[OliviaB]

We've had a TON of rain the past few days, and Gunner is driving me CRAZY!! He's SO bored apparently and has resorted to whining and grumbling constantly. My 1 year old is sick with a bad cough and ear infection so going out in the rain is not an option. I tried to let him out loose in the backyard to play, and within 2 minutes he found a massive mud hole and was covered from head to toe. Dealing with a sick toddler and a muddy dog is not fun and given that I don't have time to bathe him 20 times a day, he won't be going back out except for potty breaks. Any suggestions for indoor games or play that will burn off some energy? I've had to crate him a lot today because he is just so wild that it's not safe for the kids. I've done a bit of obedience, but I really think he just needs to some play time to burn it off. Ideas or suggestions? Thankfully the rain is supposed to end tonight so hopefully in the morning we can go to the park for a LONG walk.

 

[aut_lyn]

Do you have an indoor open space? You could try a recall game. Throw a treat 6-8 feet left and tell him to "get it" then throw it right and tell him to "get it" then call him to "come", and make him sit/heel and reward him. Mix up the amount of times you keep throwing the treat. We do this in the basement and use pieces of dog food. Its fun and the pup would get to run plus learn some indoor recall.

I got my pup in December in Iowa (snow, ice, sleet, rain); it can be very hard working with the weather sometimes!

 

[Sinister]

Fetch up & down the steps. Flirt pole.
That's Juno's day if its raining or I have the day off.

 

[the_discowhore]

Hide and seek is one of my favourites! If your dog has a good wait you can play with just you two, otherwise get someone to hold him while you run and hide... it's such a fun game!

 

[OliviaB]

Our house is average size with a fairly large open living room. No stairs. Thanks for the ideas...keem 'em coming!!

 

[dobiemads]

You could hide treats around one room then get him to search them out

 

[arankin]

Hide and seek with the treats is a favourite of ours on crappy days! I even do it in my room so you don't need a huge space.

I will do different things but I like to cook up some chicken wieners so they are nice and stinky and hide them under Scarlet's comforter on the floor. As she sniffs around trying to go crazy finding them, rolling up the blanket in a ball haha it could keep her busy for hours. You can just hear her nose going nuts, and she is really thinking hard how to find these treats!!!

Once we do that with the blanket and she gets the hang of it, I start leaving trails or the wieners all around my room, on chairs, behind her crate, on my nightstand, under towles, etc.

Get Gunner really motivated on a "special treat" like chicken wieners, or cheese, he will love it!

 

[CourtneyJ]

+1

Hmmm...All I could think of is stairs as well. I taught Shannon "stairs". She runs up them sits, waits for "stairs" and comes back down. Really wears her out.

Fetch up & down the steps. Flirt pole.
That's Juno's day if its raining or I have the day off.

 

[Beaumont67]

Amy's toys are named...I would tell her to fetch anyone or be more specific.
- she loves getting a toy, to bait me...and makes a game of it...she ends up entertaining herself, with the prize procession

Tug fight, with a tennis ball in an old sock...she likes, very much.

Our living room has 2 archway entries - so if someone starts off in the kitchen...a game is on:
- either "hide & seek" or "gonna get you"...dog does the chasing or gets chased, around the house

 

[GingerGunlock]

I don't hide treats, but I do hide Gumby (with Elka in a down-stay out of sight) and have her "Find Gumby". We're also working on names for all of her toys. Gumby, Pokey, horseshoe. She'll bring me one of my shoes, and I can say "bring me the other one" and she'll find it. She also knows my fiance's name, and I can hand her something and say "Take it to Jim", and she'll find him in the house, with the object (a note, his deodorant, an empty plastic bottle...) 8

If you work with a clicker at all, free-shaping can be fun. That's (sort of) where her Testify! cue came from. Elka's also getting better about going to her bed on her own, because we played around with that.