One of my long time clients moved to Virginia a couple of years ago. She reached out on Monday to lament her decision to leave California and our more temperate weather! Over the course of a couple of days there, they went from really cold weather with sleet, to heavy snow and a loss of power. She was reaching out for suggestions of things to do with her dogs since they can't be walked outdoors and they are all cooped up indoors trying to stay warm and keep a positive mindset. She has a couple of interactive toys for them, but said she is now wishing she'd bought more as they are solving these puzzles quickly. So, whether you are stuck indoors because of the weather (or because you are quarantining due to the spread of the Omicron variant!), here are a few suggestions for occupying your pets and maintaining your sanity:
1. Don't feed with food bowls: Encourage your dogs and cats to forage for their meals by spreading kibble around on cat trees or perches for your feline friends and on carpeted bathmats, rugs, artificial turf, etc. for your dogs. Foraging takes more energy and brain power than eating from a bowl and most pets love the challenge. If you feed wet food, you can form the food into small balls that can be frozen, or partially frozen, and then scattered around for foraging fun.
2. Set up an indoor obstacle course: Use chairs, tables, TV trays, etc. to set up an obstacle course for your dogs and cats. For cats, place a yummy treat on the end of a chopstick or spoon and lure them through your course. For dogs, you can toss a treat ahead for them to follow, or try luring them through each obstacle and rewarding until they get comfortable doing so. Don't leave the obstacles in the same configuration every day, vary them so you keep up their interest and enthusiasm. And remember, most chairs can serve three obstacle challenges; your pet can jump over the chair, onto the chair, or crawl under the chair. All three uses of the chair can even be done on a single pass through your makeshift agility course.
3. Break out the boxes: Take any empty boxes you can find, everything from cereal boxes to Amazon boxes, and create your own puzzles. Cut varying size holes and flaps in the boxes, partially tape some boxes shut, etc. so that you can create different treat-based puzzles for them to solve. You can put actual treats in some of the boxes and smear peanut butter in others to change up the reward your pet receives. Don't put all the boxes on the ground, instead placing some up onto chairs, in a dog crate or x-pen, or up on cat perches to increase the skill level needed to solve the puzzle. Empty milk cartons, egg containers, plastic nut containers, paper towel or gift wrap tubes, etc. can all be fashioned into makeshift puzzles for your pets as long as you supervise them.
4. Take them for a walk: Just because you can't walk outdoors doesn't mean you can't walk your pets. Put on their leashes and walk them all over your house inside. Practice your loose leash walking skills, keeping a smile in your leash at all times. Treat every doorway you pass through as a stop sign; have your dog sit and wait to go through. If you have soccer cones, set those up inside and maneuver your leashed pet around them as if they were obstacles you'd encounter on a walk. Take the leash off and use your "invisible leash" to walk your dog. Put a treat in your closed fist, drop your hand to your side where your dog can smell the snack, and begin walking just as you would if they were leashed.
5. Junk Box Game: I love doing this one in my puppy classes, but it can really be done with dogs of any age, including seniors. Gather a bunch of items your dog might find interesting to sniff and/or pick up if you were out on a walk and put them in a box. Things like empty water bottles, dirty paper plates, used cups, wadded up paper towels or napkins, used aluminum foil, ziploc bags with food remnants inside, etc. all work for this game. Once a day, with your dog in another room, bring out your box and spread your junk items all around. Bring your dog into the room on leash (or off, if you're ready for that!) and walk them around the items on the floor. Let them sniff, but if they try to pick something up, say "Leave it!" and redirect with a treat or toy. If they've already picked it up, say "Drop it!" and redirect/trade. Once you can do this with your junk box items, try with real food on the floor as well.
Don't forget that regular grooming is even more important in inclement weather as brushing, combing, etc. removes loose hair and dead skin cells, allowing better air movement and thermoregulation by your pets. Incorporate some handling exercises and massage techniques (see one of my previous posts on T-Touch for specific techniques!) into your grooming sessions.
My client was relieved to have some concrete actions to take and said she'd do what she could now, but plans to be even better prepared before the next storm blows through her area. I told her that these same ideas will work in the summer too when temperatures are too high to be outdoors. She said, at this point, she's dreaming of the day that her only problem is that it is too warm to go outside! LOL!
As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.
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