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Exercise in the Winter

9K views 19 replies 12 participants last post by  ryandb 
#1 ·
Here In Pennsylvania ..
There is ice and snow (hard as rocks all over)
Any tips on how to get some exercise in (when the weather is like this)..
I have a small house....but a decent yard (which I can't use now due to the snow condition )
Moses is having a hard time walking .peeing and pooping..in it.
Throwing a ball in a small house is not doing the trick
Any advise..?
 
#2 ·
in snow it's wonderful, having them run thru it is wonderful exercise.

but ice - oh how I hate ice. We had a period where it was icy for a long while around here. I did leashed walks (long), did LOTS of training indoors to work penny's brain, and had indoor play dates when I could.

I looked for doggy daycares or training schools that had play date sessions.

But yes, lots and lots of training. Make your pup work for their food (eating from a kong, in a muffin tin, kong wobbler or any other toy) or play games like hide and seek..

There were two days were walking was dangerous, so we didn't walk much those two days. Ice is evil!
 
#3 ·
Here is what I do.

We live 2 miles up in the Colorado Rockies and we are getting feet after feet of snow this year at once.
Even snowshoes are out of the question sometimes of late.

We do have a treadmill in the basement.
I got Ruby at 4 months to get on the thing (unwillingly) with kibbles in my hand as Labs will run through walls for food.

Once she was "trusting" of the treadmill and would hop up on it for a snack, I put a very short leash around the control panel and hooked it to her.
Then slowly started it up slowly to her shock and horror.

Then I sat in from of the treadmill and slow fed her by hand two kibbles at a time out of a cup of food over a 1/2 an hour.
Her focus is entirely on the food. My hand gets very slobbery.

The has gotten to the point now where I can say "Treadmill" and she books downstairs and gets on it to wait for me.
I even had the audacity to put her on it the other day and only give her a snack to start with and no other while I sat in front of her
reading the internet on a tablet.

This takes the energy away when you can't get out for whatever reason.
Ruby gets the adrenalin "zoomies" from this for 5 or so minutes before crashing on someone. So it can look for a bit like there was no fruit from this investment of time.

:Ron
 
#4 ·
We do have a treadmill in the basement.
I got Ruby at 4 months to get on the thing (unwillingly) with kibbles in my hand as Labs will run through walls for food.

Once she was "trusting" of the treadmill and would hop up on it for a snack, I put a very short leash around the control panel and hooked it to her.
Then slowly started it up slowly to her shock and horror.

Then I sat in from of the treadmill and slow fed her by hand two kibbles at a time out of a cup of food over a 1/2 an hour.
Her focus is entirely on the food. My hand gets very slobbery.

The has gotten to the point now where I can say "Treadmill" and she books downstairs and gets on it to wait for me.
I even had the audacity to put her on it the other day and only give her a snack to start with and no other while I sat in front of her
reading the internet on a tablet.

This takes the energy away when you can't get out for whatever reason.
Ruby gets the adrenalin "zoomies" from this for 5 or so minutes before crashing on someone. So it can look for a bit like there was no fruit from this investment of time.

:Ron
Yup, I used the treadmill with my dog, Tilley, too. Started her when she was about six months old.....carefully and gently got her used to using it. First, just a slow walk, and then as she got older and her endurance level increased with age, built her up to a trot. Worked great to help drain excess energy. She'd go on the treadmill for her allotted time, then go outside to lay on the back deck for about 10 minutes, then come in and have a nap. It was so helpful during the winter weather or during those days when it was pouring rain and I didn't want to go out and get soaked.

Now that she's older, she doesn't use it so often, because she is content if by chance the weather restricts our outings. But, it sure helped get her through her adolescent stage when she was alot of dog.....

Nice thing is, you can adjust it to your dog's tolerance level. What went from 3 minutes grew to 25 minutes, and a slow walk built up to a smooth trot.
 
#5 ·
We've never had more snow than Tango wants to go play in. And I like the snow too so we still get long walks in.

When it's cold, dark, wet and windy like tonight though neither of us like being out so he goes quick and heads for home where he can expect treats and rough play.
 
#7 ·
Have a small place..but I might have to invest in a threadmill too.
Since we are not getting out that much,,, Moses is real acting up.
Took Moses to a training class yesterday it helped. get out some energy..it is funny it does not look like they do that much far an hour but after the class Moses is wiped out.
Yesterday I thought i would fill the bird feeders I fell flat on my butt...trying to get to them (but did fill them)

Always picked up the poop every day ,,this too has stopped ..it freezes as soon as it hits the ground..my yard to not totally flat
Can't that the chance of breaking one of my bones

Good advise for folks who have treadmills now..you told them exactly how to use/teach their dog (to get use to it)

Can't wait till Spring or for temps above freezing
March 20th!!!
 
#10 ·
I'm sorry. But being lazy or using a treadmill is a terrible idea. Even a quick 20 minute walk on leash around the block is better than nothing. And treadmills have led to some silly injuries. You can also do stimulation games, like hide a kong and have them find it...running from room to room. But again, a quick walk is always great. I ended up in a waist deep snow-bank yesterday because I had a duty to my boys to get them out and stretch. They couldn't care less that it was -10 out...they had a ball. And we we only out for 30 minutes for a walk around the neighborhood...but they were happy.
 
#12 ·
Thankfully the lazy option here is crossing the road to let Tango run around the grass and trees in the middle of our cul-de-sac. We always do at least one decent walk a day and have him out at least twice.....well except one day last week due to having overdone it the day before where he just got out in the street twice.
 
#11 ·
I would never have thought of a treadmill!! Although in Scotland we don't get snow like where u guys are we do get rain and lots of it, unfortunately for me i have a dog that loves water be it a river, sea or rain! so i just get the waterproofs on a head out, i feel like although a treadmill gets energy out its just not as exciting as being out side with all the smells they love! I know how i would feel if someone put me on a treadmill! lol!:eek:hwell::eek:hwell:
 
#17 ·
I'm in MN where we just FINALLY got above freezing, granted its snowing like a banshee but I'll take it as long as it's above zero. Ripley is only 5 months old and it's been very hard to get him enough excercise with temps in the -20+ range. So we've been doing indoor dog play dates and playing tag in the yard. I also have a long hallway that we use to play fetch in the house. We still go for short walks if it's cold too. Can't wait for spring! ~Molly & Ripley
 
#18 ·
We have paw prints on our treadmill, too. I will take him to the pet store or for a ride. One of the indoor games that seems to wear him out is "Find the treat". I'll put him in the kitchen or kennel and hide treats. Then let him out and tell him to go look for them. It seems to burn quite bit of energy. Another indoor game that doesn't require too much space is catch. I think sometimes Mocha will let it bounce off his nose just so he can chase it.
 
#19 ·
I want a GoDogGo ball machine in the worst way.

I have Ruby all trained up using a playmate cooler as the return basket until I can procure one.

:Ron
 
#20 ·
I live in MN like Ripley's Mom so these cold temps are nothing new to my pup and me. Honestly, I just grin and bear it. Every morning, lunch (I work from home), and most every evening I bundle up in my hunting gear add a face mask and ski goggles if necessary. Even though my pup is just 6 months, we have been doing this all winter so he is used to the temps. That said, some of the walks don't last more than 15 minutes. Just saying that there isn't any substitute for the real thing.
 
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