As winter wears on, you may find your dogs going a little stir-crazy. Here are some ideas to keep both you and them active and engaged.

Go Outside!

If you're up for it, a walk in the rain or snow with a healthy dog can be invigorating, for both of you.
But if your dog suffers from arthritis, or you just don't relish getting wet, there are games you can play indoors.

Tug Games
Some of you may have learned never to play tog of war with a dog. The fear was that it would make a dog aggressive and aggravate any possessive tendencies.

Now many trainers feel that it is a fine game, as long as you follow certain rules:
1) The rope or toy used should be long enough to prevent accidental bites. A thick rope with knots in the middle is good.

2) The game is played only with the tug toy. Teach your dog a command such as "drop it" or "leave it" before you start playing. (It's a good idea to do this even if you never intend to play tug) That way if he wants to play with your shoe, you can simply ask him to drop it. Never try to pull something away from the dog; you are just inviting a game that way.

3) You are in control of the game. You decide when to play. Keep the toy out of sight in between games. You should win at least most of the time.
When you decide you've had enough, simply say "that's enough" and ask the dog to drop it. Always stop immediately if the dog gets too excited or puts his mouth on your hand.

Ollie Ollie Oxen...
Another game you can play is hide and seek. There are two variations of this game; you can hide and encourage your dog to find you, or you can hide toys or treats around the house and tell him to find them.

If you are to be the target, simply have the dog stay while you go into another room. At first don't go far, and hide in an easy spot. Then call the dog with "Come find me!" or something like that.

Continue to call as long as you need to. Reward the dog for finding you with treats, excited praise, belly rubs - anything he loves.
Once your dog gets the idea, you can hide in more difficult spots, and call less often.

To use treats or toys as the objects to find, start by hiding a treat under or behind something while your dog watches, then exclaim, "Find it!" in an excited voice.When he understands the game, have him stay while you hide treats in other rooms.

If your dog likes to use his nose, try hiding the treats inside shoes, under rugs, between couch cushions and places like that. Otherwise you may want to put most of them in plain view. Break up large treats so that you are not giving him too many.
Toys work too, as long as your dog gets excited about finding them.

Go to the Head of the Class
You can also do brain teasers with your dog.
Get three boxes of the same size. Have the dog sit and stay, facing the boxes. Place a treat inside or underneath an overturned box. Then release the dog to find which box the treat is in. Eventually you can begin hiding the treat with the dog facing away from the boxes.

For another puzzle the dog can work on, place a morsel of food on a flat plate. Cover the plate with a towel or inverted foil pie tin. If using the tin, make a small lip in it so the dog can smell the food. If the dog is good at working things out, he should soon at least try to get the towel or pie tin off of the plate to get to the food.

Don't let the dog get too frustrated with these games - if he's not quite up to it, help him along and let him have the treat anyway.

Interactive Toys
There are also toys you can buy that will keep the dog busy. A variety of treat balls are available. The dogs dinner can be placed in these toys so she isn't overeating. Kong toys can also be filled with treats to keep a dog occupied.

Also on the market are some hide and seek toys . These are similar to those made for toddlers. Instead of putting rings on a stick, or shapes in a box, the dog takes the toys out of a plush container. These are definitely NOT for aggressive chewers, however.

All of these games are especially good for the rainy days ahead. So get up off the couch and have fun with your dog!

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