If you want to see your beloved dog in good health during the winter months, you must make sure that she is getting daily exercise. Remember, a dog must get involved in some kind of physical activity on a daily basis not only for remaining fir physically, but also for her mental wellness. In addition, dog exercise also plays a major role in maintaining a strong bond between you and your dog.
One common factor that stops people from taking their dog out for a walk during winter is bad weather; so, it’s important for you to find out other ways of giving your dog the daily dose of exercise. Here are a few tips that would help you.
1. Play an interesting game
One dog game that would allow you to keep your dog active both mentally and physically is hide-n-seek. Hide a sumptuous treat or your dog’s favorite toy and make her find it. You can make the game even more interesting by making the pet find you. Throw a treat towards her so that she follows the treat and becomes unmindful of your position. Next, hide in a different part of your house and wait for the pup to find you. The game would give the dog high intensity exercise and tire her up substantially.
2. Challenge the dog’s nose
It’s a widely known fact that dogs have amazing scenting abilities. This makes exercises that would require these pets to use their nose particularly stimulating. Arrange your canine pal’s dinner in her favorite plate and force her to work for reaching the plate by creating obstacles. You can create a wall of toys or can place the meal inside a cardboard box.
3. Use a treadmill
Today, the market houses various models of treadmills that are particularly designed for dogs. Having one such unit in your home would ensure that your pet would be able to go for walks even if it’s snowing outside. However, those units are quite expensive. So, if you can’t afford to purchase a dog treadmill, try to use the human treadmill you have. But, remember that you’ll need to take certain precautions while doing so.
Firstly, you will have to spend enough time with the pet for familiarizing her with the machine’s working procedure. Begin with a very slow speed; and stand behind your dog with her favorite treat all through the workout session. Do this for three to four days and then start increasing the treadmill’s speed slowly. Also, increase the duration of workout.
4. Get your dog enrolled in a workout class
Perform a thorough online search to find out whether your area has any exercise class going on for dogs. Most parts of this country have such classes; so, you shouldn’t find it difficult to get one in your area. Ideally, you should enroll your canine companion for a swimming or indoor agility class. Another amazing benefit of signing up your pet for a dog exercise class is that it would teach her to socialize. This, in turn would allow her to learn new things and become more agile mentally.