Raise your hand if you go barking mad when the air outside turns frigid because your pup doesn’t have an outlet for all his energy.
Some dogs adore the cold — my girl, Emma the Beagle, is one such pup. But even she didn’t want to go outside during the recent "bomb cyclone." So we had to get creative. Here are some ways you can give your dogs the physical and mental enrichment they crave and need — inside, where it’s warm.
Feeding Enrichment
Animals in the wild spend their days trying to make a living (and I literally mean “living”). They have to hunt for their food. They scavenge, and they search for prey, stalk, chase, grab, shake, and eat what they capture. This process can take many hours or even days to do.
Compare that to how we give our dogs, cats, birds, hamsters, you name it, their food: Two or three times a day, we serve them food in a dish, and within seconds, it’s gone. “That was delish! Now what?” I imagine they might say.
By using toys and games for feeding, we give our pets an outlet for their natural instincts as well as a way to burn off energy: stuff layers of their food in a Kong (i.e. kibble, then sweet potato, then chicken breast, some cheese, and top it with a bit of peanut butter), scatter kibble on a shag snuffle mat, or put food inside a ball that releases pieces when they roll it around. Visit iSpeakDog for more ideas.
Go to an Indoor Doggie Gym
“A what?” you ask. A doggie gym – where pups can balance on exercise pads, jump over hurdles, and run on treadmills. Alexandria pups are flocking to Frolick Dogs (frolickdogs.com, 3280 Colvin St, Alexandria, 703-957- 8946) this freezing cold winter.
For dogs who love to swim, check out the K9 Aquatic Center in Potomac, Md. (k9aquaticcenter.com, 12948 Travilah Rd., 240-683- 1100), where they offer both fun and therapeutic swim sessions as well as pools for doggie birthday parties.
Take a Class
When we teach dogs using positive reinforcement methods — giving them food, toys, and love for doing behaviors we want — not only do our dogs learn basic manners to live peacefully in our homes, but they also have a lot of fun and burn a ton of energy. ]
At the Wholistic Hound Academy (wholistichound.com, 18 Roth St, Alexandria, 703-962- 6335), you can take private indoor lessons as well as group classes covering such topics as physical fitness, basic manners (i.e. not jumping on people, coming when called, and staying put when asked), and advanced nose work and agility.