SIT AND STAY

Help Fido fight cabin fever

All the excitement of the holidays is over. The decorations are put away and the guests are gone. Now what? A nap sounds really good! After your nap, get up and do something fun with your dog.
During the summer it’s easy to enjoy outdoor activities with your dog. In contrast, the thought of going outside in the bitter cold during the winter months is not appealing. However your dog still needs exercise to help keep him at an ideal weight and prevent behavioral issues. A great deal of bad behaviors stem from lace of exercise. Some examples are: chewing improper items, barking and digging.
Here are some ideas to prevent cabin fever for both you and your dog. Invite a friend to your house that has a well socialized dog. allow the dogs to play in your basement-make sure you supervise. If you don’t have any friends with dogs, take your dog for a ride in the car and go to a store that allows dogs.
Some other activities you can do at home are: hide toys and treats throughout your house and have your dog locate them. you can also play “hide” and “seek” between you and your dog. It’s fun to hide behind a door and jump out and startle your dog. I know – I need a date!
If you enjoy outdoor activities there is ski-joring. Never heard of it? It involves you wearing cross country skis and then attaching a harness to a dog or multiple dogs and allowingthem to pull you. If you have toy breeds this is not a good idea! If you need help teaching your dog how to do skijoring please contact me. It could be dangerous to do alone since there is the potential your dog could run you into a tree or busy road.
Lastly, join an obedience class. You and your dog will get to socialize with new people and dogs while learning commands.
You will also learn whydogs behave the way they do and any behavioral issues you are having will be addressed.
Contact Scooter’s School of sit & Stay, www.sitandstay.org or 585-755-7647