7 Indoor Activities for You and Your Dog

Between the summer heat and storms, many owners and dogs find themselves stuck indoors. Just because the weather is not conducive to outdoor activities does not mean there is nothing to do! Whether it is pouring rain or 100 degrees outside, it’s the time to get creative with indoor activities.

1. Practice basic commands, especially ones that your dog has yet to master. Mental exercise can make your dog more tired than physical.

2. Turn your house into a playhouse. If you have a long hallway, stairs, a covered porch, or garage, use it to play fetch or practice the Come command. Have your dog sit at the top of the steps with your Stay command, go down first, then call your dog. Repeat going back up. Make it a fun and happy game, and you will not even realize that you are getting exercise too! If you have a treadmill, you can acclimate your dog to walking on it.

3. You can play Hide and Seek to practice Come, get the kids involved, and teach them the foundation to search and rescue. Have one family member hide, then ask your dog to go find them, and then give lots of praise when he finds them! If your dog is more motivated by toys, hide his favorite toy and have him find it. This really gets dogs using their noses!

4. Puzzle Toys are a great way to provide mental exercise as well as build the human-canine bond. Check out all the neat toys on the market that can keep you and your dog involved together such as Nina Ottoson Puzzles or Kyjen Puzzles which you can find at one of our own local pet stores: http://www.animall.org.

5. Teach fun tricks. When you have a lot of time inside, it can be a great time to teach your dog some fun commands like roll over, dance, or speak! Remember to always keep it fun and enjoy yourself. The more genuine you are with teaching tricks, the more receptive the dog will be to your enthusiasm.

6. After an indoor mental exercise, you can take advantage of your dog’s calm state of mind to groom them. Having that calm down time gives you the opportunity to check your dog over, brushing them, checking their teeth, cutting their nails, and giving them a good look over.

7. Cuddle together or set them up with a stuffed kong or chewies such as bully sticks to settle down while you relax!

Kersti Nieto
Certified Dog Trainer
K9 Solutions LLC
http://www.nck9solutions.com

7 Steps for Easy Living with Kids and Dogs (Part 2)

1. Teach your kids to always ask to pet dogs, even if it is a dog you know well in the neighborhood, and then listen to the owner’s instructions. Dogs, like people, can have bad days and may not always feel like being petted. The owners may tell kids to pet a certain way, may ask the kids to pet one at a time, or they may even say no.

2. Dogs should respect the humans’ space, but, equally so, dogs should have their own safe place to retreat. Teach children to leave dogs alone if they are in their crate or bed, especially if sleeping. Let the crate be just for dogs, and no playing inside it.

3. Teasing is also a big no-no. Dogs should not have to tolerate poking and prodding. Tolerating only lasts for so long before there comes a breaking point. No lying on, hugging, pulling, poking, jumping in dogs’ face, or any sort of teasing that can stress them out. Instead, promote calmness and good interactions such as proper petting and playing.

4. You can also teach kids about dogs’ body language, such as dogs turning their head away or hiding his face. These are big communications that dogs wants to be left alone.

5. Teach how to properly give a treat without getting fingers nipped. Holding fingers and thumb close together in a flat palm, kids can offer a treat to dogs without them confusing which pieces are food and which may be fingers.

6. One especially important rule is to teach kids to never approach dogs they do not know! Whether on a walk, out at a park, walking by a fence with dogs behind it, or come across a stray dog, the best rule of thumb is to stay calm, not look at the dog, and keep moving. Seeing a dog you do not know and running or yelling with excitement can excite dogs more and engage its prey drive.

7. The best thing you can do for your kids and dogs is supervise all interactions. Especially with little ones, you do not want to leave them unattended together, not even for seconds. Supervising sets them up for healthy interactions and allows you to intervene before things escalate.

Kersti Nieto
Certified Dog Trainer
K9 Solutions LLC
http://www.nck9solutions.com