The Winter Blues

I have a friend who lives in Tennessee. They've had the wildest weather this winter, including icy conditions and snow! Here in California, we've been hit recently with record amounts of wind and rain with lots of snow at the higher elevations.  My friend in Tennessee had reached out for ideas to keep her pets from going stir crazy when they can't spend as much time outdoors.  This is something I've been facing myself with a yard that is flooded and walking trails that are treacherous to navigate as they are under deep water and felled trees. So, how do you keep your pets happy when the weather conditions are less than cooperative?

First, don't feed them in bowls.  Find creative ways to feed your cats and dogs their meals, using boxes, muffin tins, egg cartons, and knotted towels.  If you have them, break out the snuffle mats and puzzles as well.  If you don't have any of these items, that's okay.  Now's the time to hide kibble for them to find and use the remainder for reinforcing some of their basic training and teaching new tricks.

Just because you can't walk outside doesn't mean you can't walk inside!  You can do this on leash, off leash, or both, just grab a handful of kibble or treats and walk your dog all around your house, pretending corners are stop signs and doorways are stoplights.  If you have stairs or even 1-2 steps in your home, use those too.  Teach your dog to take a single step at a time, two feet up on a step, and then those two feet back down on the floor. Work on taking stairs slowly and see if you can teach them to turn around mid-flight.  Work on backing up, going through your legs and around objects in your house as well.

Playing hide and seek is always fun.  Put your dog in a stay or wait and then hide from them. Call or whistle for them once and see how long it takes them to find you.  Give them a nice reward when they do!

Work on object recognition.  Grab three of your dog's favorite toys and lay them out on the floor, 12-18 inches apart.  Tell your dog which toy to grab.  If they find the right toy, they get a treat.  Start adding more toys to the line up to see how many they can differentiate based on verbal cues alone.

Here's a fun art project:  Combine food coloring and corn starch to create a pet safe paint.  Dip your pet's paw(s) in the paint and have them walk across a piece of paper, creating a colorful canvas of happy feet! Definitely put your art up on the refrigerator!

To relax your pet and keep their coat healthy while indoors where it's warmer and the air is dryer, brush or comb them daily to get rid of loose fur and dander. Follow up the grooming with a massage session.  I wrote about the basics of T-touch once before, so here it is for easy reference:

 https://juliebondanimalbehaviorist.blogspot.com/2020/04/some-tips-for-dealing-with-your-anxiety.html

And if you're going stir crazy too, maybe it's time to make some popcorn, put on your favorite movie (I'll suggest Lassie, of course), and curl up together on the couch.  You may fall asleep, but then again, rainy days and snowy days ARE the best nap days indeed.

As always, if you have questions about your pet's behavior, you know where to find me.

Couch potato bliss on a recent stormy day in Los Angeles.