[cshepherd9]

Hi all. I am looking for tips on indoor exercise for Willow as colder weather approaches. Something fun we can do around the house. I am not a cold weather person and as it has gotten colder Will's walks get shorter (I am a wuss). We do take a class every Wednesday night and we enjoy that but that is only 1 night a week.
I was wondering if there is something specific that you like to do indoors with your dogs?

P.S. It was a lot easier last winter when she was a wee bit of a thing and she couldn't be outside very long

 

[Wolfiesmom]

How about a treadmill? I am going to try Wolfie on one. I am not a cold weather lover either, and I can't imagine that I will be taking long walks when the temps dip below zero.

 

[cshepherd9]

Yeah, I thought of that but I got rid of my treadmill 2 years ago when I decided that the purpose of a treadmill is not to hang laundry on and maybe I could swindle some health nut out of $200 if they haul it away! Ha.

 

[VegasResident]

LOL....I had to just bundle up more. My last GSD would have nothing of my wussiness!!! In fact her favorite thing was to have icicles hanging off her tummy.

 

[Minnieski]

We play the "find it" game. We hide pieces of treats or a favorite toy while the dog is in a down-stay, and then we tell them to "find it". They have a great time looking for the treats/toys and they really wear themselves out because it's mental as well as physical exercise.

 

[cshepherd9]

We play the "find it" game. We hide pieces of treats or a favorite toy while the dog is in a down-stay, and then we tell them to "find it". They have a great time looking for the treats/toys and they really wear themselves out because it's mental as well as physical exercise.

This is a great idea!

 

[cshepherd9]

One of the things I have thought about doing this winter is working through the "101 Dog Tricks" book that I got when she was a pup. We have been working on Crawl for about a week. She is getting good but her butt still goes up in the air!

 

[Stosh]

We have the opposite problem- it was too hot to go out and play very long, so stayed in the a/c a lot, learned tricks, played tug, hide and seek. Our local mall opens for walkers at 7am and they let me take Stosh there in the mornings to walk with all the old lady mall walkers! If there's a mall near you, maybe they'll let you walk inside during the winter months

 

[cshepherd9]

LOL....I had to just bundle up more. My last GSD would have nothing of my wussiness!!! In fact her favorite thing was to have icicles hanging off her tummy.

Well, I did go out last weekend and bought a long puffy down coat. Not exactly for this purpose but I figured I could use it for dog walks. It hasn't been cold enough to use it yet though.

 

[kiya]

I have horses so I have no choice but to brave the cold. My husband calls me Nanook of the North, the way I dress in the winter. Layers and layers and the best thing I ever got was a one piece jumpsuit & ski face mask. After a few minutes of doing some chores or pedaling I usually feel toasty warm. I love when the dogs get frost on thier whiskers & face fur when we're out there running a trail. Life was good for me with 2 older dogs, something tells me that Lakota, who will be 1 in January, wont be so content hybernating during a big freeze. It could be a long winter for me. My house is too small for any physical activities.

 

[DJEtzel]

A treadmill the right size for a german shepherd is hard to find from what I hear, too.

I would stick to find it games, training, and depending on how old he is, running up and down the stairs after toys.

 

[cshepherd9]

We have the opposite problem- it was too hot to go out and play very long, so stayed in the a/c a lot, learned tricks, played tug, hide and seek. Our local mall opens for walkers at 7am and they let me take Stosh there in the mornings to walk with all the old lady mall walkers! If there's a mall near you, maybe they'll let you walk inside during the winter months

I love this idea. I never thought that the mall would let me take a dog in. I will have to call them and check on this. About a month ago I started to look for some kind of indoor track facility that might let dogs walk but I haven't found anything.
Oh, and don't take this the wrong way, but I hate that you have the opposite problem. I don't know why I live in Indiana. I HATE cold weather.

 

[VegasResident]

My last baby girl

 

[ShenzisMom]

I went to Ikea and bought like 10 new stuffed animals, then petsmart and bought some more. Hid them away. The plan is to teach her the names of all the animals and have her search for them in the apartment. I'm also looking into targeting, back end knowledge and eventually balancing work as well

. I'm good until about -10c, then my wussiness is like 'inside!'

 

[liv]

Find another dog to play with!! We just had our first almost foot of snow last night, and my two have the snow zoomies! I just love watching them go But I do bundle up in fifteen million layers and go for a walk almost every day...I bought the costco box of hand warmers and toe warmers and off we go. But now I'm not solely responsible for ALL of her exercise. Before the foster (who probably isn't a foster anymore) came along, I was going to look into a treadmill.

 

[Stosh]

I was surprised they let me take him to the mall- I went to the security office and told them that I needed to continue training despite the heat and they were fine with it. Everybody seemed to enjoy seeing someone actually training a dog and Stosh got lots of compliments! Our Home Depot, Lowes and Tractor Supply also allows dogs so you might try those kinds of places as well. A friend of mine takes his gsd to the high school and walks the halls before school starts, the principal lets all the kids think it's a drug dog even though it's not!

 

[cshepherd9]

Find another dog to play with!! We just had our first almost foot of snow last night, and my two have the snow zoomies! I just love watching them go But I do bundle up in fifteen million layers and go for a walk almost every day...I bought the costco box of hand warmers and toe warmers and off we go. But now I'm not solely responsible for ALL of her exercise. Before the foster (who probably isn't a foster anymore) came along, I was going to look into a treadmill.

Yeah, I have another dog but she is getting increasingly lazy as she gets older, she is about 8 now. She will give Willow a good run or 2 around the yard but the minute she gets back in the house she plops down on her pillow. Whereas Willow comes in and she is still raring to go. I am liking all the ideas and tricks I am learning here. Thanks to all. I figured posting here would lead me in the right direction :thumbup:

 

[BluePaws]

I usually set up an obstacle course around the living room (or any room) and have an indoor agility course. You can create your own 'tunnel' with a little creativity ... jumps are easy ... have different stations where they have to sit, down, wait, leave it, etc .. do tricks ... it's fun, controlled, and works their brain.

 

[Stosh]

Wow, I want to come to your house and play!

 

[BowWowMeow]

Force yourself to get out there! Buy some good outdoor gear (layers! goretex! warm boots! face mask! long undies! wicking gear!) and get your butt outside. it is good for both of you to get fresh air! we walk year round, probably a little more in the winter than in the summer. when i lived in WI (where the temps were frigid) we went out every single day, even when it was well below zero.