# Winter exercise ideas?



## Jackson'sMom (Oct 13, 2007)

I have a friend who just moved to Kansas, and she has trained her whippet to walk on the treadmill with her when they can't get out to exercise due to stormy weather.


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

Jackson'sMom said:


> I have a friend who just moved to Kansas, and she has trained her whippet to walk on the treadmill with her when they can't get out to exercise due to stormy weather.


Yeah :, Sunny Delight gave me that idea, but I can't afford a treadmil at this time  I did want to do that, but I also have to be sure Sienna would even take to it. It would be perfect!!!

Wait, she walks WITH her whippet? I didn't think there was enough room? That would be an incentive for me, I need to loose a few :uhoh:


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## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

I'm glad you posted this. I live in an area where we can have wind chills in the -20 F range for a week at a time or more. Exercise during the winter is tough to accommodate.

I tried to teach our rainbow girl Baylee how to walk on the treadmill....that did not go well at all. I got her to get on the treadmill (not running) several times a day for a week. Then I put it so it was moving super slow, almost couldn't tell it was moving, and had her get on it. Freaked out, damaged a dew claw, $100 at the vet :no:. The poor girl. However I was successful at making it impossible for us to use it as she'd put her head into our legs when we started using it. Allowing the treadmill to get back to it's true purpose of this world....a coat rack.


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

How old is your son?


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

Cam's Mom said:


> How old is your son?


8.5... he will be 9 on New Year's Eve- he was our Millenium celebration


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

> 8.5... he will be 9 on New Year's Eve- he was our Millenium celebration


Love it. My older son, 23 was my PhD celebration!

I know you've probably said this before but, what's his main objection to walking?


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

Cam's Mom said:


> Love it. My older son, 23 was my PhD celebration!
> 
> I know you've probably said this before but, what's his main objection to walking?


Hey, we are origonally from California!! Well, LOL, there are a number of reasons, but in the a.m. it would be that he is still asleep!

If I do get him to go out he crabs that it is too slow, but I spend most of my time asking him to hurry up as he starts lagging behind, meandering. :doh: With the winter weather it is harder to have him take his scooter or bike as it gets slippery/wet.

I would love to have him along and it be our time together , but reality of his being a "kid" makes that dream disintegrate 

After Aftercare he just wants to be home...


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

I have five kids. They were 5-12 when we got Campbell, and I remember the problems. In my case if someone didn't want to go I could generally work around husbands schedule, or my 12 year old was OK with just one sibling home,( but she left the house with my husband before the others were up.) Still left three to take along. Then they'd argue over who got to hold the leash, who'd held it the most, where we should go etc!!

What about the promise of an outing with him each weekend to do something he wants to do, lunch, having a sleepover, park, roller or ice skating, swimming etc, as a "bribe" for walking. Oh, no, I never bribe my kids. If he likes money you've got it made, pay him a dollar a walk for helping you walk Sienna, with the emphasis on how good Sienna is when he goes with you, and how much Sienna likes to have him along 

I did have in mind a jogging stroller if he was under six...he might walk so as not to be embarrassed by the stroller, or be happy to sit and eat breakfast.

Could you trade off with another mother, just an hour each of playing over dog walk time? Or even alternate days having breakfast at each others houses?

Any older kids nearby who would come over and watch him for a while?

Or last resort, if you are not able to co-operate on walks, I will not have time to drive you to, soccer, friends houses, etc. Actually, this one is better for teenagers.


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## Sienna's Mom (Oct 23, 2007)

WOW, congrats on managing five!!

Thanks so much for all the ideas LOL, the $$ sounds good, but I do wish he would go with me "just because" :uhoh:

DH's schedule is another reason I need ideas- he works long days- out of the house by 4:00am and usually not back until 7:00!!! (Cargo pilot) so I usually am the one doing the run around.

Any ideas on what to do in the house to keep doggy (and you) from going stir crazy when housebound??? I do plan on having DS help work on Sienna's training.


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## Debles (Sep 6, 2007)

We play retrieving games no matter the weather. Gunner would die if he couldn't retrieve. So we throw the training dummy or frisbee all year long(unless snow is three feet deep) 
In the house we train, heel, stay, sit, down etc. They love it. I also throw balls and toys for them in the house! Most people probably don't do that. : )


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## LOVEisGOLDEN (Jan 4, 2008)

we set the lamps back, lay the photo frames down & tell the girls "free" they go crazy, racing, jumping & zooming around the house. we throw balls/toys & just let them be dogs. after they have worn off some energy they get the command "easy" "pick-up" and they put their toys away & we straiten the house.


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

It's good if kids do stuff "just because"...but realistically, how many adults would do their jobs "just because". Salary is a pretty good motivator. It's a good way to teach them early that a poor job doesn't get paid too.

I paid for poop pick up...because nobody really wants that job, and I want it done at least twice a day. You soon see the entrepeneur in the family when you offer payment! 

I don't often have to deal with weather too much, except extreme heat in summer..we have only about five days total of either rain or snow....and neither keeps us inside.

This past two months are the hardest months for us. Too hot, or too dark. This is our first week under 100 since about mid June. The Arizonans have it even worse.

My guys do play inside though...they wrestle together, and we play hide and seek. We hide, they seek, or we hide toys for them to find. 

My guys carry laundry too, and drop it by the machine, and carry grocery sacs from the car. I tie the handles together to form a loop.

The kids used to set up obstacle courses and take the dogs round those. Low jumps made with scarves or sticks between fruniture. Ramps, and tunnels made from furntiure and sheets. They dressed them up too. And of course the cookie on the paw or nose tricks, roll over, high five, play dead etc etc. They had as much fun as the dogs.

Laser lights, advertised for cats, keep the dogs occupied too.

Training, etc, but nothing beats a run outside. I'd go crazy without my walk.


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## Ljilly28 (Jan 22, 2008)

How about the cheaper, bright-colored snow shoes for your son so he can go "off road"?

We play Hide N Seek, Find It, and Post Office with our dogs to tire them out. Lots of variations. They love to play "Find". They sit and stay or wait behind a close door while a bone or a Kong is hidden. Find tells them to hunt and sniff for something special. They race to every nook& cranny, up and down the stairs- everywhere. Also, I might hold their collars while Joe hides. Then, I let them go and say "find Joe" , and they know exactly what to do. They zoom around sniffing closets and behind shower curtains while he tries his best to outwit them(he can NEVER trick Finn). We do this outside too in the woods, and I think it is as fun for the humans as the dogs. Post office is calling the dogs back and forth for treats between two, three, or four people. If you stand a good distance apart, it works well- like running 40 yard dashes. Monkey in the middle is good too as long as the pup gets the ball or the frisbee often.

My sister convinces her kids to go out for walks & get fresh air with her pups by stealing the idea of "geo-caching. She leaves a crazy, silly prize at the public library or at a particular tree, and they walk to get it , not just to walk.


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## cinnamonteal (May 16, 2008)

I second the hide-n-seek idea. DH and I play it with Caleb when we can't take him out. It's a lot of fun! We take turns putting the pup on a down/stay while the other hides and then tell him "go find Matt!" (or whoever is hiding) 

We played with him last night and he got a serious case of the zoomies. So much fun!


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## Cam's Mom (Apr 13, 2007)

> My sister convinces her kids to go out for walks & get fresh air with her pups by stealing the idea of "geo-caching. She leaves a crazy, silly prize at the public library or at a particular tree, and they walk to get it , not just to walk.


That's a great idea...


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## Dallas Gold (Dec 22, 2007)

> This past two months are the hardest months for us. Too hot, or too dark. This is our first week under 100 since about mid June. The Arizonans have it even worse.


Ditto for us here in North Texas--morning walk at 5 a.m., Evening Walk at 9:30 a.m. I will be so happy when we can start walking again after dinner and not have 100+ with high humidity!
We are lucky, our winters are usually mild and actually something to look forward to, exercise wise, due to the fact we rarely get snow/ice. Even then, the dogs want to walk while the humans are not so fond of slipping and sliding.
When it gets cold we still walk, using a flashlight in the dark, and visiglo collars and leashes on the dogs, but of course we have street lights overhead to help illuminate road hazards.
Our youngest also lives to retrieve. With a Chuck It or a Doggie Driver we can satisfy his need to run and chase balls in the field by a local church. If it is bad outside (snow/ice) we do vertical retrieving inside the house. We toss a ball over our staircase, he goes to see where it lands, then after locating the ball, he runs as quickly down the stairs and back up with the ball. If it is raining, we still go outside and walk, unless it is an electrical storm. Our dogs love to walk in the rain, and the humans have heavy weather boat gear to wear so it's not horrible. I'm sure our neighbors think we are crazy...
If a good doggie day care is in your locality, it is an excellent option for getting the dog socialized and exercised.
Since we have a very small back yard, we must exercise in all weather extremes so our oldest can keep his arthritis in check and our youngest can expend his high energy.


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## GoldenOwner12 (Jun 18, 2008)

Here on horrible weather which is about 4 out of 7 days a week sometimes more. What i do is we have an undercover outdoor setting, I stay there so i don't get wet or too cold. I then throw a toy around the corner as far as i can for them to chase and bring back. I do this 30 minutes sometimes less depending on Einstein cause of his age he tires out quicker then what he did when he was younger. I also do not feed them much on these days specially Einstein as i'm trying to controll his weight, So i cut back a handful of feed on days i can't give them total free run or swimming. But on nice warm weather i either take them to the river for swimming and runing or to the oval with a toy for exercise. My guys are normally off lead runing most of our walk, There on leash till we get where we are going. I will not walk my dogs if its overly winding or raining.


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## Lisa_and_Willow. (Dec 18, 2007)

Not going for a walk everyday? Diesel would drive me crazy! He thinks walks should be taken no matter about rain, wind or snow! The price I pay for an active dog.

Inside we also play 'hide and seek' with people or 'find it' games with toys/treats. Something that we did in training class once that we found Willow loved was laying out lots of pieces of cloth and adding one with my scent on it. She is sent out to search and bring back the right one.


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## samchu_mammy (Jun 20, 2008)

Thank god someone bought it up this early! I have concern about Winter exercise with Sam as well. 

We live in apartment building, so there's no yard for him to run around in the winter, nor we have enough room space. We don't have space for treadmill for the same reason.

Sam is definitely a hyper active dog, what should I do with him in the winter time?? any suggestions??


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## dannyra (Aug 5, 2008)

samchu_mammy said:


> Thank god someone bought it up this early! I have concern about Winter exercise with Sam as well.
> 
> We live in apartment building, so there's no yard for him to run around in the winter, nor we have enough room space. We don't have space for treadmill for the same reason.
> 
> Sam is definitely a hyper active dog, what should I do with him in the winter time?? any suggestions??


Bundle Up, get some paw shoes, and maybe a dog coat depending how cold it gets where your at and just make the most of your walks.


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