelm her. Thanks for any replies!
 
#8 ·
get wet , get dirty and curse .

:laugh: Trust me, I did plenty of that this morning! If the wind wasn't so terrible I would have stayed out longer. I just couldn't take it. When Karly was outside playing by her self she ran out on to the pool. It has a safety cover so no chance of her falling in but she did sink enough to get wet up to her stomach. This is when she was ready to come in. I'm wondering how much of the nasty weather she should be able to stand at 11 weeks? It's only about 30 degrees and the wind is howling out there.
I will look into focus, follow the hand, and impulse control. I just wish I had more experience training dogs. This is my first pup this young and I have been looking at Youtube videos to train her. I have taught her sit, lay down, shake and stand. Can anyone tell me if there is such thing as teaching too many commands too fast? I don't want to screw this up. Thanks!
 
#5 ·
Our basement is finished but empty so we play fetch, tug, and with the flirt pole down there, it's the only place in the house that's carpet so he has good grip rather then hardwood. Training does help keep the mind busy. All else fails, crating or being leashes to me has helped.

Also stuffed kongs, and fresh marrow and knuckle bones that are frozen
 
#6 ·
My two are going stir crazy. With temps in the low teens to single digits I don't do much with them. They are fine witht he cold weather but I can't stay out in it too long. While we are in a bigger house, my brother has it so tore up with multiple remodeling projects we can't do anything indoors. They go out without me frequently during the day, but I am sure they miss having 'mom' to play with. There are not eough bones in the world to keep them entertained, so eventually, somehow, someway, I am going to get my own place so we can t least work on stuff indoors.
 
#17 ·
I don't do well in the really cold weather either. We have a dog door so they can go outside whenever they want. I also will bundle up and take them out into the full fenced yard more frequently but for less time. Where I would do two play trips into the full yard 30-40 mins. I do 4 trips at 10 min each. Its not enough :crazy: but I do what I can and add in extra bones and play time inside.

Forgot to add put them in the car and take them for a ride. They enjoy that. :)
 
#7 ·
invest in good thermal under wear - the type that skiers use, high tech material , same for outer clothes - Gore-Tex is a fab wind break and breathes when you start to warm up so no wet and clammy. The original Polar-Tec fleece is light weight and very warming.

GSD are not hot house orchids -- or at least should not be.
 
#9 ·
I second this. I layer up (think Ralphy on A Christmas Story) and out we go. We walk 4-5 miles a day regardless of weather. I find that some good under clothes go a long way. Do you have any wooded trails near you? I find in the cold it is not so bad in the woods.
 
#11 ·
When I feel that my puppy has a good grip on what I'm teaching her, ill move on to the next command...I had a Border Collie mix and at 10 weeks old she knew roll over, shake, hide your face, crawl (this one is fun!) speak, and lots of other stuff I can't remember. If your pup is soaking it up and having fun, why stop?


Sent from my iPhone using Petguide.com Free App
 
#13 ·
We bundle and head out. I will be doing that in about an hour. Unless it's a tropical downpour or actively thundering, we are walking. Our goal is 2-3 miles a day. If it is raining though, there are no golfers on the course and we can walk the course and play "shepherd golf". Basically we run Scarlett 200 yards down the longest hole and back. She's usually totally muddy and tired out when we are finished with a few rounds of SG. :)
 
#15 ·
Oh, we go out. Best hiking weather is in a snow storm, dogs are excited and nobody else it out! Dogs love to get dirty and messy and play in the crazy weather, so do I. They gotta get their exercise and training in no matter what it's like outside.
 
#16 ·
How I envy all of you. Being a dogless house at the moment, my walks and hikes have lost purpose and enjoyment. Before losing Floyd, the best walks were in the worst weather. I can't imagine ever keepiningg him from jumping through the snow, puddles and mud.
 
#18 ·
Well, I live in the desert and mountains so we get the opposite extremes--sometimes it is so hot that you're limited in what you can do, even if you make a point of getting up super early/taking them out after dark, and other times it is so cold and snowy and windy, you don't want to do anything!

Dressing appropriately and just dealing with it is really the best option. Invest in some wicking long underwear (don't bother with the cheap cotton/polyester stuff you can find at Walmart--it will get wet if you sweat at all and be worse than nothing) and some good winter trekking socks. Layers are your friend, and loose is better--my long underwear is form fitting, but then everything else is sort of loose to allow warm air to be trapped in it. Then you toss on a wind- and waterproof outer layer (pants and coat) and a good hat, and things get a lot more bearable. ;)

But, stepping up fun indoor activities is good, particularly for a pup that young who may not be okay with cold temperatures for long (as far as that goes, I'd ask your vet to be safe, you can probably just call and they'll tell you--normally though I just watch my dogs for signs that they're cold or want to go in).

I like clicker training and trick training. Hiding a smelly treat somewhere in the house and sending her to find it can be a lot of fun for puppies too. Tug, puzzle treats, anything that gets her thinking and engaged. :)
 
#19 ·
We get wet, and cold... no we do go out regardless of the weather. I'll still work on OB in the rain especially heavy rain so the dog can get used to it in trialing but I'll go very light and mostly play with him until it's so ingrained he's not even phased by the weather during OB.

I won't do anything else though as far as tracking / protection - too much risk to slip etc
 
#20 ·
I suppose with a 10 week old puppy you'll have to keep an eye on her if you have an abrupt cold snap. I wouldn't worry as long as you are above 20 degrees though.

Otherwise its just all about being properly dressed. Driving rain and heavy thunder are pretty much the only things that stop us. And you can usually wait those storms out. None of my shepherds have had "too cold" in their vocabulary but we live up in Mn where it rarely gets below 40 below. Of course we spend a lot of time outside so they are always adapted to the current season. Shepherds are always appropriately dressed for any occasion - be it formal majesty, casual mud wrestling, or diving into snowbanks.
 
#21 ·
I suppose with a 10 week old puppy you'll have to keep an eye on her if you have an abrupt cold snap. I wouldn't worry as long as you are above 20 degrees though.
I think that wet and wind are more problematic than actual temps, personally. As long as they can stay reasonably dry on their skin (keeping in mind that GSDs have thick coats and a wet topcoat doesn't mean they're feeling that chill on their skin) and out of the wind if they're not exercising, they're fine to frigid temperatures. A bit of moisture on the extremities (paws, legs, ears) isn't even a big deal if the core temperature is up. On the other hand, I've seen a dog who've I've worked for 12 hours is negative temps without a problem get chilled when it was around 45F and just a bit breezy, because he got soaked falling into a river. I had to rush him into a warm area and dry him because he was only getting worse.

I suspect that in the incident that the OP described, her getting her legs and belly wet were actually a bigger problem than the specific temperature. Cold+wet=bad news for any animal, humans included!

My only hesitation is the age of the pup, because I've never had a young one out in cold temperatures really, which is why I recommend a call to the vet. But we often forget that double-coated dogs like the GSD are extremely well-suited to cold temperatures and do far better in them than we do! If we're a bit chilly in jeans and a tee shirt, our dogs are probably just beginning to think it's perfect weather. ;)
 
#25 ·
Count me in also for any kind of weather. If it's super cold (like below 10 degrees Far. ), raining to beat he11, snowin like a mutha...you name it, we're out in it. I use paw wax or bag balm on his feet if it's really icy.

The only concession I will make is running him (as in running with me) in the heat here. Since he is a long coat, we don't run in the summer except in the EARLY am or the very late pm. He does enjoy other activity then, such as playing with the hose, hiking, swimming, etc.

Invest in some good layers, such as a waterproof shell, a down "sweater" jacket, and a fleece mid-layer and you're set! :)
 
#26 ·
In Kyleigh's mind, there is NO such thing as bad weather. That is one of the main reasons I have a GSD ... I wanted a dog that could adapt to all kinds of weather. If I wanted to stay in the house all the time, I wouldn't have a dog.

Bundle up / or strip down to the basics is my motto ... go with the weather. (Unless it's a thunder and lightning storm or just stupid hot).

Kyleigh and I were out for an hour this morning, and 2.5 hours this afternoon ... it's -27 with the windchill ... yes, it was freaking cold. But she found a friend, and then two of them ran and wrestled the entire time. I had FOUR layers of clothes on, and all she had was fur! I think she was still warmer than I was!

Even at 10 weeks, the puppy can still go out and have some fun (not necessarily for 2.5 hours, but it can still be outside and moving!)
 
#27 ·
I got Arwen at five weeks old in mid July. So when the river froze over she was probably six months or less. I took the two of them down into the woods and Frodo got stuck on the other side of the River. Finally he tried to cross it and the ice broke and I had to go into the river to rescue him. Arwen also on the way back up dropped into the drink. But I fished her out quick.

I brought them back up and put them in the kennel while I went inside and pulled off my wet things and dried off and got into dry things. Then I went out to get Frodo and dry him off because he was totally submersed and in the water longer. I started with him, I should have started with the pup.

Anyway, after he was dry, I got Arwen and dried her off, and we were all inside a few hours later, everyone lying down in the living room, and Arwen got up to come over to me and it was like she could no longer control her back end.

I freaked.

I called the vet and rushed her in. She was walking by then. They said a touch of Hypothermia. She was perfectly ok and had no lasting effects, but I should have gotten her dried off quicker as she was a puppy and did not have the layer of fat adult dogs do.

At this point, my 7 month old pups are out all day and I bring them in at night. They have houses out there. The 10 month old puppies have an indoor outdoor kennel. I figure if I need long johns, they need straw. It has been so warm this year that I just put straw in Monday. If you put straw in early, they just pull it out. They can handle some pretty extreme temperatures, as long as you keep them out of the river that is.
 
#29 ·
Like many others, we get cold (well I do anyway, lol), wet, muddy, etc. The only weather that will keep us from walking, playing, etc. is driving downpours and thunderstorms, and even then if there is a break in the storm we get in as much outdoor time as the weather will allow. On the rare days when the weather doesn't allow enough time outdoors we play indoors, do extra training indoors, and use puzzle toys like the Kong Wobbler.
 
#30 ·
My friend and co-trainer started a Puppy Playtime group last year to address this issue for youngsters. We held classes for puppies under 6 months and another for puppies 6-12 months old...they were not formal training but instead were an "indoor dog park" where we could monitor and control the environment and participants. Limited enrollment, an indoor school gym with matting, toys, water bowls, etc. The whole point was to let the puppies "run free" to wrestle, run, bark, chew, and generally have a ball while learning socialization skills, bite inhibition, etc. We had informal discussions with the owners about typical puppy issues, and at times had everyone call their dogs to them for a quick break, etc. Was a WONDERFUL success.
 
#36 ·
My friend and co-trainer started a Puppy Playtime group last year to address this issue for youngsters. We held classes for puppies under 6 months and another for puppies 6-12 months old...they were not formal training but instead were an "indoor dog park" where we could monitor and control the environment and participants. Limited enrollment, an indoor school gym with matting, toys, water bowls, etc. The whole point was to let the puppies "run free" to wrestle, run, bark, chew, and generally have a ball while learning socialization skills, bite inhibition, etc. We had informal discussions with the owners about typical puppy issues, and at times had everyone call their dogs to them for a quick break, etc. Was a WONDERFUL success.

That is a great idea! After I read this post I started looking for something like this but it does not seem to exist in my area. Dang it! The best I can find is the local AKC Kennel Club will let pups come into some of the classes for the older dogs for some socialization time. I start puppy class there tomorrow (Karly starts the next week) and I'm going to ask more about that. I will take any socialization time I can get especially with dogs that I don't have to worry weather or not the owners have control over them. My biggest fear is baby Karly getting attacked!
 
#31 ·
Where I live, the main issue is summer heat and I don't think the situation will improve. We do most of our active stuff before dawn and right after dusk but that is when the mosquitos can be horrid and 90F and 70% humidity is still wicked. Asphalt is only useful in the am, it is still hot at night. So that is why I am looking into treadmills right now.
 
#32 ·
The cold weather invigorates my 5 month old GSD Tess, she could be so sleepy when heading out the door, but when she comes back inside, LOOK OUT, here come the zoomies. What I do then, if it's raining or snowing, is pick up her Frisbee and toss it off of our back deck. Tess will charge after it no matter what and when she brings it back, I just toss if off again.

If it's not raining and just really cold, I bundle up and use the flirt pole until my fingers are too numb to feel it. :eek:
 
#33 ·
I took Hermione and Hannah in to be groomed today. I let them out the front into the field. I got Hermione in the car. Hannah was having too much fun laying in the snow and rolling in the snow, and running in the snow, and jumping through the snow. I almost didn't want to put an end to that she was having so much fun.
 
#34 ·
what did your do to indicate she didn't want to
be outside? as part of my dog's training we went
out in all types of weather. you can train in the damp
and cold and you can train indoors.

Looking for ideas to keep Miss Karly busy when the weather is too bad to spend much time outside. This morning we went for a very quick walk, maybe 10 minutes.

>>>> It was so cold and damp neither of us wanted to
be out there!<<<<


We worked on commands and she spent some time chewing on her antler and emptied the food from the Kong. She spent a little time playing in the back yard too. Now, she is still full of energy and I don't know what to do with her. She is confined to the kitchen, which isn't small, in order to let my old dog have peace. She will play with her toys for a bit then start whining. I know she is bored. I taught a new command last night. How often should I add new commands? I don't want to confuse or overwhelm her. Thanks for any replies!
 
#35 ·
She plopped down on the sidewalk and refused to move!

To everyone else, thank you for the suggestions. I really didn't want to buy extra winter clothes as we really don't have much of a winter. Maybe 2 months of cold. I can deal with the cold but the wind and rain are another story and we've been getting a whole lot of that lately. I was more looking for games or some type of activity that we could do indoors. I tried the treadmill but she didn't want anything to do with it and I wasn't about to push it on her. I have a food puzzle but it seems to be way too easy for her. She can have as much time in the yard as she wants and she loves it out there. The problem is she wants me to be out there with her constantly. She doesn't like to play by herself and I really don't blame her. I don't mind being outside at all but I work from home and I can't sit outside all day long. I really have to work.

Karly got to play with the neighbor's Schnauzer a couple of days ago and it was wonderful! She was so worn out after a couple of hours. She was like a different puppy! We are meeting up with a friend today who has a young Golden. Hopefull all goes well and she will have another playmate.

On more question. Karly starts puppy class on the 14th. I found another puppy class and am considering signing her up for a second class. Good idea? Bad idea? My concern is would this be too confusing for Karly? I'm sure no two instructors are alike. If she were in two classes she would go on Monday and Thursday. Should I go for it or just forget this idea all together?

Thanks everyone!
 
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