One reason why dogs often misbehave is due to their lack of exercise. Even during the cold winter season, your dog has to remain active. Exercising your dog during this period, is no walk in the park. However, exercises are required to prevent your pet from becoming overweight, under-stimulated, and stressed. Adopting an indoor exercise regimen is essential. For instance, you can roll balls and allow for your dog to fetch them. Along with the exercises, administering flea medicine regularly to kill the fleas and ticks is vital. Anytime you give them flea medicine, keep the dog away from water, ice and rain.
During the colder months, you can adopt these helpful tips to make your pet active and happy.
1. Indoor Exercise Options
Cold weather is not favorable for your dog when it comes to doing outdoor exercises. The cold usually makes it unresponsive, bored, and withdrawn. So, what should you do in this case? The only option left out is the indoor exercise options.
Here are some fascinating games that will stimulate the dog during the winter season.
1. Hide and seek game: It is one of the best indoor activities to partake in with your pet, as you can feel the impact as well. If you have an extensive entrance, clear it to prepare for indoor activities. The hide and seek game can be done through:
Scent Games/Finding Objects: Scents will enhance the dog’s mental stimulation. When it’s dinner time, don’t give the dog food directly. Tease your dog and let he/she guess the food’s location. Hide the plate and make it like a game. If the dog has a favorite toy, hide it somewhere and let he/she find it.
Fetch: Though this may not be an awesome indoor game, it may still make your pet active during winter weather. Since you are all indoors, throw the object within a close range. Make the dog active by mixing things around as you make he/she fetch them for you. Remember, the best way to spice the game is rewarding the dog for every successful “fetch”.
Indoor activities have to be done concurrently with the administration of flea medicine. You can put out some treat trails for the pet, for it to sniff while moving.
2. Swimming
Dogs enjoy swimming a lot, even without training; they master the activity incredibly well. Therefore, you have an excellent activity to make your dog active during the cold season. Swimming makes dogs burn several calories making them exhausted. One reason for them to get tired is the fact that swimming involves the whole body.
Swimming outdoors in the cold weather? Yes, it’s possible though not good idea after taking flea medicine. Avoid taking the dog for outdoor swimming as it can be icy and freezing. An alternative to swimming is by using indoor hydrotherapy pools.
The pools have qualified trainers who will help your pet through the swimming session. If you lack the right option of exercising your dog in the winter season, book for the hydrotherapy sessions. It is an enthralling experience; the dog will enjoy it too.
3. Dog Sports
Dog sports? Yes, you can involve your dog by keeping it active during the cold weather. Besides helping your pet warm and fit throughout the cold weather, these sports will help your dog learn new skills. These activities will help your dog burn calories and keep its entire body in shape. Sports help mental stimulation as well. They help your pup have an active mind during the cold season. Pets are affected a lot by cold weather as it makes them inactive both mentally and physically. Start a running sport for your dog indoors.
Flyball is a popular sport that you can apply for your pup during a cold spell. The advantage part of this game is you can comfortably try it within your home compound. If you want to improve the skills of your pup, then check for tips.
Canicross is another excellent dog sport. However, unlike Flyball, Canicross can only be performed outdoors. It’s the best activity for people who prefer running to walking during the cold weather. Canicross is an exclusive exercise that benefits both the dog and the owner.
4. Doggie Daycare
This idea is one of the best ways to help your dog well-exercised and happy through the cold months. Dog daycares are almost in every area to keep your dog away from the freezing weather. With the different and numerous doggie daycares, it’s good to look for the one that fits your dog.
Various activities are available in the daycares like; socialization and daily exercise. Don’t keep your dog bored in the house while there are professionals out there to keep the dog active. Even if your dog is under flea medicine the daycares will be of great benefit.
5. Skijoring
Skijoring is similar to sledding. However, skijoring uses skis instead of a sled. You have to watch out for your dog’s weight as it should be 30 pounds minimum to perform this exercise. Another thing is to purchase a comfortable pulling harness that the dog will use.
Remember to train your dog with proper exercise because it needs to have prior basic commands and to make it active. All these should be done after administering the flea medicine to keep the tick and flea population on the low and give your dog a healthy look.
6. Prepare Your Dog
Everything is a result of proper preparation. Cold weather activities need special equipment for the dog. For instance, the skijoring exercise requires you to purchase the equipment. Given that the winter season is chilly, many dogs feel uncomfortable outdoors. It is good to prepare the pet and put it in the right mood for the exercise. Some dogs may refuse to go out because of the uncomfortable weather.
Conclusion
Cold weather is not favorable for pets when it comes to outdoor exercises; nevertheless, they need to be active. The dog needs regular exercise even during the cold months. With these tips at hand, your dog will be happier, so will you. Never forget that flea medicine is equally an investment that pays back more than your effort.
